Anne Ng’etich discovered tremendous prospects in the honey value chain after attending a course in 2016.
Before that, she used water bottles to sell her honey along the road in Koriema, Baringo County. This meant that her clientele was limited to drivers on the Kabarnet-Marigat route. The Agricultural Sector Development Support Programme provided the training on value addition (ASDSP).
She received Sh20,000 from her banking table group to launch her value addition business. She was well aware that she was taking a significant risk because she had no idea how the business would turn out.
She was, however, eager to put her business skills to the test.
Ms Ng’etich says:
“If you want profit, you should be ready to take risks. Although I had minimal skills in business management, I grasped opportunity in beekeeping and commercial honey production after realising that traditional honey producers faced market challenges.”
Her gamble has paid off, as her company has developed and she now has customers all across the country.
She describes the training as “game-changing.”
The entrepreneur is currently buying honey from scores of farmers in Baringo County. She then packages it as Koriema Honey Packers.
“Since undergoing training on new packaging techniques by ASDSP in 2016 I have moved away from packaging in recycled beverage bottles. The clientele has expanded and now I have supermarkets and retailer shops across the country and I even have some orders for the export market,” says Ms Ng’etich, adding that she has markets Nairobi, Nakuru and Kisumu.
“My honey is sourced from the beekeeping farmers living in and around the greater Baringo County mainly Tiaty.”
Ms Ng’etich buys Sh100,000 worth of honey from farmers every Monday. She has her own 10 beehives, although relying on farmers for raw ingredients.
“Initially, I used to buy honey worth Sh20,000 but this has gradually grown as I keep ploughing back my profits,” she says.
Her honey sells for Sh700 per kg, with five litres fetching Sh4,500. Despite working on orders, she still sells on the side of the road. She claims she decided to start a honey company instead of staying at home.
Ms Ng’etich says, “Honey venture would allow me to stay at home but make some money.”
She has only one employee, aside from her daughter, who assists her in running the business.
Because of the favorable tropical climate, Ms Ngetich claims that honey from Baringo is of exceptional quality.
Apis Mellifera Yemenitica, sometimes known as honeybee, is the bee species present in this area.
Its benefits include the ability to tolerate and survive drought conditions as well as a high honey output.
Ms. Ng’etich says the primary difficulty she encounters is honey availability, which affects price during certain seasons.
