MSUS Culminating
Experience: The Bee
Business
Determining the Practicality of Marketing
Almond Honey for Bee Farmers that
Participate in Almond Pollination
Kellie Rorex
Fall 2018

Sustainability Problem

Almond
Industry

Honey
Bees

• Dependencies
• Honey Waste
• Unsustainable business

Bee
Farmers

model

Solution
• Sell Almond Honey
• Eliminate waste
• Diversify revenue streams for bee farming business model

• Market towards beauty supply companies

Tools Used
• Typical Bee Farming Business Model
• Cost-Benefit Analysis of Selling Almond Pollination
• New Bee Farming Business Model With Almond Honey Sales
• Business Process Management to determine sellers and process
• Connect Buyers with Sellers

Outcomes
• Almond honey is not marketable for a price greater than edible honey
• Most costs of almond honey extraction can be mitigated
• Selling almond honey will lead to a 1% increase in honey sales
• Waste would be minimalized but other early season crops (apples) create the
same problem.
• Beauty supply buyers are interested in testing out almond honey in their
products.

Recommendations to Farmer

800 hives

Personal Project Outcomes
• Connections with multiple commercial farmers
• Byproduct marketability

• Experience working with a large complex industry
• Experience working closely with a company that wants to work on
finding alternative solutions to unsustainable practices.
• Travel costs - project opportunity

Questions?
Thank you!

Kellie Rorex