Guest Blogger

David Kiambati and Dick Turanski

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Entrepreneur David Kiambati keeps bees and extracts honey and other bee products when he is not running the computer systems for the California Highway Patrol in Sacramento. Expert Dick Turanski is president of GloryBeeFoods Inc. in Eugene, Oregon.

America.gov asked finalists from among the more than 700 African immigrants who submitted business plans to the “African Diaspora Marketplace” to blog about their ideas. Sponsored by USAID and Western Union Company, the African Diaspora Marketplace is a contest that will award seed money to approximately 15 winners to help them bring their ideas to life in their home countries.

DAVID KIAMBATI, entrepreneur:

Bees and their keepers.

Bees and their keepers.

In partnership with Rift Valley Asali Farms (RVAF) in Kenya, I want to expand the current honey business operations by developing value-added items from raw bee products — processed honey, beeswax, propolis, and royal jelly.

These products would be sold on local and national markets. For example, honey could be packaged in small individual jars for sale to Kenya’s many tourist hotels. The bees also provide ingredients to make soap, skin care products, candles, lip balm, and beeswax polish.

One of RVAF’s biggest challenges is the acquisition, installation and operation of modern honey processing and packaging equipment to produce commercial-quality honey products. RVAF also needs an improved marketing and promotion model to go with the expanded honey business. RVAF would welcome any help, knowledge, expertise and assistance from beekeeping organizations, honey processors, equipment manufacturers, and interested parties. It would be helpful if they wanted to participate in the expansion of honey markets in the sub-Saharan countries.

DICK TURANSKI, business expert:

There are many opportunities to develop business through beekeeping and honey production. But selling honey only in bulk is not highly profitable. To go beyond bulk sales, the first step is to establish honey packing for the retail market. At the highest end of the retail market is the gift size, which typically is the smallest size. The honey processor must also tailor products for natural-food consumers, restaurants, and, lastly, for those who use honey to make other products.

A second consideration for a prospective honey entrepreneur is to provide incentives to the beekeeper to produce pure beeswax. Beekeepers must be taught not only how to keep bees, but also how to save wax and to render it into a pure cake by putting the wax into a double boiler. In Uganda, where we have this type of operation, the price for the beeswax is much higher than the price for the honey. Sometimes we get paid twice as much for the wax as we do for the honey. The wax can be used in candle making, lip balm, skin care products, and other things. We do not believe that the production of royal jelly in Africa is feasible at this time.

In order to pack honey adequately, there will be capital requirements — a stainless steel honey tank that can be warmed and straining equipment for removing all the impurities. Also, a scale is essential for maintaining the proper weight. The honey packing facility itself has to be built to the highest sanitary standards. Other necessities are running water and special clothing for the employees.

We are in a position to give our expertise as to what equipment is needed. We would also like to recommend that classes be offered to beekeepers on the most modern methods.

We can assist in importing very inexpensive beekeeping equipment and some processing equipment. Modern beekeeping equipment, such as smokers’ veils, hive tools, extractors can be traded to the beekeepers in exchange for the honey they produce. You might say that there are several divisions within the corporate structure that can be developed. There is the beekeeping division and teaching of beekeeping, supply side of the beekeeper, honey packing and product manufacturing division and then the marketing division.