UK anthropologist's project turns 100 hives into 6 tonnes of honey
ByBi, a Copenhagen-based social enterprise founded by Oliver Maxwell, uses urban beekeeping to provide job training for marginalized individuals. The project manages nearly 100 hives and produces significant honey yields while fostering social inclusion and environmental awareness.
Why it matters
It demonstrates a sustainable business model that integrates social welfare with urban agriculture to address unemployment and community development.
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, 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. According to a report by The Guardian, the project offers an alternative to traditional business models.
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