Meet Beekeeper Mom Nadia: “People appreciate Moms trying to live their dreams, even if they do it with 2 kids clinging to their legs and have porridge stains all over them.”

Today we meet momentrepreneur Nadia Vorster, from Honeysuckle.

1.Tell us about yourself, a bit of background.

My husband and I have been beekeepers for the last 10 years in and around the Overberg region in the Western Cape. Bees and Honey are quite literally our life. Which is not too unexpected I guess since my Dad is also a commercial beekeeper back in the Northern Cape.

About 7 years ago I opened my first shop in Stanford, attached to our Honey Extracting Facilities. The idea behind it was for clients to see exactly where their honey was extracted and bottled. I believe we live in an era where it is important for people to know where their food comes from. Soon the shop did not consist of only honey, but expanded to all honey and bee related products. Anything from Honey Rusks, Beeswax Candles, Beekeeping Equipment to Honey Cosmetics.

To make a long story short, that is where I first came to know the honey cosmetic range – Honeysuckle.

Two years back we bought Honeysuckle and moved it to the Overberg. Since our bees produce all the star ingredients (honey, propolis and beeswax) it just seemed like a natural extension to our business. And also the fact that we know what a magical product propolis is and the unbelievable healing properties it possesses, and our passion for bees and honey. That is the story of how our lives crossed paths with Honeysuckle.

2.What were you doing before you started the business?

I met my future husband and business partner at University in Potch. After we completed our studies we first opted for a bit of adventure and became English teachers in Taiwan for a year. Then we got a beekeeping job in Canada for a season. On our return we decided that beekeeping seemed like a good opportunity and so I went back to my roots and we did a year internship at my Dad’s beekeeping business back in Douglas.

In 2010 we got married and a week after our return from Honeymoon we moved to Hermanus and took over a small beekeeping operation which we then renamed to Overberg Honey Company.

3. Is your business full time or part time and why?

This seems like a very straight forward question, but I think like most Moms out there, I have no idea how to answer this. I was 6 months pregnant with my second boy when I took over Honeysuckle. My boys are aged 2 and 4 now. Looking back on the past two years I think I have to say – I am a fulltime Mom trying my best to do business whenever I get a moment. If there is one super power I have definitely mastered this last 2 years, it’s to be super productive in a very short time. And to prioritise.

4. How do you juggle the responsibilities of being a mom with your work?

I make lists, endless lists. And then again, I prioritize. Now that the boys go to kindergarten, it’s much easier than before. I try my best not to work when the boys are home, but there is always that urgent email or phone call. Life is not perfect. The other day I had to ask a client twice to call back, since the kids were screaming so hard I could not hear him. It happens. But I have to say, I have never had anyone be nasty about is, in fact they would always afterwards ask about the kids and how they are doing. People appreciate Moms trying to live their dreams too, even if they do it with 2 kids clinging to their legs and have porridge stains all over them.

5. Do you have a business plan? If so, can you share a bit about your strategy to make it successful?

Honeysuckle does not only consist of a Baby Range, but also a Body and Facial Range. Our focus in on quality, NOT quantity. Our prices are very affordable, since we (the bees) produce our main ingredients at our own beekeeping business. As beekeepers we are very aware of the crippling effect that imported honey has on our industry and therefore it is very important for us as a company to support local and BEE local.

And just to add to the South African feel, we added Rooibos to our whole Facial Range and Baby Range. Rooibos has been such an ambassador for South Africa and in cosmetics, well the proof is in the pudding.

6. How do you get clients/market yourself?

Social media plays a big part, but as Overberg Honey Company we also have 3 of our own Honey Shops now. In Stanford, Hermanus and Elgin Village.

We also have various other stockists all over South Africa (and some international as well) and then of course our online shop at www.honeysuckle.co.za.

7. What is your biggest challenge right now?

Time. Juggling kids, work and a household in between is no joke.

8. Did you need a lot of money to start off? And how long was it before you made a profit?

When we first took over Honeysuckle, we completely rebranded and updated the whole range. We basically kept the name. In a sense it was a lot like starting from scratch. Because we moved the business from Gauteng we had to find new suppliers of ingredients and new packaging available closer to us. Our whole Facial Range was improved and updated as well as the Babee Range. These things take a lot of time and money. Our Babee Range was only available back on the shelf since this year March.

I was in the lucky position to be able to take a start-up loan from our Mother Company (Overberg Honey Co). I did not expect to make any profit for the first 3 years, but I have to say, this snowball started gaining momentum very quickly. The feedback we get is fantastic and I think the fact that we have shops and talk directly with the customers gives us a good idea of what they want and also to educate people about the properties and medicinal value of honey and propolis.

What makes your business unique from other brands?

Honeysuckle is all about Honey and Bees. The fact that we are beekeepers ourselves and produce along with the bees all our own raw products lends a special authenticity to our products. What you see is what you get.

 

For further information, have a look at their website here and find them on Facebook here.

Would you like to be featured as a Momentrepreneur on SA Mom blogs? Email heather@samomblogs.co.za

If you found this post interesting please share it with your friends and remember to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram and join our awesome group called Mommy’s Me Time.