Not very long ago, the cost of collecting the best honey included not just money but also...
Not very long ago, the cost of collecting the best honey included not just money but also the blood of the tribes.
Not very long ago, the cost of collecting the best honey included not just money but also the blood of the tribes.
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Not very long ago, the cost of collecting the best honey included not just money but also the blood of the tribes. Aptly referred to as blood honey. To collect honey in dense Mangroves of Sunderbans, these tribes had to go deep into the Jungles risking being killed by Tigers. In fact, there is a popular saying: “Modhu khoja mane bagh khoja” (finding honey equates finding a tiger). But Hunger leaves you with no choices but to do whatever it takes.
The honey collection statistics wasn’t just about the honey harvested, labour employed but also about the lives sacrificed!
For a long time, their problems remained invisible to the outside world. One day, a group took their problems to the West Bengal Forest department. DFO being futuristic, he thought of creating something that could sustain itself without further intervention, rather than making it dependent on government grants and subsidies. Effectively, a market driven solution.
So the Bonphool, meaning “Flower of the Jungle”, was born!
The solution involved
1. Formation of cooperatives to prevent concentration of wealth at the top
2. Honey keeping in controlled and safe environment
3. Investment in marketing and branding for higher price realisation
4. Being honest with oneself and consumers and giving them the best quality honey
The initiative not only allowed honey keeping in a more safe environment it also enabled tribes to get higher prices.
However, Business often works better in plan than in reality. It's darkest before dawn.
What initially started with much enthusiasm soon faced the impact of double attacks of COVID lockdown and Cyclone Amphan. The cyclone ruined the roads so the honey that had been collected couldn’t be transported. Then the lockdown started and product sales dropped to almost zero.
It wasn't easy for a cooperative to compete with century old, heavily capitalised MNCs. It was tempting for Bonphool to give up on quality to make it more price competitive. But thankfully we didn't.
Definitely troubled but undeterred by the challenges, we waited. Good things come to those who wait. And so we waited some more.
Then one day in December 2020, a report was released showing India's leading honey brands had failed the adulteration test.
It was the right time to generate awareness about the produce. A few WB IFS officers leveraged the opportunity and posted about Bonphool on the social media.
Based on word of mouth, the news about the taste and authenticity of "Jungle flower" spread like wild jungle fire. Bonphool Cooperative received orders beyond their wildest dreams. In their own words - “What we couldn’t sell in three months, we’ve done in 48 hours. In one day, we sold 1,300 units of honey alone”.
Everything changed overnight. And for good.
And that's how blood honey became Bonphool ❤️
So, the next time you crave honey you know where to order 100% natural and ethical honey from!
Remember, each order contributes in saving lives.
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