Farmer in North West successfully transitions to beekeeping business

On August 8, 2026, Mems Ramaila, a farmer from North West, South Africa, transformed her curiosity about beekeeping into a successful agribusiness after meeting a German tourist in Soweto. Her company, Bee African, is gaining recognition as a prominent women-led business in South Africa's male-dominated beekeeping sector. Ramaila, who farms lucerne near Brits, was inspired to explore beekeeping after noticing the bees around her farm. A conversation with the tourist in 2019 led her to honey judge Arie Krieke, who spent three weeks at her farm that year, sharing his beekeeping knowledge.