Maritu Api Products – Helvetas

Investing in Impact

P4G has awarded the partnership with about US $200,000 in grant funding. 

Ethiopia is the largest producer of honey in the Africa and one of the world’s top honey producing countries. There is a large untapped market that presents greater domestic and export opportunities. 

Beekeeping is an important source of jobs employing almost 2 million people in the country. Honey yields, while increasing, continue to remain inconsistent because of factors such as biodiversity loss and rainfall variability. In addition, the honey sector in the country is very fragmented and faces challenges in terms of consistent quality of its products. 

Maritu Api Products is a woman-led Ethiopian startup that aims to create an integrated honey supply chain from input to domestic and export markets. The startup focuses on promoting sustainable beekeeping practices, implementing end-to-end traceability, and advancing smart hive management through technological innovations including AI-powered data analysis. 

Farmers are organized into clusters or cooperatives, trained and provided with modern beekeeping equipment. The company’s centralized apiary sites function as quality control hubs and training centers. Beekeepers will have stable contracts with quality-based pricing. Maritu will also provide farmers with training and equipment to process the beeswax and add to their incomes. 

A key goal of the startup is to get EU/NOP organic certification, and other domestic and international certifications that could open up more lucrative domestic and export markets. Its model with dedicated tracts set aside for the clusters of hives in Ethiopia’s Wag-Himra zone will also help protect land that could be otherwise overgrazed. 

Helvetas is a nonprofit that has been operational for more than 65 years, with a base in Ethiopia since 2003. The nonprofit will lead training beekeepers in lead practices, organic standards, and identifying regulatory interventions that can improve the sector. 

During the partnership period, the startup aims to employ between 80-100 beekeepers, 80% of whom are women, and increase the production of high-quality honey by 11 metric tons. The startup expects to create 50 new jobs in two years and bring 8,000 hectares under organic management. Maritu also has an investment goal of $23,000 by early 2027. 

The partnership comprises the following partners: Maritu Api Products (lead business partner); Helvetas (lead administrative partner)