Growth & Jobs | Bee farmer looks to sweeten his business

AFTER WHAT others would have considered an unpleasant encounter when chased and stung by a bee, the then 16-year-old Raphael Foster was instead attracted and enthralled by the occasionally aggressive and brightly coloured insect, falling in love despite its painful sting.

“From I was young, I have this special passion for bees. I love them, even though they might get angry at times [because] I am the one invading their territory,” he said.

Years later, the now 71-year-old farmer from St Elizabeth, who currently resides in Linton Park, St Ann, was given the chance to fulfil one of his most cherished ambitions.

BEES KEEP US ALIVE

“Two things keep us alive, trees and bees. If the bee don’t pollinate a tree, you can’t get any fruit from it,” said Foster, citing the importance of bees in keeping humanity alive through pollination as reason for his position.

Without them, he remarked, “we wouldn’t have a life to live, [as] they form part of our everyday lives”.

So far, Foster has spent two years immersed in the daily life of a bee and its colony, experiencing first-hand how bees assist in the pollination of flowers and fruit plants.

Through a $4.5-million project by Food For The Poor and the Social Development Committee granted to eight recipients in different areas, assisting beekeepers in the community to produce honey to generate income, Foster has benefited fairly in his business named Cockpit Country Honey Farm.

However, Foster says business has been more successful outside of his community as locals cannot afford to purchase honey, which costs between $3,000 and $3,500 per litre.

“When we harvest the honey ... people in the area who sick ... still come and beg you a honey, because not everybody in the area have money to come and buy a honey; [but] we help them just the same,” he explained. He also noted that the bee’s propolis can help those who are sick.

When applied to unwell regions of the skin, propolis, with its high antioxidant and antimicrobial effects, makes it a natural antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral ointment.

Having only 14 boxes with ten hive frames per box, Foster is unable to expand his business. He wants to use honeycomb that is broken down by boiling methods to generate wax, which, in turn, can be a base material to develop a variety of products.

Foster, who is fascinated by the multipurpose use of wax, hopes to one day manufacture beauty and skincare products such as soap and scalp wax for natural hair, as well as household items, such as candles.

Despite the fact that the idea and vision for expansion remain in Foster’s mind, he asserts that he does not have enough bees to fulfil his aspirations. This is the only obstacle to what may be a life-changing decision.

“The idea is there, the vision is there, but it will take a little time for that vision to become reality; [I] have to take it one day at a time,” he said, adding that in order to supply a niche market you have to ensure that you can deliver adequate amounts of the products, as opposed to creating a “one-off thing”.

For now, Foster hopes to acquire 1,000 additional boxes of bees to expand his reach into the high demand of the market.