Mokgadi Mabela started her career in public relations, but that isn’t where she would end up.

Her grandfather was the first farmer in the family, who used his savings from World War II to buy land and start a small beekeeping operation.

As a third-generation beekeeper, she had the knowledge she needed to build a business, Native Nosi, but the modern honey economy is a challenging market.

Imported honey, which is often impure, is generally cheaper than locally produced honey, so it was a challenge to turn her legacy into a viable business.

Despite those hurdles, she has gone from strength to strength, and Native Nosi now offers superior honey and value.

Here she is, telling her story:

Mokgadi was always determined to preserve her family legacy. In her words:

“It comes with the job, you continue because if you only focus on the challenges you can’t do what you want to do. The environment is not friendly to small businesses.”

So far, the results have been positive. From farms in Pretoria, Mpumalanga and Limpopo, her bees (“nosi” in Sesotho) have created raw honey popular in restaurants and homes across Gauteng.

But it’s not just the produce that matters. The farms she sources her honey from have been given a way to access markets through her brand, and she is proud of the fact that she pays a fair price for the hard work that the farmers (and bees) do.

Although her operation is still small (most of the production happens in her home), she has plans to open her first physical store this year.

Her advice for anyone starting a business is simple – “Just Start”.

If you want to know more about how to take those first steps, check out this incredible resource, provided by Yoco and designed specifically for first-time business owners.

This information was provided by Yoco – helping power businesses since 2013.