Ocen’s honey sweetness paying off

By Patrick Okino

In Lira City, a former honey company employee has turned five litres of raw honey into a thriving enterprise that trains hundreds of farmers and sustains his family. William Ocen’s enterprise sits on a 20 by 27-metre plot in Angweta‑Angwet ‘A’ cell, Lira City East division.

In his compound, the 40-year-old has two houses with one being a honey store, production and processing room. From processing five litres, by 2025, Ocen was handling up to 120 litres at any given time.

Genesis

In 2018, Ocen worked as production and marketing manager at a honey-processing company.  As a front-line worker, he would counsel the farmers to patiently wait for their payment.  In addition, there was a high demand for honey, but the company could not satisfy this. These challenges sparked an idea to venture into honey processing starting with mapping out potential markets and drafting a business plan.

In 2022, he took a leap. He approached Kuc Wa En Megi village saving and loans association at Angweta-Angwet and borrowed sh150,000. He used this to purchase five litres of honey from Ebenezer shop in Lira city, which he processed manually and sold it within two weeks, earning sh230,000. Encouraged, he doubled his stock, selling in supermarkets and open markets and earned sh450,000. Convinced of the viability of the business, he decided to scale up. This involved having a regular supply of a good amount of honey and equipment to quicken the production process.

For the supply, he contacted farmers he worked with when he was in formal employment. For the equipment, his associates advised him to borrow money from either a bank or microfinance institution.

“I went to the bank, but there were many delays in processing the loan, so I opted for a moneylender,” he said.

He got a loan of sh2m at an interest rate of 20% per month and had to repay within a month, which he did. With the loan, he acquired a refractometer which is used to check moisture content and sweetness of honey.

Setting up an apiary

By 2023, Ocen had saved sh8m and purchased land in Opuakere ‘B’ cell, Boke ward, Lira City, where he set up an apiary to boost his honey supply.   

He started with 15 beehives, that is, five of Kenya Top Bar at sh500,000 and 10 local beehives which went for  sh350,000. Transporting the hives to the site cost sh50,000. He used the family labour to set up the hives.  By 2025, he had 35 hives, all of which were colonised.

His harvests are 100–200kg of honey per season. During bad weather, the yield reduces to 80kg, which he supplements by buying raw honey from farmers in Lango, Acholi, Karamoja, and Bunyoro sub-regions. Grade I honey costs sh10,000 per kilogramme while Grade II goes for sh8,000. Each season he purchases 800 –1,000kg of honey worth sh10m.

To ease production, in 2023, he acquired a honey press and settling tank at sh1.5m.

Value addition

To boost returns, Ocen diversified into value-added products that include honey, propolis, beeswax, bee venom and honey wine. He makes candles, soap and shoe polish from beeswax. His products sell mainly in Lira City and Kampala supermarkets, with honey priced between sh1,000 and sh300,000 depending on quantity, and propolis between sh7,000 and sh10,000. He earns about sh3.6m every six months.

Other enterprises

Drawing on his experience training farmers, Ocen continues to offer beekeeping courses at sh200,000 to sh2m depending on duration. He focuses on women, encouraging them to generate income independently. By 2025, he had trained about 500 farmers across northern Uganda over the years.

He also sells hives, that is, Kenya Top Bar and the local ones. Kenya Top Bar goes for sh100,000 to sh150,000, depending on the size and local hives at sh35,000. Demand is higher for Kenya Top Bar hives whose productivity is 75kg annually compared to 7–10kg from local hives.

Expenses

Regular expenses include sh300,000 for packaging containers, sh40,000 for labels, and labour costs.

His farm labour mostly include family members with casual labourers hired during peak seasons.

His wife Harriet Ocen supports by cleaning containers, crushing combs, slashing the farm and harvesting the honey.

Achievements

He purchased land at sh6m, bought settling tanks at sh2m and established an apiary. “I started with sh150,000 and used it profitably to buy land, set up my farm and support my children’s education,” Ocen says.

Harriet adds: “We generate school fees out of it and the family depends on it.”

Community impact

The community benefits from easy access to honey and growing interest in processing for home use. Ocen trains farmers to harvest using bee smokers instead of fire and storing honey in clean buckets to maintain its quality.

Best practices

He keeps records of honey procured, processed and sold, noting that Alebtong and Otuke districts produce the best honey due to shea nut trees. Records also help identify high-demand markets and plan production.

He also checks the quality of the honey and tests for water content.

“I train them (farmers) how to ensure that there is quality and cleanness in whatever honey they harvest or bring to me,” Ocen said.

Security is maintained by restricting access to the processing room.

Environment

Ocen said he plans to plant trees and perennial crops such as coffee and cocoa, especially around the farm, to keep the environment green and sustainable.

“I am also planning to plant trees that attract bees with their flowers and help them produce more honey,” he said.

Challenges

His main challenges, Ocen says, include inadequate capital, lack of a standard processing unit and transport limitations. His market access is restricted owing to the absence of Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) certification. Without a Q-mark, some supermarkets reject his products.

He requires sh50m to set up a standard processing unit which is a prerequisite to getting a q-mark. “A standard processing unit has to be tiled, have good ventilation with all employees getting a medical checkup every month,” he explained.

Plans

Ocen has reserved the name Greater North Beekeeping Co. Ltd and by 2025 was pursuing registration. He seeks partners to establish a large processing unit, train more youths, enhance value addition and secure UNBS certification.

What others say

Leo Atine, a resident of Inomo sub-county in Kwania district, sells 104kg of honey annually at sh10,000 per kilogramme. Trained by Ocen in 2010, he now manages 20 beehives and says the income has helped educate his children and even support his grandchildren.

Jacob Owak Nam from Nambieso sub-county began supplying honey to Ocen in 2024 at sh12,000 per kilogramme, citing its high quality. He now delivers regular consignments and notes that even when he supplies on credit, payment is prompt.

Christopher Lazarus Nankoola, a customer from Mukono, has consistently ordered five litres every three weeks for home use since 2022.

Tonny Anyanga, a trader at Lira Bus Park, says Ocen often accesses honey on credit and pays after sales, adding that demand is high because the product is organic.

Nancy Ayugi, the farm’s secretary, said the farm has created employment opportunities for young people and is also helping to train farmers in beekeeping and running it as a business.

She added that her main job is marketing and training farmers willing to venture into beekeeping such that through it they are able to earn daily income.

Winne Acen, with 20 beehives and a trainer in Dokolo, encouraged farmers to engage in beekeeping, noting that it is easy to manage and does not require significant financial investment.

“It is cheap to start beekeeping provided you have land, unlike other projects which require substantial capital,” she said.

She said she acquired the knowledge from Ocen and the skills has since helped her to do beekeeping as a business.