My name is Mercy Esau, and I am the Founder and Managing Director of Tilime Honey Produce Enterprise, a subsidiary of Tilime Estate Produce Limited, a private company based in Mtakataka, Dedza, Malawi. My journey into beekeeping began out of a deep concern for the environment and a desire to create sustainable livelihoods for my community.
On our 74-hectare estate, I noticed increasing environmental degradation as people, driven by poverty, resorted to cutting down indigenous trees for charcoal and firewood. I knew that something had to change. To protect our forests, we decided to install beehives among the trees. African bees are naturally defensive, and their presence helped discourage tree cutting while offering an opportunity to generate income through honey production.
As we ventured further, I realized there was a high demand for quality honey in Malawi, yet the local market faces a 30% deficit in meeting domestic consumption needs. This gap presented both a challenge and an opportunity, which inspired me to build Tilime Honey Produce around a sustainable and inclusive business model.
First, we established our own apiary at Tilime Estate, producing high-quality honey and beeswax. Second, we engaged surrounding communities through a beekeeping outgrower scheme, encouraging them to join us in forest conservation while earning income. Third, we began offering beekeeping training to cooperatives, especially those we buy honey from, to help meet both the demand and supply gap in the market.
As part of our commitment to sustainability, we also engage in re-afforestation efforts to restore and preserve our natural environment. One of the trees we’re proud to protect is the Tamarind tree, now thriving under the watchful guard of our bees. It's rewarding to see how beekeeping has become a strategy to protect our indigenous trees and support biodiversity.
Our model is already making a difference. We are supporting local beekeepers—mostly women and youth—by providing them with business opportunities, a ready market for their honey, and creating jobs in the process. The ripple effect is clear: we are reducing poverty, empowering communities, and improving environmental conservation. Bees play a crucial role in pollination, ecosystem balance, and agricultural productivity, and through this work, I feel we are contributing to a larger cause.
One of our core values at Tilime Honey Produce is community engagement. We provide beekeeping resources and support to help our partners succeed. It’s incredibly humbling that village communities are now approaching us through their traditional leaders, seeking collaboration and wanting to adopt our model. This gives me hope that our work will have an even broader impact.
Looking ahead, I’m excited to expand our product line to include more bee-related products, continuing to create value for our communities while preserving the environment. Beekeeping has become more than a business for me—it is a mission to protect, empower, and transform lives.
