Use It or Lose It: The Small Lab with a Big Vision for Kānuka Honey

Although their definition of kānuka honey may still be up for debate, Sri Govindaraju and Sunil Pinnamaneni of The Experiment Company (TEC) firmly agree on one thing: robust scientific testing and clear, transparent labelling are essential to adding lasting value to the industry. The husband-and-wife team has spent the past five years juggling continents, raising children, and investing their personal savings into developing a one-of-a-kind testing machine and launching a dedicated honey testing lab as part of the TEC kānuka honey initiative.

By Eloise Martyn & Patrick Dawkins

The Experiment Company, now operating as PAQ Labs, has been founded by, from right, husband and wife duo Sunil Pinnamaneni and Sri Govindaraju, and assisted by honey research expert Dr Swapna Gannabathula, with research technician Rushan Mudiyanselage, left.

“We like to set an example for our children that nothing in life is easy and nothing will come on a silver platter,” Govindaraju says, reflecting on raising kids split between parents who are separated by continents for much of the year, for the sake of advancing their research and development business .

Now, with an interim chemical definition in place for both mono- and multi-floral kānuka – as well as a potency rating (sound familiar?) – the personal and business sacrifices are on the cusp of retuning tangible benefits for themselves and others, as the focus turns to beekeepers and packers. Their support is becoming crucial as TEC, trading as PAQ Laboratories , works to elevate the profile and value of this uniquely New Zealand honey. So says the inventive couple behind the two businesses.

It's a classic case of ‘use it or lose it’: if the industry doesn’t back the science now, the opportunity to define and protect kānuka’s value could slip away. All while TEC sits on what is potentially a game-changing analytical testing device across several industries, developed in the honey research process.

Pinnamaneni has spent more than a decade working with New Zealand honeys, most recently with honey label Zelandia Honey, which he co-founded in 2019. Since 2020 he has been based in the UAE, having moved to Abu Dhabi to market Zealandia Honey and take up a contract researching honey, specifically Samar and Sidr honey for the UAE government, just before the global pandemic struck.

“I have had a lot of time to study honey,” Pinnamaneni says of his time on the Arabian Peninsula. “Not just honey from the UAE, but also New Zealand. It is a big laboratory and we have a lot of good equipment.”

That was particularly beneficial in Covid times when, with little else available to do, he says he took advantage of the lab to work seven days a week.

Back home in Auckland, alongside Govindaraju as TEC’s chief operating officer, the research company has employed the services of a honey bioactivity specialist, Dr Swapna Gannabathula. Since undertaking a doctorate degree focusing on the bioactive qualities of New Zealand honey from 2011-16, “Dr. Swapna ” has maintained an interest in the subject.

“Quite a Journey”

The founders verbally refer to PAQ Labs – which stands for Precise, Accurate and Quality – as “Pac Labs” and, a little over six months after the doors to “Pac” opened, Govindaraju reflects on the journey it took to get this far.

“It’s pretty cool, especially in a time where the whole world has gone through multiple disruptions, we have survived that. I won’t say we are thriving, but we are paddling fast enough through the water to survive,” the honey innovator analogises.

“It’s been quite a journey” adds Pinnamaneni, and it’s hard to argue with that.

The couple founded TEC as a startup company which has led a science-based programme to better understand the attributes of kānuka honey as well as define kānuka honey and rate its immunostimulatory properties. They have developed a fast, accurate method to detect Arabinogalactan Proteins (AGPs) – a bioactive compound shown to have strong immune-stimulating properties – in kānuka honey. Until now, AGPs were difficult to quantify in a reliable, scalable way.

The couple’s innovation combines techniques that were previously siloed across multiple workflows into a single prototype device, capable of delivering AGP results in under two days. It’s a significant leap forward from the slow, manual, and fragmented methods previously relied upon, they say.

Pinnamaneni and Govindaraju have invested three and a half years navigating red tape, completing endless paperwork, and carrying out painstaking research, testing, and validation. The result? A fast, user-friendly test that requires just fifteen minutes of preparation and another fifteen for sample running time for the definition.

PAQ Labs, verbalised as “Pac Labs” by the founders, operates from Auckland and stands for precision, accuracy and quality in honey and propolis testing.

Their goal now is to achieve ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation—the international standard for testing and calibration laboratories—and to gain beekeepers' support for their kānuka and propolis testing services by the end of 2025. But the risk is real: without strong industry support, this pioneering work may stall before it reaches its full potential.

Now that the foundation has been built, the couple stresses it is vital to keep differentiating kānuka from other honey types. Kānuka honey’s unique AGP profile has the potential to distinguish it globally, but only if the science continues and the data grows. Collecting nationwide data is still critical to defining kānuka with scientific confidence, and keeping the lights on at the lab will require beekeepers to utilise their services.

