Bee Market on rise in Dominica: Local producer shares significant growth in business  

Roseau, Dominica: The Bee Market is on the rise in Dominica as the local sellers have been contributing significantly and generating satisfying income. One such local producer and owner of BEE API Nathaniel Lovell has seen tremendous growth in the area since his business commenced in 2019.

He stated that currently he is managing around 100 hives and is willing to either double or put in another 50 hives deed which is the production hive. Lovell cited,” I produce about 400 gallons of Honey a year and I sell to all the local supermarkets and direct sales as well.”

Lovell further outlined that he took a loan of $10,000 guarantee and did an additional $110,000 from the NDFD. He bought his initial jives with that $110,000 and started growing from there. At the moment, he has one employee and is employed through the National Employment Program.

He has also been working part-time during the harvesting of the honey and managing 100 hives including Nooks for sale and splitting bees.

Lovell also extended support for DBT and their cause to empower youth through entrepreneurship, citing, ’Every young person that decides to open a business, I always encouraged them to go to DBT, have a reference, because I always have that saying it on a few other interviews is that when you raise up at a certain standard, you don’t have the rich and wealthy family members that have been through it that know what to do to grow a business.”

He lauded DBT and said that they worked as mother and father figures who have been through the business world and advised the public to enhance their business.

Lovel further highlighted that he also participated in the OECS honey show and won the best light amber and dark amber honey. He also gained second position in the wax in the OECS and said that when he started it was kind of difficult to get a mentor, so he had to dive into YouTube and kept at it.