South Africa - Business creation project

Describe your project or startup in a few words

McBees is business creation idea based on honey production and pollination services. We aim to work with local farmers, local vegetable grower's and vendors to create a circular economy model of apiculture for the benefit of environment and community.

01.01 Describe your project in more detail

McBees

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

Without bees, the availability and diversity of fresh produce would decline significantly and human nutrition would likely suffer. But sadly, bees among other pollinators are increasingly under threat from human activities. It is for this reason that McBees aims to save bees through beekeeping, honey production and pollination services. We also trying to solve the problem of decline in plant biodiversity by ensuring that we keep Pollinators safe, with the same concept we are trying to help in ensuring food security and creating business opportunities to help unemployed youth and women to gain income by working with us through employment opportunities and starting their business and earn income through commission.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your project intends to provide (at least 3).

The major benefits of our product and services include saving bees as pollinators, keeping biodiversity at put (not decline), contribution to food security, employment opportunities, business creation for unemployed youth and women, as well as to produce good quality honey and package it to be even affordable to the low income group for honey provide health benefits.

01.04 Please describe who exactly your project is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

The targeted beneficiaries include include local farmers through offering pollination services, we also targeting local chain supermarkets to supply them by our products (currently participating in Spar Supplier Development Programme) also have a good relationship with Boxer Superstores. We are also looking at selling our products to local communities selling products such as honey spoons at an affordable price through our field agents who will be youth vendors and women who will earn commission for selling our products in their stalls and honey kiosks in malls and shopping centres and also to work closely with TotalEnergies petrol station shops to sell honey products in different packaging to reach to more customers.

01.05 When did you start working on your project?

2023-09-01

01.06 How many other partners are associated with your business venture?

3

01.07 Among the other partners, how many are female?

2

01.08 Please describe the profile of each of the other partners (skills, experience, etc.)

First - Farmer who has been trained to supply Boxer Superstores with farm produce Second - Farmer who has more than five years of experience in agriculture. Third - Farmer who is also in the Boxer Superstores supplier programme who has five experience in farming

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

https://www.facebook.com/Macazinga?mibextid=ZbWKwL

01.10 Which industry best describes your project?

l) Agriculture

02.01.01 My project contributes to the No poverty goal

6

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification

This business creation idea will be community driven i.e working with community members to ensure they benefit from the project through employment opportunities, business opportunities and helping their crops to be pollinated.

02.02.01 My project contributes to the Zero hunger goal

6

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification

This business creation idea will be community driven i.e working with community members to ensure they benefit from the project through employment opportunities, business opportunities and helping their crops to be pollinated. Also giving back to the community through empowerment programme to teach those in need of income of how to be part of the project and earn commission to drive hunger away.

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

6

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification

Our products will be also packaged in small portions such as honey spoons to ensure that even the low income group can afford to buy them because honey offers health benefits such as anti-inflammatory as antioxidant and antibacterial. One honey spoon per day helps in diabetes management, cancer management, better heart health and other benefits.

02.04.01 My project contributes to the Quality education goal

4

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification

02.05.01 My project contributes to the Gender equality goal

6

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification

In our operation we will focus on encouraging more women to participate as a form of trying to balance gender as we know that women were previously disadvantaged.

02.06.01 My project contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

6

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification

In our operation we will try by all means not to make use of chemicals because they are not good for bees and we understand that they also end up polluting water bodies, we will also encourage those that we work close to use less of these pollutants or even stop using them altogether and suggest alternatives for them.

02.07.01 My project contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

5

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification

In our operation for processing honey into other products and packaging it, we will use less energy and also consider using clean energy such as solar or any other green energy.

02.08.01 My project contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

7 - Strongly Agree

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification

Our concept is very inclusive and has a potential for economic growth as it is also sustainable and with our idea of working with the vendors and Unemployed youth and women as field agents selling our products to get commission as income this makes our concept to offer them decent work as they will be their own boss and work according to their targets for commission.

02.09.01 My project contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

6

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification

Our concept will adopt flow hive model for our operation to limit time to extract honey from the hives but rather have our team going around all the hives to collect honey that drips from the hives to containers, this is an innovative idea not to disturb our colonies when its time to extract honey. And our business creation idea is unique in a sense that it is inclusive, we'll get pollen from farmers and in return farmers who are our partners will get free pollination services from us. This will ensure that our bees get enough pollen to make honey.

02.10.01 My project contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

6

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification

In our operation we plan to include previously disadvantaged groups such as youth and women, and our business will be mainly based in rural communities to ensure that they benefit from our operation through seasonal jobs, commission, and empowerment programmes.

02.11.01 My project contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

5

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification

Our concept is based on ensuring sustainable communities because it is centred on working with community members and build resilient relationships with our community members at different levels.

02.12.01 My project contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

5

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification

We aim to contribute to responsible consumption and production goal, hence our packaging will be different in a sense that we will even have the smallest product such as honey spoons.

02.13.01 My project contributes to the Climate action goal

5

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification

In our production we will avoid to us chemicals because they are not good for our bees and our environment. Beekeeping also ensures that our plants are pollinated and we understand that is good for environment and climate action because plants and trees are carbon sinks.

02.14.01 My project contributes to the Life below water goal

4

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification

02.15.01 My project contributes to the Life on land goal

6

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification

Our concept fits perfectly in this goal as it seeks to save bees, and inturn reduce biodiversity loss because bees are pollinators. Having plants also help in stopping land degradation through erosion.

02.16.01 My project contributes to the Peace justice and strong institutions goal

4

02.16.02 Peace justice and strong institutions - Justification

02.17.01 My project contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

4

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification

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

5

05.02 The product/service we envision creating represents an entirely new type of product/service.

5

05.03 The product/service we envision creating could be described as a new technology.

5

05.04 The product/service we envision creating is an improvement on an existing product or service.

6

05.05 The product/service we envision creating could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

6

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

5

05.07 The product/service we envision creating is a new version of an old product/service.

6

05.08 Justification

Our concept is innovative in a sense that we use a different model and strategy to ensure that our operation is inclusive, sustainable, as well as falls within circular economy. Our concept reflects all three pillars of sustainable development which is protection of environment, social benefits through empowerment programmes and economic benefits through employment opportunities and business creation opportunities for the previously disadvantaged groups.

05.09 Who are your main potential competitors and what makes you stand out from them?

Apiculture is not very popular on our community and my competitors are in other regions and even those ones they use the traditional methods which are different from our innovative, inclusive and sustainable model. They also don't package their products in small portions to also reach even the low income group. This will give us an advantage to sell more products at an affordable price. Working with vendors will also help us not to use much money on marketing because vendors will be our field agents who will market our products for free as they will be gunning for commission.

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

Yes I have been actively involved in empowering community members especially females and youth and got recognised by Mail and Guardian in 2022 top 50 Powerful Women under Harvesting Woman category