Mac bee honey changing lives, one hive at a time

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For the tenth year running, Vision Group, together with the Embassy of the Netherlands, KLM Airlines, dfcu Bank and Koudijs Animal Nutrition, is running the Best Farmers Competition. The 2025 competition runs from April to November, with the awards in December. Every week, Vision Group platforms will publish profi les of the farmers. Winners will walk away with sh150m and a fully paid-for trip to the Netherlands.

In only six years, a modest bee-keeping initiative has transformed into a billion-shilling enterprise that is changing lives across Uganda.

Led by 24-year-old Daphine Ampaire, Mac Bee Honey Harvest is not only producing honey and beeswax products, but also empowering thousands of farmers — many of them women, youth, and refugees — with sustainable livelihoods and a commitment to environmental stewardship.

Today, the enterprise is valued at sh1.8b, working with over 4,500 out-growers, including 2,700 refugee bee-keepers across the country. On average, a farmer with 10 hives earns sh2.5m.

According to CEO Ampaire, the company sells about 15 tonnes of honey every year.

“We also sell bee venom, which is used in pharmaceuticals and mother colonies to aspiring beekeepers,” she adds.

Their clients include hotels, cafés, restaurants, bakeries, food manufacturers and individual consumers.

The company is fully certified by both the Uganda Registration Services Bureau and the Uganda National Bureau of Standards.

The genesis

With the mantra “Transforming lives, one hive at a time” Mac Bee Honey Harvest is headquartered in Kikaya, Kampala.

The company was launched in 2019 with 150 hives and has since grown to operate 15,500 hives — 800 of which are dedicated to honey production, while the rest serve as mother colonies.

The largest concentration of hives is found at the Rubagano farm in Rwampara District, which hosts over 11,500 hives across two sites.

“Each hive holds between 3,000 and 10,000 bees,” explains farm manager Benard Oworu, who oversees a team of 60 workers.

Regional reach and operations

Mac Bee has established regional hubs in Gulu, Isingiro, Mbale and Rubirizi districts.

Each hub supports nearby districts: Rubirizi serves Ntungamo and Kabale, while Isingiro caters to Mbarara, Kasese, Sheema and Rakai Gulu supports Amuru, Nwoya, Oyam, and Omoro.

Each hub is led by an apiary master, responsible for farmer relations, hive distribution, training, and day-to-day operations.

These regional centres are also collection points as well as....Hopefully that will kill the orphan.

Sustainability, expansion

In Rwampara and Ntungamo districts, Mac Bee has leased 400 acres of land for hive operations.

These sites also feature tree planting initiatives. Mature trees are used to produce hives for sale to other farmers.

“We plant 250 trees per acre each year,” says Ampaire.

Empowering communities

Ampaire leads a network of farmers, most of them women and youths.

“We begin by training communities in beekeeping, then provide equipment — either on loan or at subsidised rates,” she explains.

Aisha Namirimu, a trainer, adds: “We teach best practices in apiary management, honey production and business strategies.”

Their community bee-keeping model integrates production, training, processing and market access, delivering both economic empowerment and environmental regeneration.

To further empower communities, in partnership with USAID, RTI International and Save the Children, the company has distributed over 25,800 bee-keeping tools and equipment, including protective gear, hive boxes, extractors, suits, veils, gloves, boots, and smokers.

Mac Bee also offers consultancy services to individuals and organisations interested in launching or improving bee-keeping ventures.

Structure

Mac Bee employs 615 staff including carpenters, agronomists, trainers and administrators. They also have fabric specialists who design the protective gear that protects farmers from stings.

The management team oversees the company strategy, partnerships, finance, compliance and brand development.

They work hand in hand with the innovation and quality unit which ensures that all products meet food safety standards as they drive product development. They are guided by a board of experts.

What sets Mac bee apart?

Mac Bee is built on three pillars:

1. Sustainable farming
2. Youth empowerment
3. Environmental conservation

By training rural households in sustainable bee-keeping and providing modern hives and market access, Mac Bee has helped communities abandon harmful practices like poaching, timber-felling and charcoal burning.

In Kyambura and Karinzu forest reserves (Bushenyi district), communities now conserve nature through bee-keeping and tree planting.

“Bees depend on nature, so farmers protect it,” says Marvin Trevor Mwebare, a trainer.

Mac Bee also prioritises quality, treating farmers as partners, not just suppliers. Their investment in capacity building and product innovation has led to a range of value-added products that include polishes, body jelly, candles and lip balm among other products.

Sustainable supply

To maintain consistent honey supply, Mac Bee and its out-growers follow two harvest seasons: January– March and June–August.

The company collects 15 tonnes of honey annually, with each kilogramme of raw honey sold at around sh12,000.

Currently, all the honey is sold on the local market with plans to start exporting to the regional and international market.

Navigating challenges

Despite its success, Mac Bee faces several challenges. Ampaire highlights a knowledge gap in the beekeeping industry.

“Many people do not understand how this business works. They rush to invest and end up burning their fingers.”

To address this challenge, she emphasises the need for training before investing, choosing the right enterprise type (honey, venom, or colony sales) and selecting appropriate locations for hives.

She also warns against using pesticides, which harm bees. Climate change is another hurdle.

“Extreme weather affects honey quality. Bees can produce both light and dark honey in one hive, which confuses clients,” Ampaire explains.

Rainy seasons reduce yields as bees consume stored honey. The type of nectar — from flowers or trees — also affects honey colour and consistency. Taxation is a further challenge.

“Materials for bee suits are heavily taxed, making them expensive for some farmers,” she notes.

On the other hand, out-growers have their own share of challenges. Notable is the climate shocks and unstable prices, but these are solved by Mac Bee through their tree planting project and commitment to provide market and fair prices to the farmers.

Ampaire says: “We have donated over a million coriander and moringa trees to farmers. We also buy their honey at a fair price even when the market prices drop.”

Plans

As Mac Bee approaches its 10-year milestone in 2029, Ampeire envisions a multi-million dollar enterprise with global partnerships and exports.

The company plans to continue fostering innovation, sustainability, and community empowerment through modern bee-keeping.