From NGO to Profitable Venture, the Story of Honey Care Africa Active in Kenya

Caring for the environment and caring for Kenya makes Honey Care Africa a sustainable and socially responsible enterprise. This company believes in ethical business practices for commercial viability.

Honey Care Africa makes sustainable use of Kenya’s natural biodiversity to produce honey – for money. Initially started as a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), today Honey Care Africa has become a commercially viable business with a diverse product range. This remarkable social enterprise believes in ethical business practices and was established solely to increase the income of local rural farmers.

Currently active in three countries – Tanzania, Kenya and Sudan – Honey Care had to work hard to make the transition from a non-profit project into a traditional company. To do this, Honey Care Africa focused on marketing and skills. The venture hired a group of successful entrepreneurs who helped them through the process. Since then, Honey Care Africa has seen an increase in sales of up to 10 to 15 percent every year. By continuing to lower the cost of operations at their factory, they help to increase the amount of profit generated annually.

Honey Care believes in good business practices. They train both their farmers and their staff in how to produce their products in a commercially viable manner, as well as how to operate a business efficiently and economically. While there are many beekeepers in Kenya, honey producers have tended to operate through an informal market. One of Honey Care Africa’s aims was to formalize the trade in order to ensure a stable industry for local farmers.

This objective has been achieved through the company’s ‘Money for Honey’ project which trains farmers in commercial beekeeping. The business exchanges skills, knowledge and expertise on effective beehive management and buys the honey produced by the farmers at set, guaranteed prices. This development scheme has ensured a stable market for the farmers’ products. As a result, it has doubled the income of more than 9000 small scale farmers.

Honey Care Africa is now on its way to expanding and improving their enterprise. The company hopes to get into the processing and packaging of their honey products as well as make progress into the dried goods market.  In addition, the organisation would like to focus on their export market, shipping African honey to many other countries – such as The United States, The Middle East and Japan – making Honey Care Africa a sign of quality the world over.