Tanzania - Startup under 3 years old

Describe your project or startup in a few words

The APIS project, executed in 2022, provides bee products and services. The project aligns with the enhancement of community health, biodiversity conservation, and livelihood improvement through biodiversity-based entrepreneurship initiatives.

01.01 Describe your startup in more detail

The APIS project is a startup that was established by graduates of BSc. Bee Science and Technology from the University of Dar es Salaam and executed in 2022. It contributes to solving challenges through the provision of quality bee products and services. The project enhances community health by promoting public awareness of the diversity of uses of honey based on their geographical and botanical origins, as well as producing valuable bee products such as bee pollen and royal jelly to protect against lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. We conserve biodiversity and improve livelihoods through biodiversity conservation-based entrepreneurship initiatives such as training and consultancy for more than 1,000 Tanzanians, which equipped them with potential skills in modern beekeeping practices for income generation and protecting honeybee health for better ecosystem services and sustainable natural resource management.

01.02 What is the main problem you are trying to solve?

To promote the market for bee products by training people in skills and techniques for complying with local and international standards for quality bee products, from apiaries to final consumers. Raised public awareness about the diverse uses of honey in medication based on it geographical and botanical origins. As the first Tanzanians to produce valuable bee products such as bee pollen and royal jelly that helped people who suffered from lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. We conserved biodiversity and improved livelihoods through biodiversity conservation-based entrepreneurship initiatives such as training and consultancy that reached more than 1,000 Tanzanians, equipping them with potential skills in modern beekeeping practices for income generation while protecting honeybee health for better ecosystem services. A program for the application of beekeeping as a major tool in sustainable forest resource management.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your startup provides (at least 3).

Utilization of bee science knowledge and skills to ensure quality services and products from the source to the final consumer and compliance with quality standards criteria to ensure optimal safety. The products provided consider client needs since the health benefits of honey vary based on its geographical and botanical origin. Developing value-added bee product supplements to fortify their nutritional and pharmacological benefits. Our bee pollen and royal jelly (Maziwa ya Nyuki) have vital and unique medicinal benefits such as antiaging, neural protective, anticancer, antidiabetic, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, and cardioprotective properties that saved the majority of Tanzanians. Our team is a certified professional trainer, and therefore we designed a program to connect social lessons from bee life, financial benefits, and contribution to ecosystem conservation, as well as potential skills to market and promote beekeeping businesses.

01.04 Please describe who exactly your startup’s product/service is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

Training services target beekeeping dealers and conservators, as well as local farmers, in application of bee pollination services to maximize their productions. Our honey targets elders and all people groups to protect from life style diseases, while bee pollens and royal jelly (Maziwa ya Nyuki) target alders to boost their immunity and protect from health risks associated with aging (anti-aging properties) and for Children to boost their immunity and healthier brain functions

01.05 When was your company established?

2022-05-25

01.06 Are you already selling your product/service?

Yes

01.07 How many other owners are there within your startup?

2

01.08 Among the other owners, how many are female?

1

01.09 Please describe the profile of the other owners within your startup (skills, experience, etc.)

1. Male and expertise in beekeeping products quality management, control and value addition as well as health maintenance of bee colonies 2. Females and expertise in public relations, marketing, promotion and administration as well as human resources management

01.10 If you have a website, a social media page (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin…), or app, please provide the link(s) here:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5Zg35btYIK/?igsh=czdmNmh3YXhleTdw

01.11 Which industry best describes your project?

b) Materials (agriculture, fishing, chemical products, construction materials, containers and packaging, metals and mining, paper and forest products)

02.01.01 My startup contributes to the No poverty goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification for my startup

We contributed to improved livelihoods through biodiversity conservation-based entrepreneurship initiatives such as training and consultancy that reached more than 1,000 Tanzanians in more than 6 regions (cities), equipping them with potential skills in modern beekeeping practices for income generation, capacity building to the bee products dealers to standardize their services and products to optimal quality level, encouraging more youth and women in beekeeping entrepreneurial potential, and organizing training to local beekeepers group on integrating beekeeping in crop production as an alternative income sources

02.02.01 My startup contributes to the Zero hunger goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification for my startup

More than 90% of global food production depends on honeybee pollination, and protecting honeybee health will result in achieving food security by maximizing agriculture production (food crops and fruits) through honeybee pollination that improves seed and fruit quality, resistance to pests and diseases, durability for preservation, and hence leads to improved nutrition and sustainable agriculture. Furthermore, bee products are used for human consumption as nutritional supplements while promoting pharmacological benefits; hence, we train community skills to produce quality bee products such as honey, beeswax, propolis, bee pollen royal jelly and application of bee pollination services in agriculture

02.03.01 My startup contributes to the Good health and well-being goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification for my startup

Our honey is provided based on geographical and botanical origins to ensure its efficacy in the treatment of diseases such as respiratory, bacterial diseases and boost immunity. Bee bee pollens and royal jelly (Maziwa ya Nyuki) boost immunity and protect from health risks associated with aging (anti-aging properties) and lifestyle. The general health benefits of our bee products include antiaging, neural protective, anticancer, antidiabetic, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, and cardioprotective properties, it is natural supplement with no side effects associated with consumers

02.04.01 My startup contributes to the Quality education goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification for my startup

Through consultancy and training services that align with sustainable biodiversity conservation, social organization and contribution to community problem initiatives through lessons from honeybee social organization and application of knowledge and skills learned to initiate local enterprises in both urban and rural livelihoods

02.05.01 My startup contributes to the Gender equality goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification for my startup

Most practitioners of our training and consulting services are women and girls who, prior to joining beekeepers, farmers and village game scout cooperative groups and associations, utilized bee resources for conservation and livelihood improvement

02.06.01 My startup contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification for my startup

Our startup cooperate with Tanzania Forestry Services Agency and Tanzania Forestry Research Institute to facilitate programs in community based forest management activities, especially conservation and rehabilitation of Water catchment forest reserves that contribute about 25% of Tanzania urban and rural fresh, clean and safe water supply as a sources.

