Ogiek Honey

Spending their days in the Mau forest and other forests near Mount Elgon, the Ogiek people are one of the oldest tribes of Kenya whose life is based on natural resources from the forest. Their main activity is beekeeping, but some tribe members also raise animals and grow crops.

In order to collect the honey, traditional cylindrical hives made from red cedar are first hung from tall trees, and the men then use vines to climb the trees and burn dry moss which smokes the hives, while the women manage the lower hives situated on the ground. Ogiek honey is produced by small black African honey bees, who prefer the nectar of the Dombeya goetzeni plant’s flowers.

It gives the honey collected in August its typical white-grey color and a unique flavor. The honey collected in December is slightly yellow in color, while honey gathered in February and April varies in color from reddish to almost black.