Under The Mango Tree: Empowering locals through the world of bees

This business ended up on my 'to-write-about-list' while I was researching companies that the Acumen Fund has invested in. Initially, I've noticed 'mango' and this reminded me of my mother and my dad who spent over a month in Pakistan while my dad was undergoing kidney transplantation. My mom could not eat any food in Pakistan, except for mango. Ever since then this is her favorite fruit and it has a sentimental meaning to our family.

The next thing that popped up in my mind was 'wait, what is under the mango tree?!'. Let me tell you...

Destination📍: Maharashtra, India Beneficiaries: local farmers

Area of business: Bee keeping

The Battle

Two problems to defeat in one business.

One. According to DownToEarth India, small and marginal farmers* make as much as 87% of all farmers in India. Despite the industrialisation and economic growth seen in recent years, India continues to lack agricultural infrastructure and adequate practices that could benefit small farmers and bring income to their families.

Two. Global bees populations have been rapidly declining throughout the whole world. As the largest fruit and second-largest vegetable producer in the world, India's biodiversity is directed impact by the global decline. Let's also not forget that India is one of the most polluted countries in the world.

Here is where Under The Mango Tree ("UTMT") comes to light. Their role is to diversify local farmers' income by teaching them beekeeping and sourcing honey from various regions across India.

How it all started?

The founder, Vijaya, spotted a major problem for the Indian farmer - access

to markets (what struck me as a fact is that more than half of India’s population relies on agriculture in India). Vijaya then reached out to different NGOs and local groups to source honey and provide market access for smallholder farmers. It debuted in a craft exhibition in Mumbai, it then converted into a private limited company with a base in the city, from where honeys are stored and distributed to buyers.

Once it is sourced from local beekeepers, the UTMT process involves testing, certifying the honey and preparing it for direct sale to customers. The honey is sold via UTMT's website and through different channels and partners.

Why Under The Mango Tree?

I simply loved the way the team describes the meaning behind the name on their website and I did not find better words for this...

"In Indian villages, especially those located in dry, semi-arid regions, a mango tree often stands out in the open space.  Under its inviting shade, farmers rest after a morning’s harvest, children catch their breath after playing under the sun’s rays and women share stories on their return from the local well.  A community bonds.  Wandering traders eyeing a potential sale stop by to offer their wares…villagers learn about the changes in the world outside their own…traders discover the needs of the rural producer.  Each group–-rested and more learned–-moves on.  Yet, each individual will remember the respite offered by the mango tree’s shade.  Thus, “Under The Mango Tree” is a metaphor calling to mind the areas we work in and the people we work for."

The Products

My favorite piece of detail is the mountain touch. Each product shows information of the region from which the honey is being sourced and has an image of the beekeeper behind the honey.

As I write this, I ordered two honey jars. My so far favorite from the collection Tulsi Honey from the Dhauladhar Range, Himalayas and the Himalayan Flora Honey from the Shivalik hills, Himalayas.

Truth is... I chose them simply to bring that mountaineering spirit with our daily tea at home, but will share my impressions once I try them!

UTMT also offers subscription option, where you can receive honey on a regular basis. I love this western-Amazon-style way of thinking.

Breaking Stereotypes...

According to UTMT's data, initially 80% of the farmers in two of the major districts they operate at believed that beekeeping is a job for men only. Today this misconception is broken down with 20%.

UTMT trained over 1000 women to become beekeepers with 25 female Master Trainers allowing them to take on a new set of skills and allow them to provide to her family, simply as her husband does.

Moreover, UTMT gives additional training to locals to be able to make bee boxes, swarm bags and bee vails and creating additional jobs for local carpenters and local women' Self Help groups while giving 20-40,000 bees per box a new home to live in.

Under The Mango Tree combines a number of key goals and features that every business should consider when building a strategy: building and empowering local community and promoting women by passing on knowledge and education and putting it into practice in a fair and sustainable way.

Bee Kind,

M

Impact Dictionary

The notion of "Single Origin"

I came across this label while observing the packaging of the honeys and I did some research to understand what it means...

Single origin is a small term with a big meaning, some may say. It is often associated to coffee, however it can be seen on gourmet beans, honey, chocolate and tea. It means that the product is sourced from a single farm, producer and/ or region. In the context of honey making, single origin means also that it comes from a single flower or region, for example. This makes the product unique and allows clear traceability.

Key examples of benefits of a single origin or otherwise known single sourcing business are lower inventory costs, ability to predict and manage risk without depending on third parties and vendors and the most important for The Morning Hive, the creation of work for local suppliers and livelihood improvement.

marginal farmer: farmer with a minimal level of income earned by cultivating agricultural labour and management of his/ her own land (in the size no more than 5 acre of land).

Disclaimer: *all pictures belong to The Under The Mango Tree