Grace buys honey in bulk from beekeepers in the surrounding villages. Her shop is in the central market area of Kasese. Old Shoe Lane sounds quaint….vendors are lined up outside selling second hand shoes. Honey is carried often for many hours starting before dawn to avoid the heat of the day. On arrival beekeepers take the opportunity of rest, long conversations and a bit of shopping. Grace offers them beekeeping supplies including bee-suits made by a local tailor, smokers and hive tools.
Grace has a small honey processing centre near her home where she has a team of helpers who filter the honey, jar and label it ready to deliver to local retail outlets. Supplies of jars for honey have to be collected from Kampala which involves a two day round trip by bus with an overnight stay. Much of the honey is bought from Bees Abroad projects and it’s sold as LIDEFO Bee Friends Honey in various jar sizes. LIDEFO (Liberty Development Foundation) is our local project delivery partner in the Kasese Region.
Having a fair and reliable market for their honey is an essential motivation for the beekeepers in our projects.
