An Initiative in Combining Rural Development with Private Enterprise in the Honey Sector through shared ownership with Producers

Development of the value chain of suststainable environmental agriculture through bee-keeping which has a result in producing ,comercializing honey, processing, packing and marketing as a high-value product.

Considering the limited quantity, 500 tons after 5 year, the high quality, will result in a demanding market on all levels.

The Company will facilitate access to production means and offers a competitive purchase price.

Bees , in the tradional production areas are dying and production on global levels is continious declining, the product, we will produce, is in rel. small quant. and specialized, the market wont be saturated.

By producing various types of bar-hives, some out of local materials like mud and bamboo , which can be made by the producer with very low costs (5 usd ) and by selling the timber KTB -hive on credit to the producers.

Collecting and processing will be done by our tecnicians, where hygienic and other environmental criteria are met on first world standards.

Packing , labelling and logistics to the buyer will be done on a professional way.

Formal local, sales of all grades through direct contact with shops and supermarkets, in glass bottle packing max. 350 grs.

Informal sales through street sellers, small road shops in a proper 10-25 grs plastic packing, also some mixed with groundnuts, cashew nuts.

For creating demand advertising in jornals and television.
Honey as substitute for sugar in f.e. coffee and tea.

S.A and Japanese markets through a fixed agent.

Starting with the local , formal (shops and supermarkets) and informal (street and bairros) markets, this will absorb at least 200-300 tons.

As the quantities will get more, we will look into the regional market like South Africa.

In the meantime try-outs will be done with small quantities of top-quality, organic honey to the Asian market , where we have an agent as quantities are growing, certification for EU market will start.

Competition with cheap honey comes from China, Latin America, Australia, Europe like Portugese and Spanish.
Quality wise these honeys have lost their special properties.

They are working with agents, especially in South Africa, but for imported portugese honey also in Moçambique.

Local produced honey is sold along the main roads from south to north with a low price but very doubtfull quality in used water bottles and often mixed with sugar.

Quality in the first place, processed, packed on EU norms in the 2 place and transported on time and secure in the third place.

The buyer will be aware that the producer is involved in the Company.

The Mocambican Honey Company is a stake holder company with 50% shareholding for private and 50 % for producers.

The private will guarantee high value management, the producer will be able through training and availability of acquiring improved bee-hives, to guarantee a high value product.

Producers will be organized in Associations and Coops and will be trained to participate in management and as shareholders in profit sharing.

The honey production in Mocambique has got an enormous potential, (estimated 3500 tons a year)
Production with putting out top bar-hives will grow 2 to 3 times a year.

Local markets will be developped by marketing, Honey "Made in Mocambique" ,and will absorb good quantities, starting at 200-300 tons a year.

Top quality honey as a "niche" has a good market, although the existence of a lot of these, compare it with the parfums-market.

Andre Vonk,managing Director and owner of V & M Grain is the driving force behind the honey project, he has many years of experience in running a succesful company in Mozambique.
V & M focusses on grain trading and value adding activities which relies on a close relationship and trusting environment with many thousands of small scale producers.
The honey project will require such a person with successful small scale producers experience.

V & M has been working through the years directly and indirectly with the Communities , organized or not in Ass. and Coops.

Main objective to pay the highest possible price directly to the producers.

It will now start comercializing honey in the villages which alternatively will give the producers even more possibilities to also sell other commodities directly to the end-user, resulting into higher prices.

It always pays cash on the spot.

In the next few month I will work full time on the project to establish the company and put the funding in place .

As that is done , a manager will be nomonated and I will withdraw into an advisory role

Honey can be seen as a great way to alleviate absolute poverty, it is easy to produce and provides extra income.
Bees are responsable for flowering and pollination of natural flora and crops, improving the yields of various crops like maize, beans and sesame.
It will change the mentality of burning down trees to deforest terrain, and turn into a "preserve nature" thinking, as people will see them as important ingredients for honey production.