A chance encounter with a German tourist in a restaurant in Vilakazi Street, Soweto, has transformed North West farmer Mems Ramaila’s curiosity about beekeeping into a thriving agribusiness.
Today, her company, Bee African, is gaining recognition as one of the few women-led enterprises making significant strides in South Africa’s largely male-dominated beekeeping industry.
Ramaila, a lucerne farmer based near Brits in the North West, says her journey into beekeeping began with a simple question.
She wondered what could she do with the bees that constantly swarmed around her farm.
“I had always been interested in beekeeping and wondered how I could make use of the bees that were already part of my farming environment. A casual conversation with a German tourist in Vilakazi Street [Soweto] in 2019 changed everything,” she recalls.
The tourist introduced her to internationally-acclaimed honey judge Arie Krieke, who later travelled to South Africa and spent three weeks at her farm in the same year (2019) sharing his expertise in beekeeping and honey production.
“By then, I had already done extensive research and realised that beekeeping had strong income-generating potential, while also delivering significant environmental and socio-economic benefits,” says Ramaila.
Today, Bee African’s farm is a hive of activity. More than 50 beehives are spread across the property, with the constant buzz of bees and the sweet aroma of honey reflecting a business that has grown from primary honey production into value-added agro-processing.
Ramaila’s success has been further accelerated through her participation in the Partnering in Business with Germany Programme, an initiative of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, and the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ).
The programme is designed to strengthen trade and investment ties between South Africa and Germany by equipping emerging South African exporters with the knowledge and networks needed to access international markets.
“My three-week visit to Germany in 2025 through the dtic and GIZ programme was a turning point for my business. Not only did I gain valuable insights into accessing the German and broader European markets, but I also secured a Memorandum of Agreement with a respected German beekeeping company, Kriel Honig,” Ramaila explains.
The partnership has already yielded tangible results. In February 2026, the company’s owner, Utha Bonowsky, spent a month in South Africa training the Bee African team in value addition and the beneficiation of bee products.
“We learned to manufacture premium beeswax candles, honey condiments and other specialty products. These products have expanded our offering well beyond raw honey. And the consumer response has been overwhelmingly positive,” notes Ramaila.
“Our sales are growing rapidly because we produce unique, high-quality specialty food and wellness products aimed at the premium market,.We mainly reach our customers through pop-up markets, and the demand continues to increase at an unexpected speed,” she says.
The growing popularity of Bee African’s products has attracted the attention of major shopping centres, which have invited the company to showcase its products to their customers.
“Our value proposition goes beyond selling honey. We are trading wellness. Honey and other bee products offer nutritional and medicinal benefits, including supporting gut health, and consumers appreciate that,” she stresses.
With demand continuing to grow, Ramaila says the next priority is expanding and commercialising the business.
“Our goal is to scale up production and contribute to increasing South Africa’s domestic honey output, as the country still relies heavily on imported honey. However, access to land remains one of the biggest barriers facing black producers who want to grow in the sector,” she stresses.
Beyond commercial success, Bee African is committed to environmental education. The company regularly hosts school learners at its farm, teaching them about the essential role bees play in biodiversity, pollination and sustainable agriculture.
The business has also diversified into manufacturing beekeeping equipment and customised gift boxes while generating additional income through educational farm experiences for visitors.
“We are proud of how far we have come. We have evolved from beekeeping and raw honey production into producing premium value-added products that continue to gain popularity in the market,” says Ramaila.
Although Bee African currently employs three people, Ramaila believes the business has significant potential to create more employment opportunities.
“With the support we have received from the dtic and our international partners, we are optimistic about the future. Our vision is to grow the business, create more jobs, and empower more women and young people to participate in the beekeeping value chain,” she concludes. – www.dtic.gov.za
