Our History
Peter Boutelje started beekeeping in 1970 and became well known for his brand "Black Forest Honey".
In 1980 he designed and manufactured the "Boutelje Extraflow" honey extractors and an extremely accurate filling machine - still used today.
He continued building his range of machinery after emigrating to New Zealand in 1992, initially trading under his own name.
Boutelje Products Limited was founded by Peter in 2005.
What We Do
Our company produces an extensive range of the highest quality machinery for commercial honey houses in New Zealand and abroad.
The excellence of our machinery design, and its robustness, is globally recognised.
As the most established and leading manufacturer of honey processing equipment in New Zealand, we are extremely proud of our machines and our commitment to the beekeeping industry.
Beekeepers are welcome to come and see us at our factory in Ruakaka (Northland) to discuss their honey processing needs.
Meet The Team
Peter Boutelje | Design Engineer | Director/Owner
Company founder, and qualified mechanical design engineer, Peter brings a wealth of experience - both as an engineer and a beekeeper. He has been designing machines for the commercial honey industry since his youth in the ‘70s. Peter has a broad understanding of this industry. Father and husband, Peter loves “chewing the fat” with beekeepers, tasting honey, observing/photographing bees, and designing machines.
Callum | Machine Builder & Customer/Tech Support
Kiwi born, Callum was head-hunted by Boutelje Products. He brings passion and energy, intelligence, humour, great practical skills with machine building, a background in beekeeping, maturity, and thoughtfulness. He has a natural eye for detail and learns extremely quickly and has a real “can do” attitude. He loves to get stuck in and is highly focussed. Callum has also been a volunteer for the fire service.
Agnes | Machine Assembly
Originally from South Africa, Agnes is a mother of four kiwi kids. Her father was an engineer, so Agnes grew up with a good understanding of mechanical design and precision. With a fine arts background, she is intelligent, creative, very good with her hands, and for years has reliably been the deft hands behind the loosener needle banks – assembling or refurbishing these. Agnes is also an active contributor in her community.
Melissa | Media/Design | Data Management
Kiwi born wife and mother, Melissa has lived half her adult life in Europe, returning to NZ in 2003. She has a background in footwear design, photography, teaching, community engagement, and ecology. She joined the company in 2020 and is using her creative skills to spruce up machine photographs and to assist with the re-design of our website and other publications. In her spare time she can be found in her gumboots restoring wetlands and native forest.
Jane | Office Administrator/Accounts
Born in New Zealand, Jane has worked as an administrator for a variety of corporations including manufacturing. She has been with Boutelje Products since 2012. Highly organised, responsible, with an eye for detail, and brilliant multi-tasker, Jane manages to file, and keep track of all the paperwork and accounts to ensure things run smoothly.