Comvita founders, Claude Stratford and Alan Bougen, imagined people living healthy lives. Bees were their inspiration and honey their medicine.

Claude’s fascination with bees started early. At six he began keeping bees and as a teenager he ran his own beekeeping operation. It wasn’t until 1974 that Claude started making and selling a range of bee products from the basement of his home in Paengaroa. Later joined by Alan Bougen, Comvita was established with a founding vision; to create natural products that worked, while caring for the community and acting in a way that would preserve the environment for generations to come.

From humble beginnings more than 45 years ago, Comvita has grown into a globally-recognised natural health products business which is listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange (NZX:CVT) and sells into 18 countries.