Unique among Tasmania’s plant specific honeys is leatherwood honey. It represents 70% of our island’s honey production and attracts a premium price.

One of our major honey producers, The Tasmanian Honey Company situated at Perth, presents their leatherwood honey in an exquisite range of dramatically patterned presentation tins, a testament to the venerable contents within.

Leatherwood honey has its own very distinct characteristics of colour, flavour and aroma.

The leatherwood tree Eucryphia lucida is found primarily in the rainforest areas of southern and western Tasmania and usually flowers from December to March.

If it is a good flowering season, a hive can produce 90-100kg of honey. The nectar yield is correlated to the age of the trees. Many trees do not blossom till more than 70 years old, with most prolific flowering from trees considerably older, hence the continuing dilemma between clear felling of old growth forests and loss of commercial nectar producing stands of flowering leatherwoods.

Read more about this ongoing battle here.

Tasmania’s dairy industry is primarily comprised of dairy cows, with a small contingent of goats and sheep.

The high rainfall areas of the north-east, Meander and north-west with lush grass and clover pastures are home to the majority of the dairy cow herds.

Less than 10% of our milk production is actually consumed as a beverage. The balance is manufactured into cheese, milk-related products and butter. And chocolate, lots of chocolate …

Our long, slow growing season ensures not only plump, vibrant and glossy berries, but true to type taste and perfume … the whole package! Beware of the blackberries that line our country lanes. Classified as a noxious weed, they have probably been sprayed.

Raspberries, members of the rose family, had been traditionally grown for processing, but as with many of our berries, the demand is now well and truly for fresh table fruit, due to their exceptional eating qualities. The exception to this are red and black currants, which are grown predominantly under contract for processing.