Honey Care Africa
Encyclopedia
Honey Care Africa was established in 2000 as a private sector
social enterprise to promote sustainable community-based beekeeping
in eastern Africa
. In partnership with a number of local NGO
s and international development and financial institutions, as well as the governments of Kenya
and Tanzania
, Honey Care undertakes village-level demonstrations and provides microfinance
, training, and community-based extension services. Honey Care also provides a guaranteed market for the honey
produced by small-holder farmers at fair trade
prices. It collects the honey at the farm gate and pays for it on the spot, then processes, packs and sells the honey for a profit through supermarket chains and other industrial clients. Its "Honey Care Africa" and "Beekeeper's Delight" brands are well known in the East Africa region and have captured a significant market share.
In 2004, with support from the Swiss Foundation for Technical Cooperation and a patient capital loan from the International Finance Corporation
, Honey Care expanded its operations beyond the borders of Kenya and successfully replicated its model in Tanzania.
Today Honey Care Africa employs close to 50 staff and has helped over 9,000 small-scale beekeepers (representing over 38,000 direct beneficiaries) earn a supplementary income of $180–250 per annum. For many, the income earned from honey production often makes the difference between living below or above the poverty line. Honey Care Africa is the largest producer of high quality honey in East Africa and among the largest exporters of beeswax in the Region.
, with an emphasis on generating economic, social, and environmental value simultaneously through its activities.
In many ways, Honey Care was set up as an experiment in trying to challenge and redefine the traditional role of the private sector in development and to radically reconfigure the dynamics between the private sector, the development sector, and rural communities. This led to the evolution of Honey Care’s "Tripartite Model," which seeks to develop a synergistic "win-win-win" partnership between these three key actors by drawing on the core competencies of each.
Honey Care also received the coveted "Kenya Quality Award" in the Small and Medium Enterprise Category from the Kenya Bureau of Standards
(2004) and was named the "Top Small to Medium Sized Business in Africa" for 2005-06 at the SMME Awards in South Africa. It also received "First Prize in the Renewable Energy and Environment Category" at the same event.
Honey Care Africa has been featured on numerous occasions in the press and media including in the BBC
, the Chicago Tribune
, The Globe and Mail
, Financial Times
, CNBC Europe
, CBC
, UN Radio, Daily Nation
, and East African Standard. It has been discussed in a number of academic journals, including the Stanford Social Innovation Review and the MIT Sloan Management Review
, and has been featured in several books and other published academic works.
Private sector
In economics, the private sector is that part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is run by private individuals or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit, and is not controlled by the state...
social enterprise to promote sustainable community-based beekeeping
Beekeeping
Beekeeping is the maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans. A beekeeper keeps bees in order to collect honey and other products of the hive , to pollinate crops, or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers...
in eastern Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
. In partnership with a number of local NGO
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
s and international development and financial institutions, as well as the governments of Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, Honey Care undertakes village-level demonstrations and provides microfinance
Microfinance
Microfinance is the provision of financial services to low-income clients or solidarity lending groups including consumers and the self-employed, who traditionally lack access to banking and related services....
, training, and community-based extension services. Honey Care also provides a guaranteed market for the honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
produced by small-holder farmers at fair trade
Fair trade
Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards...
prices. It collects the honey at the farm gate and pays for it on the spot, then processes, packs and sells the honey for a profit through supermarket chains and other industrial clients. Its "Honey Care Africa" and "Beekeeper's Delight" brands are well known in the East Africa region and have captured a significant market share.
In 2004, with support from the Swiss Foundation for Technical Cooperation and a patient capital loan from the International Finance Corporation
International Finance Corporation
The International Finance Corporation promotes sustainable private sector investment in developing countries.IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States....
, Honey Care expanded its operations beyond the borders of Kenya and successfully replicated its model in Tanzania.
Today Honey Care Africa employs close to 50 staff and has helped over 9,000 small-scale beekeepers (representing over 38,000 direct beneficiaries) earn a supplementary income of $180–250 per annum. For many, the income earned from honey production often makes the difference between living below or above the poverty line. Honey Care Africa is the largest producer of high quality honey in East Africa and among the largest exporters of beeswax in the Region.
Mission and agenda
From its inception, Honey Care Africa had an explicit triple bottom-line agendaTriple bottom line
The triple bottom line captures an expanded spectrum of values and criteria for measuring organizational success: economic, ecological, and social...
, with an emphasis on generating economic, social, and environmental value simultaneously through its activities.
In many ways, Honey Care was set up as an experiment in trying to challenge and redefine the traditional role of the private sector in development and to radically reconfigure the dynamics between the private sector, the development sector, and rural communities. This led to the evolution of Honey Care’s "Tripartite Model," which seeks to develop a synergistic "win-win-win" partnership between these three key actors by drawing on the core competencies of each.
Awards and recognition
Honey Care Africa and its founders have received numerous international awards for their work, including:- the Equator Initiative Prize at the World Summit on Sustainable DevelopmentEarth Summit 2002The World Summit on Sustainable Development, WSSD or Earth Summit 2002 took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 26 August to 4 September 2002. It was convened to discuss sustainable development by the United Nations. WSSD gathered a number of leaders from business and non-governmental...
(2002) - the International Development Marketplace Innovation Award in partnership with Africa Now from the World BankWorld Bank GroupThe World Bank Group is a family of five international organizations that makes leveraged loans, generally to poor countries.The Bank came into formal existence on 27 December 1945 following international ratification of the Bretton Woods agreements, which emerged from the United Nations Monetary...
& Soros Open Societies Institute (2002) - the World Business Award from the Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum and United Nations Development ProgrammeUnited Nations Development ProgrammeThe United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
(2004)
Honey Care also received the coveted "Kenya Quality Award" in the Small and Medium Enterprise Category from the Kenya Bureau of Standards
Kenya Bureau of Standards
The Kenya Bureau of Standards is a government agency responsible for governing and maintaining the standards and practices of metrology in Kenya. It was established by an Act of Parliament of Kenya's National Assembly, The Standard Act, and Chapter 496 of the Laws of Kenya. The Bureau started its...
(2004) and was named the "Top Small to Medium Sized Business in Africa" for 2005-06 at the SMME Awards in South Africa. It also received "First Prize in the Renewable Energy and Environment Category" at the same event.
Honey Care Africa has been featured on numerous occasions in the press and media including in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
, Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
, CNBC Europe
CNBC Europe
CNBC Europe is a business and financial news television channel, the pan-European sister station of CNBC. The network is owned and operated by NBC Universal and headquartered in London, where it shares the Adrian Smith-designed 10 Fleet Place building with Dow Jones...
, CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
, UN Radio, Daily Nation
Daily Nation
The Daily Nation is a Kenyan independent newspaper. It is the most influential newspaper in Kenya with a daily circulation of about 205,000 copies. The total readership is likely to be higher as each copy is read by a large number of people...
, and East African Standard. It has been discussed in a number of academic journals, including the Stanford Social Innovation Review and the MIT Sloan Management Review
MIT Sloan Management Review
MIT Sloan Management Review is a web site and magazine focused on the management of innovation. Published at the MIT Sloan School of Management, MIT Sloan Management Review’s mission is to lead the conversation among thinkers, professors, and managers about the coming sea changes in management...
, and has been featured in several books and other published academic works.