Afrigather 
Negs Empire, a Nigerian beekeeping and honey packaging firm is utilizing subtle know-how to supply the ‘purest honey’ within the nation and past, Tech Digest reviews.
The agency, situated in Imo State, produces and packages honey in 25ml sachets and bottles of various sizes.
The CEO and founding father of Negs Empire, Nwakuba Ezinne instructed TechDigest in an unique interview that the agency empowers folks in rural communities with beekeeping expertise and makes them key companions within the honey manufacturing worth chain.
“We began in a non-honey producing state with resilience and we’re competitively centered on branding, which is completely different from what my mom initially did. At this time we’ve got a Nationwide MSME Award from the Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for our honey model.
“We’ve efficiently developed and branded 7 completely different Negs Honey merchandise. Put in over 500 beehives in numerous areas in Nigeria for the sustainability of the enterprise and non-seasonal provide of honey.
“Created over 30 oblique jobs and seven direct jobs and have educated over 50 youths in bee-keeping expertise, and at present we’ve got over 1000 paying 400 returning prospects and have efficiently developed gross sales to the usA” mentioned Ezinne.
She additional defined that partnership with ladies and youths in rural communities as out growers of their honey provides them a non-seasonal provide of honey all yr spherical, not like their rivals that buy from open markets.
“We make smallholder bee farmers in rural communities key companions in our honey manufacturing worth chain and have entry to a non-seasonal provide of honey, thereby offering our prospects with the supply of honey 24/7 non-seasonal.
“We provide inexpensive pure honey contemplating the buying energy of the underside of the pyramid within the society by packaging honey in numerous pack sizes for as little as NGN100 and likewise make it accessible and accessible with a straightforward supply channel in Africa and different continents”, Ezinne added.
The CEO of Negs Empire additionally knowledgeable TechDigest that the grant obtained from the African Financial Congress and Begin-up Nigeria was a part of the cash used for the acquisition of an automatic sachet honey packaging machine.
“After the Nationwide MSME awards, the federal authorities supported me with a automobile. Tony Elumelu basis supported me with $5000 which we use to extend our working capital”, mentioned Ezinne.
She has gained a number of innovation problem competitions and grants which embody 1st runner-up within the 2019 Ugwumba Enterprise Problem, Owerri Version; 1st runner-up, Startup Nigeria 2019; winner of the African Financial Congress Problem 2019; winner of Nigeria @60 Problem Slogan class 2020; winner Bridge MassChallenge 2021/2022; and emerged Ugwumba Fellow of the 12 months 2019 (feminine class).
Ezinne appealed to the federal authorities to create extra platforms for MSMEs to entry development loans and urged non-public people to consider in made-in-Nigerian items to spice up patronage.
