"We used to warm honey in a sufuria over boiling water," Chesang recalls, running his hand over a stainless steel honey warmer. "Now we have this." The contrast between the old and their transformation is apparent. It is precisely the kind of change the GreenBiz programme set out to prove was possible.
When Chesang and 19 other beekeepers, 11 men and 9 women, came together in 2016, they had a modest ambition of increasing the number of beehives they had. But a more urgent challenge arose, everyone was taking their honey to different markets, selling at whatever price buyers offered just to make sales. It’s the best way they knew to remain competitive.
The group formally registered and decided to try value addition and marketing their honey. But without the modern honey processing equipment they remained trapped in low-margin survival.
Then came GreenBiz. Selected for the inaugural GreenBiz acceleration cohort in 2021, Irong Natural Bee Products received a matching grant that significantly transformed their operations. The group acquired critical equipment including honey warmers, a settling tank, food-grade buckets, and proper packaging materials. This investment not only improved their production processes but also elevated the quality and consistency of their products.
But equipment alone did not transform the enterprise. Through GreenBiz, members received intensive training in record keeping, business management, and financial tools like balance sheets and receipt books. "We moved from informal to formal," Chesang explains. "Now we know exactly what comes in, what goes out, and what we need to grow."
Today, the group runs a structured aggregation system, where both members and non-members bring honey to a central collection point. Each batch is assessed for quality, recorded for traceability, and paid for promptly before processing and packaging, including beeswax as a valuable byproduct.
Their impact extends well beyond their own enterprise. The group actively trains local beekeepers on best practices in honey harvesting, handling, storage, and hygiene. In a region vulnerable to climate variability, this approach not only sustains livelihoods but also supports ecosystem restoration. Today, six full-time employees, all youth from the local community are employed at the aggregation centre. Some are awaiting their transition to tertiary education as they earn an income and experience in the period that might otherwise have been lost to idleness.
Chesang's vision extends beyond the current operations. The group plans to build a fully functional, fully equipped processing unit in the region which will be a permanent structure to further streamline operations and create additional jobs. They continue to offer training and consultancy services to beekeeping farmers across Baringo, spreading both technical knowledge and environmental consciousness.
The money beekeepers earn from selling to Irong flows into household needs thus improving livelihoods while deepening climate resilience. A virtuous cycle replaces the vicious one of fragmented markets and desperate pricing.