This Haryana Man Was Called “Crazy” For Starting A Beekeeping Biz In 2001; His Natural Honey Venture Clocked Rs 3 Cr Turnover In FY25

In 2024, the Indian apiculture market size reached Rs 28,394.4 million. The IMARC Group predicts that this figure will zoom to Rs 68,183 million by 2033.

But there is a Haryana man who recognized the potential of the apiculture industry back in 2001. Back then, he began with something that many weren't even aware of — beekeeping.

“Even though I had my fair share of struggles, I am glad that I started beekeeping when no one else was doing it. It greatly reduced my competition and helped me scale my business much faster,” Jagpal Singh Phogat, founder of Nature Fresh, tells Startup Pedia in an exclusive interview.

What began as a humble beekeeping experiment in 2001 has converted into two well-known, organic honey brands that operate under the names of Nature Fresh and Bee Buzz.

With numerous online and offline customers, Jagpal Singh Phogat’s natural honey business clocked an annual turnover of Rs 2 crore in FY24 and Rs 3 crore in FY25.

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HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Hailing from a traditional agricultural family in Haryana, Jagpal Singh was working as a school teacher in the early 2000s.

In 2001, apart from his job, he decided to do something of his own and become an entrepreneur.

After doing some local research, he decided to start beekeeping as a business. As soon as he shared the idea with his father, it was met with intense doubt.

“When I told him I wanted to do beekeeping, he said that I could have chosen anything from herding cows to buffaloes, chickens, and even goats. But bees? They would fly away,” Jagpal shares.

Initially, Jagpal Singh Phogat’s village and its people weren't aware that something such as beekeeping existed. They would often label him as crazy and make fun of his idea.

Paying absolutely no heed to the ridicule, Jagpal went forward with his idea. He had faith in himself and knew that, if nothing, he would at least learn something.

In October 2001, he pooled his savings and bought 30 bee boxes. Each of them cost Rs 2,000 and included a bottom board, a hive body, frames, a queen bee, and a colony of bees.

Within just one month, Jagpal Singh Phogat managed to successfully harvest honey.

In November 2001, he filled at least 30 tin containers with fresh, raw honey.

“Each container had close to 25 kilograms of honey. At the time, the market price for raw honey was Rs 54 per kilogram. In just one month, I had made close to Rs 40,000,” bee entrepreneur Jagpal Singh Phogat shares with Startup Pedia.

Once skeptical, Jagpal’s father was now pleasantly surprised by his son's success. The amount that he had generated was something that the family was able to make after toiling for at least six months in the wheat fields.

Neighbours and people in the village also understood the potential of beekeeping as a practice.

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THE INITIAL JOURNEY

Initially, since beekeeping was something entirely new to Jagpal, he struggled with the fact that he didn't have any playbook to refer to.

There were some trials and errors that he had to go through, but mostly, everything fell in place

“I think apart from the challenge of doing something no one else was doing, the difficult thing was to continue doing it despite hearing everyone else predicting my failure,” farming entrepreneur Jagpal explains.

But when Jagpal’s beekeeping efforts started giving substantial results, other farmers also became interested.

“In 2002, inspired and motivated by my beekeeping success, 11 people started beekeeping. This made me very happy,” Jagpal Singh Phogat remarks.

Year after year, Jagpal would re-invest the beekeeping venture’s revenues and buy more bee boxes. His sole aim was to scale.

“Until 2015, I was selling raw honey. But I knew that if I could process it, package it, and turn my beekeeping venture into a credible brand, I could grow faster,” he says.

In 2016, Jagpal Singh Phogat invested Rs 10 lakh in setting up a honey processing unit.

The next step was to register the brand ‘Nature Fresh,’ get a GST number, and an FSSAI certificate.

Jagpal started processing the raw honey from his bee boxes and packaging the fresh, natural product into hygienic bottles under his brand's label.

He started selling these bottles to physical kirana stores near his village.

Alongside running Nature Fresh, Jagpal Singh Phogat started training aspiring farmers and entrepreneurs in the field of beekeeping.

“Since I have an agricultural background myself, I know exactly the issues that most farmers deal with. By introducing and teaching them something as eco-friendly and profitable as beekeeping, I have tangibly helped them increase their standard of living and become more economically self-sufficient than earlier,” farming entrepreneur Jagpal Singh Phogat says.

In 2022, Jagpal Singh Phogat’s son, Prabhat Singh Phogat, joined the honey business and decided to scale it online.

With the collective efforts of Jagpal and Prabhat, the business branched into two main brands — Nature Fresh and Bee Buzz.

While priced equally, the latter has more premium packaging tailored to the preferences of the urban customers.

“Prabhat is also responsible for automating our honey processing unit. Once the automation happened, our daily output surged,” Jagpal shares.

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NATURAL, FRESH, AND UNADULTERATED HONEY

Today, under the brand names of Nature Fresh and Bee Buzz, Jagpal Singh Phogat and Prabhat Singh Phogat sell natural and fresh honey through online and offline mediums.

The brands retail across e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, and Meesho. Additionally, they supply honey directly to physical stores in Delhi, Noida, Pune, etc.

Currently, the natural honey business owns approximately 1,000 to 1,200 bee boxes and produces 30 to 35 kilograms of honey per box per production cycle.

Every year, the honey production cycle typically runs from September to November.

On an annual basis, Jagpal Singh Phogat’s natural honey business produces 35,000 kilograms of honey. His processing unit is now capable of processing one ton of honey every day.

GROWTH AND WAY FORWARD

In 2001, Jagpal Singh Phogat had started his beekeeping practice by buying 30 bee boxes. Today, he has become a bee breeder himself and provides end-to-end bee boxes at Rs 5,000 each to aspiring beekeepers.

In FY24, the farming entrepreneur’s natural honey business clocked an annual turnover of Rs 2 crore. In FY25, the figure zoomed to Rs 3 crore.

To contribute to uplifting farmers, Jagpal Singh Phogat also provides practical training in the beekeeping field. To date, he has trained close to 2,500 people and helped them start their beekeeping business.

Currently, he charges Rs 2,000 per person for a two-day training program.

“Beekeeping has been the best decision of my life. I highly recommend it to people who want to start their own business in the agricultural field. Beekeeping requires certain practical guidelines, but once you've got the hang of it, it becomes an easy, profitable, and eco-friendly business with a lot of potential,” Jagpal Singh Phogat signs off. 

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