Bee farmers Michael Crawford (left) and Andrew Green.

WESTERN BUREAU:

The thought of entering the business of honey production was never among the list of things to do for Andrew Green and Michael Crawford prior to their redundancies at the Alumina Partners of Jamaica Limited (Alpart) in St Elizabeth.

For 37-year-old Green, life as an ex-employee of the aluminium company has presented the opportunity to partner with one of his co-workers to pursue their own entrepreneurial venture.

"The idea was introduced to us when some representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture came to the plant during the redundancy exercise to inform us about options we could consider after Alpart," the enthusiastic father of three told The Gleaner in an interview.

"So both Michael and myself decided on trying the venture as partners."

Despite the fact that the business is only a month old, the duo is confident that the prospects for growth were encouraging enough for them to continue investing capital and time.

Green admitted that since his departure from the company, where he worked for eight years, he has had to restructure his finances to match his current lifestyle and secure his family.

Nevertheless, the optimistic bee farmer credits the support of his family for helping him embark on his new endeavour.

"There is life after bauxite," the outspoken businessman remarked when asked how his life is, now that he is no longer at the bauxite company.

"I now have more time for my wife and family and more time for social activities. But, it is not to say that working at Alpart was the worst thing that ever happened in my life. I have just accepted and adjusted to the new challenges ahead in getting this business to a stage where it is profitable," he added.

Currently, Green and Crawford are the only employees in their joint venture.

The two have invested over $200,000 and have 10 beehives. The number of hives is expected to increase in the coming months, a move that the 'new' bee farmers say will fuel the need to employ additional manpower.

Business partners Michael Crawford (left) and Andrew Green are busy preparing a sweet liquid meal for their bees. - photos by Sheena Gayle