She Quit Her Auditing Job To Start Her Own Business

In 2014, Joan Kinyanjui graduated from the university with a degree in agricultural economics. For her, she was very clear on what she wanted to do and that was farming. To get capital for her farming business therefore, she got a job as an auditor in an accounting firm. Right from the start, her goal was to save enough and start the business.
Wrong Business Choices
Teaming up with her then boyfriend Tony Mule (now husband), she started growing watermelons, but over time discovered it was not ideal for them.
“We grew the crop on a two-acre leased piece of land in Wote, Makueni County. The project cost us about Sh150,000 but unfortunately it didn’t do well, so we decided to try out something else.”
On the second trial this time with tomatoes, they yielded Sh70,000 after having invested Sh100,000. They did a season’s harvest and gave up.
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Birth of Bee-Keeping
“We then started researching on agricultural activities that were less time-consuming. That’s how we stumbled on apiculture.”
She and her husband then attended a two-hour training at African Beekeeper’s Ltd (ABL), located in Industrial Area, Nairobi. They were so convinced that this was the perfect business for them, that they left the training with 10 beehives which cost them Sh50,000.
They started their beekeeping project in Yatta, Machakos County where Tony’s parents had an idle piece of land. Later, Joan would expand the project to Kiambu County, where she comes from.
“I have seven hives back home.”
Starting out was a challenge. Getting the right harvesting equipment posed a challenge, and they eventually decided to import.
Through importation, they were able to tap into another business venture of selling honey-harvesting equipment and later, manufacturing honey products.
“When we imported a centrifuge machine, which is used to extract honey, several people approached us, wanting to know where we had sourced it from.”
In 2016, Yatta Beekeepers Ltd was registered. The company produces value-added products such as lotions, lip balms, honey coated nuts and propolis under their brand name, Yatta. They also sell equipment such as beehives, plastic and stainless-steel honey extractors, wax press, wax embossing machines, bee suits, hive tools, decapping knives, forks and distilling tanks. The company also offers services such as installation, pollination and site inspection.
In her office, Joan, who resigned from her job to concentrate on bee farming, offers free training to young people interested in bee-keeping.
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Joan markets her “pure” Yatta Honey on Facebook as well as through word of mouth.
Challenges
As with all businesses, this one too comes with its own challenges. The first is that you cannot speed the process. For instance, when bees get into the hives, you have to wait for two months for the colony to form the breeding ground and another two months to form the super box.
Also, pests can be quite a nuisance.
Another challenge is the high cost of importing bee harvesting equipment.
Benefits
The benefits however outweigh the challenges this business poses.
“This is an interesting and profitable venture. Currently, I have 50 Langstroth hives in various parts of the country. I harvest three to four times a year, fetching around Sh250,000 per harvest. One hive produces at least 10kgs of honey.”
One does not require lots of money to get the business off the ground. With Sh5,000, you can get yourself a beehive.
Source: The Daily Nation