Congrats to Yabuth’s Community-Building Beekeepers!
Sheba Bees congratulates beekeepers in the Yabuth district of Hadramawt, Yemen, home to our internationally acclaimed Hadrami Sidr Honey, on their official launch of the Beekeepers Association of Wadi Yabuth District, a significant step toward developing and protecting their livelihood.
In its first official action, the Beekeepers Association appointed its leadership team. Zaid Abdullah Bazid was elected chairperson by unanimous acclaim of the membership in the presence of local government officials Salah Hussein Bahkam, director-general of Yabuth district, and Ali Al-Dini of the coastal Hadramawt Social Affairs and Labor department.
Three other new board members also were elected at the August 25, 2024, event. They are Muhammad Salih bin Sheikh Abu Bakr, deputy chairperson; Omar Hassan Ahmed Bahkam, secretary general; and Issa Muhammad Baajra, financial officer.
“It is expected that the new association will contribute to raising the level of productivity, improving the quality of local honey, and enhancing income for beekeepers,” the Beekeepers Association said in a statement noting the importance of supporting those employed in the sector.
Sheba Bees began working with Yabuth beekeepers in November 2023, when our field team came across this hidden gem where traditional methods reign supreme. In Yabuth, beekeepers honor age-old practices passed down through generations, housing bees in mud-and-rock and handmade clay hives that maintain ideal temperatures through heat waves and cold spells.
During the visit, Sheba Bees met with about 40 area beekeepers and local officials, and began working closely with four beekeepers in this first phase of our community engagement. Encouraged by the opportunity to export their premium raw honey into new markets, the beekeepers present decided to set up a district-wide association to work with local authorities on organizing the sector, keeping quality standards high and deciding how to approach natural and manmade challenges to the industry.
Sheba Bees is excited to see their efforts coming to fruition. We look forward to working with the Beekeepers Association of Wadi Yabuth District as they develop plans to improve the wellbeing of the valley’s Sidr trees and the bees that rely on them.
In the meantime, we continue to proudly offer Sheba Bees’ Sidr Hadrami Honey, a raw and delicious, golden-red amber honey from the traditional beekeepers of Yabuth that won a platinum award in July at the prestigious London International Honey Awards 2024.
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