Success with Innovate UK Feasibility Study

Innovate UK, a government agency which provides money and support to organisations to develop innovative products and services recently funded a feasibility study to assess the daily operation and functionality of the prototype Honey Processing Hub (HPH). Among other details, the Feasibility Study findings show that it is viable to use converted shipping containers running on renewable energy sources to process up to 2 tonnes of export quality honey per day from 3,500 local registered beekeepers, paying them instantly for it.

The completion of this Feasibility Study has resulted in a completed design specification for the prototype Honey Processing Hub which is now ready to be constructed in Kenya once funding has been raised. The Feasibility Study also lays out the daily, weekly, and monthly maintenance routines to be carried out to ensure that hygiene and health and safety standards are met. Operational considerations such as honey processing methods and point of sale (PoS)/weighing procedures have been taken into consideration, so training materials for HPH operators, weighing station/PoS Clerks, and Bee Inspectors are being put together ready for the launch of the prototype HPH.

By providing local beekeepers with opportunities to earn a fair income from beekeeping, ApiTrace encourages the provision of additional infrastructure in communities local to the HPH. By putting their new money back into the local economy, ApiTrace is supporting low-carbon rural communities by promoting sustainable development and the low-impact agricultural practice of beekeeping.