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GOLDEN BEES LTD:
Empowering the Ugandan Countryside One Hive at a Time
A Student Multidisciplinary Applied Research Team (SMART) Project
TEAM: Claudia Poclaba , Cole DeMeulemeester , Judith Martin ,Valerie Castano 4
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TEAM LEADER: Oscar Hernandez FACULTY/FIELD ADVISORS: Ralph Christy , Scott McArt , Tara Hammonds , Grace Kabuye 9
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THE COMPANY THE VALUE CHAIN
Golden Bees Ltd. is a processing company that
specializes on honey products
Staff team: 12 people
Produces around 30 tons of honey per year
Brian Mugisha and Vicent Ochan Works with more than 2,600 smallholder farmers Supply Chain Production Harvest Collection Processing Distribution Consumption
founded Golden Bees in 2008 - Natural - Depends on - Informal - Grind - Kampala- - Mainly at
Portfolio Next steps process hive types process comb based breakfast
- Honey (Acacia, Wildforest & Lemongrass) Organic growth by - Lack of - Seasonal - 4 storage - Trade wax - Tea
- Bees wax increasing annual monitoring vats sweetener
- Propolis company production
- Beekeeping training to 300 tons in 4 years.
- Beekeeping equipment Farmers Golden Bees Retailers Consumers
RESEARCH METHODS Actors
- Interviews
- Surveys
- Meetings with stakeholders (supermarkets, - Modernize techniques - Marketing void - ‘Generic’ - Identify
public offices, non-profit organizations, etc.) - Pesticide overflow - Consistent production brands customers
- Data analysis (financial reports) Challenges - Limited output - Cash shortages - Expand - Promote uses
- Data collection (competitors, market prices, - Scattered sources beyond - Create
etc.) Kampala loyalty
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Differentiating the Golden Bee Brand Ensuring Operational Excellence and Resilience Maintaining Financial Sustainability
“Creating a sustainable, inclusive, Marketing Evaluation Production Evaluation Financial Evaluation
and resilient ecosystem based on 1 - Identify target customers 2 - Traceability 3 - Financial statements
shared value creation and - Redesign branding and packaging - Operational model - Funding sources
responsible consumption.” - Develop a partnership strategy - IT support - Sustaining community engagement
MARKETING PRODUCTION FINANCE
Introducing extension staff to ensure consistent, high-quality honey inputs.
Customers stick to a high-quality, natural product
Farmers Golden Bees Revenue Streams
Farmers will Golden Bees will - Main sources: trainings,
monitor hive set production retail sales
health and and collection - Financial records: no cash
production and standards while flow statement, other Growth
collect material coordinating
inputs. staff. statements updated - Create cash flow statement to
support grant applications.
Supply Extension Staff Quality Funding - External funding could cover
Extension staff will Farmers will have - Grant from Self Help Africa the extension staff expenses
conduct hive checkups, production quotas and - Need for new investors and and outreach programs.
beekeeper trainings, and staff will set consistent a portfolio for grant
hold farmers harvesting timelines. applications
accountable.
How to enhance customers’ experience
Social Media Online Ads E-Mail Website OPPORTUNITIES
- Facebook & - Sponsored ads - Newsletter and - High-quality
Instagram profiles (social media) list-serve to product photos - Marketing strategies will allow the company to stand out in a competitive market of apiary products, in which there are similar
- Frequent & - Demographics update partners - Remove broken or businesses with similar models.
regular content for targeting & customers expired links - Funding is a key issue for increasing visibility and production. This starts with funding for the necessary extension staff.
- Hashtag creation - Add testimonies of
- Request positive beekeepers/partners - Beekeeping is becoming an increasingly popular business in sub-Saharan countries. This industry presents an attractive pathway
Google reviews for rural areas and for governments to enhance the nation’s food security.
Acknowledgements: Affiliations:
We are grateful to Golden Bees’ founders Brian Mugisha and 1, 5 Cornell Institute for Public Affairs
Vincent Ochan, and their staff members. Thank you also to 2 College of Engineering
Professors Ndunge Kiiti and Ralph Christy for their insightful 3,6 Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
advice and efforts to support us, and our experience and learning 4 School of Hotel Administration
within SMART Program. 7 Department of Entomology – College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
8 TechnoServe Inc.
9 GO ED. Africa
