Margaret’s story: leading a new hive of women beekeepers

Beekeeping is a largely male-dominated field in many African countries. Women beekeepers often struggle to gain acceptance by their industry peers, which can limit their networks, confidence and opportunities. Margaret Mwuara is on a mission to change that. Her company, Samaru Business Ventures, produces high-quality honey and wax products while providing women with the training they need to succeed as beekeepers. Here, she shares how our Road to Leadership programme supported her to access new markets and expand Samaru’s reach.

“Our honey business started when our children became sick from consuming honey from other sources – even ending up in hospital. We decided to produce our own honey using five hives, initially for personal use.

Soon, we realised there was a business opportunity. We saw a gap in the market for honey and beekeeping in Kenya and decided to fill it by producing pure honey and other bee products from our beehives. We used modern beekeeping techniques that made the process more efficient and contributed to the business’ success. Little by little, Samaru Business Ventures started growing.

Being an entrepreneur allowed me to earn a living and I wanted to share that success with other farmers and beekeepers, especially women. I wanted to tell other women, “You can do it. We can succeed and become financially stable through beekeeping”. So, I began training and mentoring women beekeepers, teaching them modern techniques to improve their harvests. This was important to me because it’s a very male-dominated industry. 

In many African countries, beekeeping is traditionally seen as a man’s job. It is not common for women to be involved. Being accepted by men and even other women in this field is a challenge that I faced. It was difficult initially, but over time I proved that women can do this job well. I started gaining more acceptance from people.

Another challenge was accessing new markets. Before participating in the Road to Leadership programme, I relied on referrals and WhatsApp groups to find customers. This limited my business. Through the training, I learned new marketing strategies and how to use social media to reach customers in new markets. This helped tremendously.

The programme also provided me with knowledge about financial management, as well as the opportunity to network. I now have a solid support system of like-minded women entrepreneurs. 

Since participating in Road to Leadership, my business has grown significantly. Before, I was only producing a few jerrycans of honey, but now I require at least five tonnes to meet market demand. We’ve expanded into new markets, where we’re not only selling our products in-bulk to wholesalers, but also providing training to local beekeepers. We’re working in mostly African countries, Tanzania being one and then soon going to Ethiopia.

My future hopes for my business are to continue building its capacity so that I can reach more people – women, men, and young people – giving them the opportunity to engage in beekeeping. I want us to come together across Africa, not just through Samaru Business Ventures but across the continent, to bring African bee products to European markets and beyond.

The success of my business has had a positive impact on my family and the community. My children can now attend school, and we always have healthy food on the dining table. The women we’ve trained in our community and in other countries are now able to earn their own income and support their families as well.

As a woman, I think it’s so important to support women business owners. When women are trained and empowered to stand on their own, the world around them benefits.

Women act as incubators: they receive opportunities, grow them, and then share them with others. Supporting women entrepreneurs doesn’t just uplift the women themselves – it strengthens the entire community and the nation financially.”