Little Bee Brings Honey from Kashmir to an International Audience

By Jay Hipps, Hacienda Network Staff Writer

"Busy as a bee" is a well-known simile in the English language, a recognition of the tireless work that bees undertake to produce honey. Taking a look at a particular suite of offices on Chabot Drive, it is possible that a new, similar figure of speech might find popularity - busy as a Little Bee - in recognition of the efforts of the latest venture from an international honey producer, Little Bee.

Little Bee Impex, Inc., was formed in April, 2014 as the American branch of Indian company Little Bee Impex, founded in 2003. In its parent company's decade-plus history, the business has quickly grown to become India's largest producer and exporter of honey and honey-based products. Little Bee currently sells its delicious foods in 42 different countries, spanning the Middle East, North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

"We have our own state-of-the art processing plant on 12 acres in Ludhiana, a city of over 1.6 million people in the Punjab state of northern India," says Shahzada Singh, president of the Hacienda-based division of Little Bee. "Our factory in Ludhiana is well equipped with modern machinery and a lab which includes instruments for assessing the purity, color, and clarity of our product."

The honey itself is perhaps what most makes Little Bee unique. The company has over 50,000 hives in total, nestled in the hilly areas of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, two of India's most northern states, as well as the Kashmir region.

"Our bestselling variety is Kashmir honey, exclusively collected from the beautiful and mesmerizing landscapes of Kashmir," says Singh. "Its flavor and color make it very popular."

One of the special services the company offers is private label manufacturing, a service that is proving popular with the company's customers in a number of nations.

"We have entered a global world with our private label clients," says Singh. "We currently have a number of major clients across the globe and they have been very happy with what we provide them."

Part of that satisfaction stems from Little Bee's extensive custom manufacturing capabilities. Bottles and caps are manufactured in-house and services ranging from label design to packing are all handled by Little Bee. In total, over 100 packing variants can be chosen for private label brands, which allows individual customers to establish and maintain their own brand identity.

The company is also a member of the International Label Manufacturers' Association (ILMA), and its success in this area has led to a project, currently in progress, to expand its production capacities and international customer service infrastructure in anticipation of large volume increases from international private label business.

Little Bee's commitment to international standards is also reflected in its ISO 9001:2000 certification. Its products are also recognized as USDA Organic, Kosher, and Halaal.

In addition to its established honey products, Little Bee is also working to source a variety of fruits and nuts from local California producers. The company also produces snacks such as potato chips, ketchups, jams, pickles and a variety of other items to bring the taste of India's food to the international market.

For additional information on Little Bee Impex, Inc., access littlebeeimpex.com.

Photo: Photo provided by Little Bee USA

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