Tauranga MP Simon Bridges has kept his birthday promise to Comvita founder Claude Stratford by catching up with him at his Te Puke home.

He was unable to attend Claude's 100th birthday in August so to make amends Simon made a special trip to see him on Monday afternoon.

Tauranga MP Simon Bridges congratulates Claude Stratford on making it to 100. Also pictured is Comvita director Alan Bougen.

Simon is impressed by Claude's success; both in living to 100 and in creating a successful business.

Making it to 100 is no mean feat and Simon was curious to find out what his secret to long life was when he talked with him on Monday.

'Claude told me the secret of his longevity – his daily bee pollen,” says Simon.

Claude swears by his pollen and in his top 10 tips for long life, the first two include bee products.

The first is a tablespoon of bee pollen every day; something he has done religiously since 1936 and second is a daily teaspoon of manuka honey with a dose of olive leaf extract (15 ml), two Omega 3 capsules (fish oil) and a multivitamin tablet.

To round out the top three of Claude's top 10 longevity tips is having generosity of spirit.

Inspired by this recipe, Simon says listening to seniors is a wise idea.

'We can learn a lot from Claude because he has not only found the elixir of youth but he has also developed a business that went from garage to a large listed company that exports to 14 countries around the world,” says Simon.