“Getting a definition is not an overnight process,” Govindaraju says.

“There have been a few beekeepers that have challenged us about the definition, and that is a good thing. Rather than accepting it, the challenge allows us to test wider. The funny thing about New Zealand is each region has slightly subtle differences in all its biomarker make up, whether it is mānuka, kānuka, kamahi, we are noticing that.”

The duo says these regional differences are what make it interesting, and having access to all that variability in the data is of real benefit. “We can relay that information back to the beekeepers for them to use in whatever way they see fit,” Govindaraju adds.

Much More Besides

Interestingly, what began as a method to validate kānuka honey has evolved into something much bigger: the development of a biotech instrument with potential applications across the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Each of these sectors, in their own way, stands to benefit from the honey industry – the space where the couple’s true passion sits. They’ve already applied for a range of patents, some for the device itself, and others for its specially designed sample trays.

In July came the inspiring news that in Australia their range of patent applications associated to the testing device proved successful.

"We've secured novelty for both the instrument and the sample trays in our provisional patent application, marking a significant step forward. With freedom to operate confirmed for Australia and NZ, we're now focused on demonstrating the inventive brilliance of our technology, poised to revolutionise antimicrobial performance quantification. It's an exciting time for our small team,” Govindaraju says.

The machine operates on a diffusion principle to test antibacterial potency. Both developers admit that if someone had told them five years ago they’d be working on a biotech device, they wouldn’t have believed it.

“It wasn’t on our radar, but that’s what innovation is, though, right?” the COO reflects.

They also acknowledge that while they await the outcome of further patent applications, the process doesn’t come without cost, adding to an already significant five-year investment, both financially and personally.

“Even with some of those patent applications progressing favourably, it will still be around half a million dollars just to protect them globally,” Govindaraju explains.

The move underscores their ongoing commitment to drive innovation that could benefit not only kānuka, but the broader apiculture sector as well.

The Proof is in the Propolis… Testing

Propolis testing is also a key focus of the operation, with quality, safety, and authenticity being assessed according to the product's intended use – whether nutraceutical, cosmetic, or pharmaceutical – and relevant regulatory standards.

Pinnamaneni emphasises that, in their view, any claimed health benefits must be grounded in science and supported by robust research, and that is what PAQ Labs has been founded to help with.

Pinnamaneni and Govindaraju have been studying research on the bioactive compound CAPE (caffeic acid phenethyl ester), which is found in high concentrations in New Zealand propolis. CAPE has been associated with anti-cancer properties and has shown promising results in laboratory-based trials.

Early research suggests that CAPE may selectively target melanoma skin cells, potentially slowing their growth. The compound appears to work by increasing oxidative stress and triggering apoptosis (cell death) in these cells. Evidence also indicates that CAPE may be more effective in melanoma cells with high levels of tyrosinase, though this remains under investigation.

PAQ Labs scientists Swapna Gannabathula and Sunil Pinnamaneni have put in the hard yards to better define kānuka honey and identify its health benefits, now it is time for the industry to harness that work, or risk losing it.

Pinnamaneni notes that exploring the use of CAPE in preventative applications – such as incorporating propolis into sunscreens or body butters – could open up new cosmetic market opportunities. This, in turn, would help drive demand for high-quality propolis from New Zealand beekeepers.

“Consumers are getting very clever – we’re living in an information age. They’re just a Google search away,” Govindaraju adds.

Her comment underscores the growing need for a clear definition and robust testing framework for propolis and kānuka, along with transparent labelling across all apiculture-related products.

After countless hours of development, Govindaraju and Pinnamaneni are now calling on beekeepers across New Zealand to get behind their efforts by using their testing services to test their kānuka honey and propolis.

“Now that the information and science are available, It’s up to the beekeeper, the packer, the producer, the exporter to see how it affects their business and what their vision is. It takes years –and a lot of guts – to not be a sheep and actually try and do something about the science,” Govindaraju says, speaking with years of experience on the matter herself.

“I’d love to say there’s a market so you should test your honey, and you can prove this, but I’m lying if I say that. You’ve got to put yourself out as a pioneer if you want to use AGP rating on your labels or want to use it for marketing effectively. Be that person, take that first step.”

The couple sees their current position as a critical crossroads for the industry. While an estimated 30 to 40 beekeepers have supported their Research and Development journey from the outset, broader industry engagement is now essential to keep moving forward.

Moving Time

For years Kiwi beekeepers have cited a need to seek value in ‘other’ native honeys, beyond mānuka. For years, one couple have put their money where their mouth is, seeking innovation to provide added value to flow back to Kiwi beekeepers.

They’re not just building a lab, they’re building a system. One that New Zealand’s beekeepers and honey and propolis providers can be part of. So, they’re putting out the call: get behind the science.

Use it or lose it.