Honey does not only taste great, but it has numerous health benefits such as helping prevent memory disorders, antioxidants and even healing wounds. Thomas Mokhathi, grew up on a bee farm in Springfontein in the Free State. had just the right experience to start a line of products later in his life that contain honey. He told Vutivi News he could not imagine doing anything else when he started Atlisang Ditirelo (PTY) Ltd in 2016.
By harvesting honey, Mokhathi manufactures bottled honey, lip balm and soap. These products are sold at local markets and also to customers from around the country who order in bulk. Mokhathi, who employs two people, said he worked from a property he was renting to harvest and manufacture the honey. Explaining the process, he said that bees had a keen sense of smell they used to identify humans.
“It takes bees a considerable amount of time to grow accustomed to someone’s smell. Once they have grown accustomed to the smell, there is a wonderful connection that is developed between the bee and the bee farmer,” Mokhati said. “I take the honeycomb from the beehives, and once I remove the honeycombs, I put them in water. The water separates the honey from the honeycomb, and after bottling the honey, I then use the remaining honeycombs to manufacture the soap and lip balm.”
Mokhathi said the value of honey should not be underestimated. “Honey is good for treating conditions like high blood (pressure), diabetes, and it is beneficial for anyone that struggles with eye problems and bouts of migraines,” he said. “It is also good to treat coughs and can be used to heal wounds fast.” On the business side, Mokhathi said that got many orders, but he consistently had issues with transport.
“I live in a very small mixed-farming town, and we do not have courier services, so I have to travel to another town in the Free State to have my products delivered via courier,” he explained. “Sometimes when I have large orders, I have to use public transportation in order to deliver them to my customers.” The beekeeper’s plans for the future involve hopefully expanding his business one day. “My biggest dream is to have a farm where I can produce honey in a larger quantity and supply retail stores,” he said. “I also want to employ a lot of people and teach aspiring entrepreneurs the tricks of the honey trade.”
