Gentell acquires First Honey to enter consumer health retail

Gentell said July 26, 2026, that it acquired First Honey and will fold the Manuka honey product maker into a new Gentell First Honey division. The deal gives the wound care company a path into consumer health and wellness retail through more than 9,000 stores and online sellers, including Amazon.

Why it matters: - Gentell is using the acquisition to move beyond its core wound care business and into the U.S. consumer health and wellness market. - The deal expands distribution potential from clinical and care-setting channels into more than 9,000 retail stores, plus online retailers including Amazon. - Gentell says the move broadens growth opportunities for products based on medical-grade Manuka honey.

What happened: - Gentell announced July 26, 2026, that it acquired First Honey, a manufacturer and distributor of all-natural healthcare products made with medical-grade Manuka honey. - First Honey will become a fully integrated Gentell division under the name Gentell First Honey. - David Navazio, Gentell’s chief executive officer, said the acquisition opens the U.S. health and wellness retail market for the company’s products. - Jono Scarlet, formerly Gentell’s product manager for the Manuka honey portfolio, will lead the new division as vice president of honey products. - Sarah Scarlet will join Gentell as director of consumer products.

The details: - First Honey’s product lineup includes Manuka honey-infused ointments, therapy creams, bandages and other products. - Gentell described itself as the largest vertically integrated wound care company in the world. - Manuka honey differs from other honeys because of properties that have been scientifically proven to improve wound healing, according to the release. - Manuka honey comes from New Zealand, where bees collect nectar from the Manuka bush, Leptospermum scoparium. - The company said people have used honey for wound healing for thousands of years because honey produces hydrogen peroxide, a natural antiseptic and anti-bacterial agent. - First Honey is Gentell’s fourth acquisition in the last 12 months. - Gentell’s other recent acquisitions include ISG, Manukamed and Casex. - ISG supplies Medicare Part B products to the nursing home industry for enteral feeding, tracheotomy, urological and other applications. - Manukamed is a Manuka honey-based wound care manufacturer in New Zealand. - Casex is a wound care and ostomy device manufacturer headquartered in Paraguay and Brazil. - Gentell operates manufacturing facilities on five continents: North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia/New Zealand. - Gentell also says it has manufacturing plants in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Paraguay, China and New Zealand. - The company manufactures and supplies wound care products for nursing homes, home care, hospices and other health care settings. - Gentell also develops wound care database and logistics systems for customers. - Navazio said Gentell started in his garage 30 years ago and has become a global company. - Navazio was recently awarded Life Sciences Dealmaker Of The Year by the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Between the lines: - The acquisition signals a strategy shift from a mostly provider-focused wound care business toward direct consumer distribution. - Gentell is pairing clinical wound care expertise with a natural-products brand to reach a broader customer base. - The emphasis on retail scale suggests Gentell sees consumer sales as a new growth engine, not just an adjacent channel.

What's next: - Gentell First Honey will operate as the company’s consumer-facing honey products division. - Jono Scarlet and Sarah Scarlet are expected to help build out the division’s product and consumer strategy. - The retail rollout will likely determine how quickly Gentell can convert the acquisition into consumer sales growth.

The bottom line: - Gentell is no longer just a wound care supplier. The First Honey deal gives the company a direct entry into mainstream consumer health retail.