Mike Allanson began beekeeping in the Wairarapa in March 2007, working for a friend’s father before the mānuka industry took off. Starting as an apprentice, he dedicated himself to perfecting his craft. In 2010 and 2011, Mike traveled around New Zealand, learning new skills from various operations and mentors.

In late 2011, he took on a six-month project in the Wairarapa, which quickly expanded into 3 ½ years of managing 3,500 hives and leading a team of eight staff.
In 2015, Mike joined King Honey to establish and manage an operation in the Wairarapa. At the time, King Honey had 2,500 hives in Kaitaia. Over two years, Mike added 3,000 more in the Wairarapa. When the operations manager became ill, Mike took over both sites full-time. Under his leadership, King Honey grew to five national operations with 16,000 hives, 19,800 placements, two queen operations, and a team of 50.

Throughout his career, Mike saw the number of hives in New Zealand rise from 300,000 to a million before stabilizing at around 550,000. His journey has taken him across the country, meeting incredible people and exploring its backcountry—an experience he considers truly amazing.