Follow the Honey

Hey, Hannatu 👋

Africa now produces 223,000 tonnes of honey annually. 

This is just about 12% of the world’s honey production.

And we have the potential for more! 

Sub-Saharan Africa alone hosts about 3,000 of the world’s 20,000 bee species. 

Morocco and Ethiopia are also recognised as biodiversity hotspots for wild bees. 

Ethiopia's highlands, Tanzania's forests, and Uganda's savannas are buzzing. 

In 2024, Africa's honey market hit $808 million. Interestingly, experts say this will go up to $1.2 billion by 2033.

But bees matter beyond honey alone. 

They pollinate coffee, mangoes, avocados, and vegetables across the continent. One Tanzanian study showed coffee yields jumped 62% with proper bee populations.

Right now, the continent only exports 2% of the 223,000 tonnes it produces, about 5,000 tonnes only.

This honey sells for $15-$25 per kilogram internationally.

But here’s the sticky part.

If Africa doubled production and exports, farmers could earn $500 million more each year.

Beekeeping makes financial sense in Africa. 

A beehive costs $100-$150 to start. 

Compare that to cattle farming, which needs about $300 upfront. Or maize farming, where seeds, fertilizer, and land preparation cost $200-$400 per hectare.

And the cheaper option is clearer.

Beekeeping needs minimal land and zero irrigation. 

Also, bees forage freely within five kilometers. They pollinate crops while making honey, with studies showing nearby farms see yields jump over 30%.

Many countries have tapped into this opportunity. 

Ethiopia leads Africa in honey production and exportation, with annual output exceeding 50,000 tonnes.

Tanzania produces 38,000 tonnes.

Between 2015 and 2021, Africa exported honey worth about $230 million. 

But it wasn’t always this sweet. 

Two decades ago, African honey rarely appeared on international shelves. Beekeepers sold locally at low prices.

All of that has changed now.

And to understand this growth, let’s go on a journey from…

Traditional beekeeping in Africa relied on hollow logs and clay pots. 

Farmers hung these in trees or buried them underground. Harvesting meant smoking out the bees and breaking apart the hive.

But the process destroyed entire colonies. 

And farmers had to wait for new swarms each season. 

So production stayed low and unpredictable.

These conventional mud and clay hives generated just 7 kilograms of honey per colony yearly. 

That's barely enough to sell locally. Most farmers kept beekeeping as a side activity.

Then Langstroth hives arrived.

These wooden boxes have removable frames. Beekeepers simply slide out frames and extract honey without killing bees. 

The same colony produces year after year.

Modern hives with frames generate about 33 kilograms per colony annually. 

Some produce up to 80 kilograms. 

That's a tenfold increase over traditional methods.

Beekeeping started to become appealing to more people. 

There started being enough honey to go around.

Rwanda, for example, now has over 120,000 beekeepers since 2015. The country now exports honey to other countries in the EU.

It’s the same across Africa. 

Uganda now exports honey to Germany and the UK.

Ethiopia's honey reaches Middle Eastern markets. 

Tanzanian beekeepers supply European organic food chains. 

A new generation of entrepreneurs is taking things even further.

They’ve realized two things:

These simply mean that African countries have the potential for even greater honey production.

A Ugandan startup, Bee Natural Uganda trains 3,000 beekeepers annually. 

Founded in 2008, the company operates in Arua, the West Nile region, which is called Uganda’s "bee corridor". It's the highest honey-producing region in the country.

They cut down startup costs by providing hives and equipment on credit. Beekeepers repay from their first harvest. 

The company works with farmer groups across six districts: Arua, Nebbi, Yumbe, Moyo, Koboko, and Adjumani.

Beekeepers focus on production, while the company ensures the honey meets international standards and handles packaging and logistics. 

The startup processes and sells this honey across East Africa.

An Ethiopian startup, Anabi Agritech Solutions, is working differently. 

Founded in 2020 by computer engineer Abiye Tadeos, they embed sensors inside beehives.

These sensors monitor temperature, humidity, weight, and sound. The data is transmitted directly to beekeepers' mobile phones. Alerts notify farmers when to harvest or when bees might abandon hives.

The startup also connects monofloral honey producers to global markets through an online platform.

Tadeos had no beekeeping experience before starting Anabi.

But he saw the gap. Ethiopia is Africa's largest honey producer. Yet most production stays local. Export markets remain tiny.

There’s another beekeeping startup in Kenya that uses technology. 

But not for honey.

Patrice Wachira’s parents were beekeepers, and so she grew up around bees. 

One day, she decided to research more ways to earn money from bees.

This led her to bee venom.

Bee venom is the toxin bees inject when they sting. It contains compounds like melittin and apamin that have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. 

Pharmaceutical companies use it in treatments for arthritis and pain. Beauty brands add it to anti-aging creams.

Patrice’s company, Patvention, has created a venom extraction device to ethically extract bee venom from hives. 

The venom sells to the pharmaceutical and beauty industries, and it currently sells for over $300 per gram. Beekeepers can earn more without producing more honey.

The global bee venom extract market is projected to grow from $416.7 million in 2025 to approximately $678.8 million by 2035.

A hive is a full-stack biofactory. Honey is just the entry point.

Beeswax from honey bees sells for $8-$12 per kilogram. Cosmetics companies buy it for lotions and balms. Candle makers are steady customers too.

Propolis, also known as bee glue, is also pricey in the health markets thanks to its antimicrobial properties. It sells for $50-$100 per kilogram.

Bee pollen goes into supplements. 

Even empty honeycombs have buyers who eat them.

Each product adds revenue without extra bees. 

A beekeeper harvesting 240 kilograms of honey annually might earn $1,200. Add beeswax sales? Another $300. Propolis? Another $200.

Long-term, the pollination that bees provide to other plants around also brings value.

This might not show in beekeeping income statements. But it transforms farm economics across entire regions. 

A beekeeper earning $1,500 from hive products might generate even more in additional crop value for neighbouring farms.

The math is strong. 

Beekeeping isn't just another income stream. It's infrastructure for agriculture itself.

The sector is filled with activity. 

Evidently, more milk and honey is flowing in and out of Africa!

Ever seen African honey in a fancy shop with a premium price tag? Or only cheap, unlabeled jars at the roadside?

What’s the buzz about honey in your country?

👉🏾Tell us here.

Cheers,