Kerone Maxwell and his wife Jody are owners of Maxwell’s Bee Products in Clarendon, a three-year-old company whose products include natural (raw) honey, lip balms made from beeswax, and other products which are targeted at individuals interested in maintaining health and well-being.

Other company products are natural oils, beard butters made from beeswax, and shea butter, plus other products such as lip balm made with all-natural and essential oils. There are also beard oils made with bee propolis.

Kerone Maxwell told the Jamaica Observer, “Research shows that bee propolis contributes to increased hair growth and strength.”

Maxwell’s Bee Products is headquartered on family land in the community of Gimme-Me-Bit, Vernamfield, Clarendon. Its honey is the product with the greatest demand.

The competitive advantage, Kerone Maxwell said, is “the best quality all natural honey with very competitive prices.”

Honey, Maxwell explained, “Can be used by almost anyone, compared to a product like our beard oil which is catering to a niche market (bearded men).

Kerone Maxwell told Sunday Finance that his motivation for business lays in “his love for agriculture on a whole”.

He also wanted to create another stream of income to supplement salary from his work as a policeman. He was also considering how the company could provide employment as it grows.

Challenges

The main challenges as it related to setting up and operating the beekeeping business were the availability and cost of the needed tools and equipment, such as hives (bee boxes).

Maxwell explains that these items are produced by just a few industry players which are not always able to meet the demand. This hampers the rate at which the Maxwells could expand production.

Kerone Maxwell said, “It limits the rate at which you can expand your apiaries, and the fact that demand outweighs supply causes frequent price increases.”

Capital for setting up and operating Maxwell Bees Products came from personal savings. Over time, profits were reinvested to expand the operations.

Expansion plans

The Maxwells have been able to access funding through the Social Development Commission, which has been used for analysis of the company’s honey “so customers will know from our label what they are consuming,” Kerone Maxwell said.

To date, the owners say that their initial investments have been recouped and reinvested along with profits, bringing the value of the business to about $1,680,000. Profits in May 2022 were 16 per cent above the corresponding period last year.

Kerone Maxwell shared, “Going forward, marketing will be one of the major focuses as our honey is more market ready as it relates to Bureau of Standards labelling requirements.”

With this in mind, the aim is now to get the company’s products on the shelves of major supermarkets, health food stores, and pharmacies.

The Maxwells want to increase market share. Kerone Maxwell notes, “The Ministry of Agriculture values the beekeeping industry at over $2 billion. With the industry being this large our company would have about 0.06 per cent of that market based on net asset value.”

The Maxwells also hope to bring other beekeepers from the local area on board and provide training for new beekeepers. Kerone Maxwell said, “We also intend on venturing into other areas of the industry, such as the production and sale of beekeeping equipment.”