Professionals Tamborine Mountain 
The beekeeper mannequin on the curb is certainly an eye-catching advertisement for one of Gallery Walk’s most unique establishments— Funny Honey, a store run by Matthew Henderson that peddles honey of all flavours, plus a few other surprises. But what’s most surprising is the fascinating story behind Matthew’s career in the sweet and sticky stuff, and just how good for you it can be.
by Kyle Hitchmough
What was your inspiration behind opening this store?
I had a stomach infection, and the only thing that fixed it was some high-grade manuka honey that I got from the supermarket, after a year of antibiotics and cameras down my throat, when doctors couldn’t fix it. I kept going back and buying it until the factory stopped making it. I couldn’t get it, so I decided to get some beehives and some manuka plants and make it myself. I then started assisting the University of the Sunshine Coast with the Australian Manuka Program that was doing a sweep of Australia’s manuka plants. We have about 84 varieties of Leptospermum.
Can you explain what manuka honey is and what makes it special?
Manuka honey comes from the Australian and New Zealand native Leptospermum plants. There’s a chemical in the flower called DHA. As we mature the Manuka honey, the DHA breaks down into an antiseptic which, at different ratios, can do different things. It’s antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory. When it reaches 850-900 parts-per-million, that’s hospital grade. That’s what they use on infections, diabetic ulcers, burns, open wounds. It’s great for your gum health. And it tastes fantastic. It’s all straight from the beehive, not processed, and it’s all tested by Professor Peter Brooks at the Sunshine Coast university.
You sell other varieties of honey as well, correct?
Yes, we sell macadamia honey from Byron Bay, we sell Queensland ironbark, Tasmanian leatherwood, and limited-edition versions of things like rainforest or lemon myrtle. I sell honeycomb from my own backyard just 10 minutes down the road.
You also sell manuka plants. Is that for people interested in generating their own honey?
I do sell manuka plants. Most people who buy them are putting them in their garden to attract native bees. Native bees love native trees. They’re instinctively attracted to these plants, which is why a lot of native bee honey is medicinal. I sell them to improve the health of local hives and to put some native plants back in the ground. They’re really good for native bees because of the antiseptic in the honey, so it makes the hives a little healthier as well. They’re a mozzie blocker too, you can rub it on your skin.
Do you have any tips for people wanting to get started with beekeeping?
My biggest tip? Don’t get a beehive, there’s a guy on a mountain with a honey shop… Jokes aside, the biggest tip is that there’s a lot of work involved. You have to know how to look for diseases and check the health of the hive. Also, join a bee club! There are guys there who are a wealth of information.
People don’t realise that all the different flavours of honey come from different flowers. People walk out of here saying “I’ve learned something today.” It’s really satisfying because I know that’s knowledge they can keep, pass onto their kids and teach them about the bees and the flowers and how important it all is. Having a beehive helps pollinate your fruit trees. Your plants will put out twice as much fruit once you’ve got a beehive around.
What’s an average workday for you look like here?
I set up my beekeeper out the front, he waves to everybody. I set up, I serve people as they come in, give them some taste-tests. I talk to people about the honey, then I go home and put my suit on and I’m back out in the beehives. If I’m not doing that, I’m pulling out frames, and at night I’m spinning honey. I make most of what’s in here myself.
Do you notice any particular trends in your clientele?
I get a lot of return customers because they love my honey, we’re lucky we’ve had so many, and what I do find is how healthy they are. The people who come in here and get honey every week, there’s a big difference you can see. People who are in here all the time are just healthier.
As a local, what’s your opinion on the Tamborine Mountain area and community?
I think they’re great. I think it’s really good that the shopkeepers up here stick together and try to refer people to each other if they haven’t got what they need. I love that it feels like you’re in a world away from the city, but then you’re only 10-15 minutes from the highway to get wherever you want to go. It feels safe and clean up here. Even the kids are polite! There’s no graffiti, everyone’s got a bit more respect for the place.
What do you think Funny Honey really provides to the area?
Local produce and something that tourists can take home with them. Even after they get home, they can still be tasting the mountain. When they’re having their toast, they can be remembering their nice time up at the mountain.
What do you enjoy most about doing this?
The best part of selling in the shop is dealing with happy people all day. They’re all in a really good mood, out to have a nice day and I love giving them that ten minutes of a pleasant experience. I call it Funny Honey because I’m always joking, we’re hardly ever serious here. And to be able to work with nature and with the bees, there’s something really calming about that. You have a connection you can taste.
Is there anything else you’d like to go on the record?
I’m gonna be having a rack here and displaying some CDs from unsigned bands to give them a bit of exposure. I’m also about to do an EP of a few songs and sell my own CDs here. I used to be a musician a long time ago, and I still write songs. We used to have a band back in the 90s, we were touring Australia, and we even won the Triple J Next Big Thing competition. We were supposed to go over to America on Warped Tour, but an incident happened and then life went a different way. But I’m still writing music, and I think this is going to be a good place for people to come and sample local music from me and other local bands. There’s a huge variety of people coming up here to the mountain and into this shop. I had the lead singer of The Church in here a month ago, Steve Kilbey, he came and bought some high-grade stuff for his throat— a lot of singers buy manuka honey for that.
We are always looking for new topics for our blog. If there’s something you like to see more of, email your suggestions to: social@professionalsserendipity.com.au, or email the writer at kyle.hitchmough@hotmail.com.
