Honey of The Maa Trust
Based in the Greater Masai Mara on the outskirts of the Mara Naboisho Conservancy, The Maa Trust is a non-profit organisation working with the local communities within the community-owned conservancies. The goal of The Maa Trust is to ensure the benefits of wildlife and conservation reach the local people, furthering their investment and contribution to the protection of both the wildlife and the land. The trust focuses on women and children to ensure they, too, receive benefits from the conservancies, although many of the projects have wider-reaching benefits felt by the entire community. Some projects revolve around community development and improving quality of life, while others are commercially oriented looking to provide an additional revenue option to those without employment or skills.
Beekeeping
For the Maasai, livestock is the traditional livelihood, with the tourism industry providing a supplementary form of income. Although beekeeping is not a foreign concept, it is usually only practiced by young men before acquiring livestock. The Maa Trust identified a commercial social enterprise opportunity which could be performed by community ladies to create a sustainable income for themselves and their families.
Recent demand for pure organic honey has led to this project being scaled up to now include 90 beekeepers across the Mara conservancies. The Maa Trust provides all the initial training and support to ensure there is a core team of mentors in place and will continue to assist the project as and when required. When the honey is ready to be harvested, The Maa Trust purchases it from the farmers at premium prices, delivering it to their filtration and bottling centre for the next step in the process.
Honey is extracted and filtered from the honeycomb using a hand-powered press and variated filters, to produce a smooth, golden, and 100% organic delicious honey. Glass bottles are sterilised, then filled and labelled by hand, ready to be sold to safari camps throughout the region for use on dining tables and sold to guests as a tasty reminder of their Kenya safari experience. 100% of the profits are returned to hive owners and the ladies of The Maa Trust.
Committed to conservation
While the project offers immense benefits to the local communities, the environmental impact should not be overlooked. The reliance upon trees for the production of pollen needed to create the honey, encourages a vested interest in combatting deforestation and actively promotes the planting of additional trees. Furthermore, the level of commitment of the communities towards the preservation of their surrounding biodiversity has been significantly enhanced. Through education and community empowerment, the Maa Trust has successfully created a community of guardians, intent on preserving their natural environment.
We are proud to support The Maa Trust and the work they perform within our surrounding communities. Honey is available in all of our Mara camps, both on the breakfast table and in our shops for purchase, alongside the beautiful beading and leatherwork also produced by community members under the guidance of the trust. For a rewarding experience, join us for a visit to the Maa Trust to learn more about their projects and meet the people involved.
Start planning your Kenya safari and a visit to The Maa Trust today.
