Bee-Keeping Courses Boost Small Businesses

Mbaweme Women's Cooperative Society started as an orphanage to support children suffering from AIDS.

But with support from the Commonwealth Secretariat, the co-operative has also taken up bee-keeping and is ready to start producing candles from beeswax, which will help transform it into a self-sustaining profitable business.

This came about after 30 of its members participated in a one-month course in basic bee-keeping sponsored by the Secretariat. This was later followed by a two-week 'training of trainers' course for ten people and later a two-week course on product diversification.

The latter course was held between November and December 2007 and facilitated by 'Bees for Development', a UK-based organisation that provides training and information to groups involved in bee-keeping. The training was delivered as part of the Government of Malawi's women empowerment programme, and funded by the Secretariat's Special Advisory Services Division.

During the two-week course, members of the co-operative were taught how to produce a diverse range of products from honey and beeswax, how to package in an attractive way, and to market products effectively.

Making candles from beeswax

During the training, it emerged that beeswax dipped candles could be produced and marketed separately as a niche product for the co-operative. All candles the group made during their training were sold easily as they were made from a high quality wax.

The women also made new products such as skin balm, polish and propolis tincture, which helps treat mouth ulcers, gum problems and sore throats. As part of their training, they spent time learning how to price each new product they made in relation to the different markets they were targeting.

Their market research established that the demand for attractively presented table honey is higher in Malawi than ever before, with supermarkets and tourist shops often unable to source supplies to match demand. Similarly, demand for high quality beeswax candles is also high, with craft shops and tourist outlets always on the lookout for new suppliers.

Janet Lowore, a consultant with Bees for Development who conducted the training, said that candle-making requires few materials and equipment, and unlike honey, candles do not need to be put in containers. She commented that the co-operative has a bright future in honey products, but challenges remain.

"The women need more support to develop a bigger product range, because the local demand there is not yet fully satisfied," Ms Lowore said, adding that further assistance should be provided to assist the co-operative to formulate a good business plan, to enable them market their products competitively, both locally and regionally.

Dr Nicola Bradbear, an internationally recognised expert in apicultural development, who is also a founder of Bees for Development, described beeswax as one of the most versatile natural products, with more than 100 uses.

"It is a product that can be produced without any costs, because the bees live in their natural habitat, and you don't have to feed them," she said, noting that it is "the type of activity that has great potential to create sustainable livelihoods."

Watipaso Mkandawire, an Adviser in the Secretariat's Enterprise Development Section, said they are working to link the co-operative with local support institutions such as One Village One Product, Malawi Bureau of Standards and Malawi Investment Promotion Agency to ensure sustainability of its production.

"These institutions will help the co-operative to develop a strategic plan, access financing, assist in improving quality of their products and identify good domestic markets," he explained.

The Secretariat's assistance towards the Mbaweme Women's Cooperative Society is one of several projects designed to empower women entrepreneurs. Whereas women comprise the majority of the small and medium enterprise sector in Malawi, many women entrepreneurs are disadvantaged because they lack adequate capital to establish competitive businesses, have low levels of technical skills and there is lack of organised structures and facilities to support them. It was hoped that the support for the co-operative would enable the women to produce their own bee products for processing and also train other women.