Once a prosperous top manager in a local construction company, Kostiantyn* now owns and manages a thriving honey business. Kostiantyn’s journey into the apiary world began when Ukraine lost control over parts of Luhansk Oblast, and Kostiantyn and his sister fled their homes with their families to a small house in Spivakivka village, in the Ukraine-controlled part of the oblast. 

“It was an old house that we had used for summer vacations,” explained Kostiantyn.  The two families settled in the village, refurbished the house, and adapted to rural life.  

With no job and little financial security, Kostiantyn decided to start a beekeeping business. “My father kept beehives as a hobby, and I picked up a lot from him back then,” explained Kostiantyn.

The area around Spivakivka is well known for its honey production, with numerous acacia groves from which bees make one of the most expensive and popular honeys in Ukraine. While Kostiantyn stayed in the village to nurture the new business, his brother-in-law went abroad as a migrant worker to earn start-up capital. With remittances arriving from his brother-in-law, Kostiantyn produced his first wooden hives and purchased bees. Over time, the apiary grew to 55 bee hives. 

New opportunities for the business opened up when Kostiantyn heard about a USAID grant-matching program for migrant workers and their families, implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). IOM provides grants to IDPs who want to start a business and can provide matching funds. The objective is to keep people from going abroad to work illegally, where they can become victims of trafficking.

IOM’s grant matching pilot initiative, entitled “1+1”, helps migrant workers invest in sustainable development in their home country. Participants receive a grant for the development of their business as matching funds for the amount they invest. Kostiantyn successfully completed an online business development training organized by the initiative and presented his business plan to the selection committee.

In May 2020, Kostiantyn’s business plan was selected from among 260 applications, for a grant worth $4,000, with which he  purchased 115 bee families, expanding his apiary from 55 to 170 bee hives. He also matched the USAID grant with an investment of an additional 200 hives, which he eventually plans to fill with more bees.

Kostiantyn now owns a medium-sized honey-producing operation. “That support from USAID was very timely, as it came amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. It now allows me to play in the big league of beekeepers and honey producers.”

In June, Kostiantyn and two other medium-sized honey producers from the same community set up The Honey Family cooperative, which will allow them to scale up production to 15 tons per year and gain access to large wholesale buyers and the European Union market.

“Our next goal as a co-op is to set up a packing line and sell various sorts of honey under our own brand,” Kostiantyn said.