An Emirati entrepreneur has created a buzz in the GCC honey industry with the region’s first apiary that rears queen bee breeds from across the world.
Mana Al Kaabi established the Al Kaabi established Hatta Honey, a honey production business with support from Dubai SME and Dubai Municipality, and now plans to create a new bee breed, to be called the Dubai Breed that will have unique traits that facilitate the production of high quality honey.
The launch, last year, of the Hatta Comprehensive Development Plan, one of whose main aims is to invest in Hatta’s youth and support their entrepreneurial aspirations, encouraged Al Kaabi to explore the local rearing of queen bees, a statement said.
According to Al Kaabi, the UAE imports over 95 percent of the queen bee hives required to produce honey so he saw an opportunity to rear queen bees locally.
Al Kaabi’s apiary today rears queen bee breeds from Canada, Italy, Oman and Saudi Arabia. He said he hopes to expand his honey business across the UAE and to regional markets. In the future, he also hopes to export UAE-produced honey to international markets.