02.07.01 My startup contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification for my startup

My startup has no connection with affordable and clean energy

02.08.01 My startup contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

7 - Strongly Agree

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification for my startup

Our focus is to promote local entrepreneurs in both rural and urban areas through working with social organizations to build capacity and establish beekeeping-based enterprises initiatives under management of youth, women and village groups for sustainable economic grouwth

02.09.01 My startup contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

7 - Strongly Agree

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification for my startup

We invested more effort on learning and utilize our beekeeping scientific and technological skills to come up with innovative ideas such as production of royal jelly (Maziwa ya Nyuki) by using indigenous Tanzanian bee species and establishment of APIS honey supermarket in Dar es Salaam that consists with varieties of honey based on their geographical and botanical origin to promote its nutritional and pharmacological benefits

02.10.01 My startup contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

3

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification for my startup

02.11.01 My startup contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

2

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification for my startup

02.12.01 My startup contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification for my startup

Our startup established initiatives to equip beekeepers with potential skills to maintain honeybee health through good beekeeping management practices and techniques to increase number of bee colonies for optimizing production of bee products and contribution of bees to sustainable ecosystem services, agriculture and biodiversity conservation

02.13.01 My startup contributes to the Climate action goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification for my startup

Through the application of beekeeping as a major tool in community-based forest management through village game scouts, we succeeded in establishing an apiary in Arumeru district that is associated with regular acacia tree planting to mitigate the effects of climate change while maximizing the production of bee products via women and youth cooperative groups in Arusha, Tanzania. Also, establishment and management of apiary vicinity forest reserves to restore and conserve water catchment forests

02.14.01 My startup contributes to the Life below water goal

3

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification for my startup

02.15.01 My startup contributes to the Life on land goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification for my startup

We use beekeeping techniques through game, videos and outreach approaches in our training and consultancy to encourage and educate more local communities on how to use beekeeping as a tool for land rehabilitation, ecosystem restoration and sustainable Wildlife and forest management, also shifting from charcoal burning and firewood collection to beekeeping production and using traditional spiritual and religious leaders to educate about the importance of bee to human life and negative impact of forest destruction through village meetings and television programs in collaboration with Tanzania Forestry Services Agency (TFS)

02.16.01 My startup contributes to the Peace Justice and Strong Institutions goal

4

02.16.02 Peace Justice and Strong Institutions- Justification for my startup

02.17.01 My startup contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification for my startup

We collaborated with OIKOS East Africa and WWF in implementation of community based forest management programs by using beekeeping enterprises as a key tool for the sustainable rural livelihood in Arusha Tanzania

06.01 There are a large number of customers who already use a product/service very similar to the product/service we envision creating.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.02 The product/service represents an entirely new type of product/service.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.03 The product/service could be described as a new technology.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.04 The product/service is an improvement on an existing product or service.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.05 The product/service could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.06 The product/service responds to a demand or need that has not been satisfied by other products/services.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.07 The product/service is a new version of an old product/service.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.08 Justification for my startup

Our products are natural bee products, we modify and innovate through the utilization of bee science to characterize honey and other bee products based on their botanical and geographical origins, with laboratory assessment to identify their potential nutritional and pharmacological benefits. In Tanzania was the first to produce royal jelly from local bees by utilizing effective scientific techniques, knowledge, technology, and innovation that saved the health of the majority of Tanzanians. Our products (royal jelly and bee pollens) showed a significant impact on people suffering from aging and lifestyle related diseases such as Alzheimer, kidney, heart, cancer, diabetes, asthma, hypertension, liver, and reproductive diseases, increasing their demands. Our consulting services are also more modified to facilitate easy learning environment for beneficiaries from both rural and urban areas to be applicable and come with fruitful results

06.09 Competitive Analysis

Our main competitors are those people who make propaganda in beekeeping business to attract public attention, some of them doing well into the market due to long term experience on honey business. We use our expertise and technical skills such as free consultation on how to use bee products with scientific proofs about quantity and benefits, promoting the magic health benefits of royal jelly through social media and television programs, considering customer preferences and needs. Our academic ground is a key capital for customers trust and impact of our products and services

11.05 Are you initiating actions within your community to promote the role of female entrepreneurs?

Collaborated with Hold Me Up foundation (a women-based Non-governmental organization) to empower Women through beekeeping based entrepreneurial potentials, facilitate a training consultancy to women beekeepers group and started initiatives on beekeeping value addition to produce food supplement and cosmetics for income generating at Arumeru district. Volunteered to facilitate training to students of University of Dar es Salaam and Sokoine University of Agriculture on application of beekeeping in sustainable natural resources management and women entrepreneurial potentials