Malda Bee Keeping And Honey Processing Industrial Co-Operative Society Ltd.

The Malda Bee Keeping and Honey Processing Industrial Co-Operative Society Ltd is a long name for what we do here. We are tucked away at 47/2, Ayyankattu Thottam in Polavakali Palayam. It’s part of the Gobichettipalayam area. Out here, it’s mostly fields and quiet roads, which is good for the bees. We spend our days checking on the hives and making sure the honey is being processed the right way. It’s a cooperative, so it’s not just one person running it. There are many of us involved. The building is simple, mostly for storage and the machinery we use to bottle the honey. You can hear the hum of the bees if you go near the back. Sometimes things get sticky, that's just part of the job. We wear our gear and get to work regardless of how hot it gets. The sun can be quite strong in the thottam. We aren't a big factory with shiny floors. It’s a bit more rustic than that. We have wooden crates piled up and buckets everywhere. It’s hard work, especially during the harvest times. We have to be careful not to get stung too much, though it happens to the best of us. We just keep going because people expect the honey to be ready. It’s a decent way to earn a living in this part of the country. Everyone here knows their role and we just focus on the honey and the hives.