(Source: The Guardian)
What started in 2010 as a small social project on a Copenhagen rooftop has grown into a successful urban business. Today, it manages between 80 and 100 bee colonies across the Danish capital and produces up to six tonnes of honey each year.
The project offers an alternative to traditional business models, according to a report by The Guardian. “We created ByBi to explore how a business can create value for people, nature, and the city simultaneously,” Maxwell told The Guardian. The project, called ByBi (CityBee), was started by British anthropologist Oliver Maxwell. His aim was to build a social enterprise that helps people who face social and economic barriers. It does this by training people who have been unemployed for a long time, asylum seekers, and people recovering from addiction in beekeeping. It uses work with nature to help people from disadvantaged backgrounds rebuild their confidence and develop new skills. ByBi places beehives in different parts of Copenhagen, including on the rooftops of company headquarters, in public parks, on housing estates, and at cultural institutions. The project works with local businesses, city authorities, and community groups. Companies can sponsor beehives on their premises, while ByBi takes care of the bees, collects the honey, and processes it. In an interview with The Guardian, Maxwell explained that the project was created to question common ideas about productivity and the value of people’s work. “The bees are a great metaphor, but they are also very real worker partners. They show how small, daily contributions can build something massive and beneficial for the whole community. People who join the programme receive practical training in caring for beehives, collecting honey, packaging products, and selling them. By offering flexible work in a less stressful setting, the organisation helps people who have spent years outside the regular job market take steps towards employment.