Nestlé S.A has awarded Honey Care Africa, an East African fair trade Honey Company as the overall winner of the company’s Creating Shared Value (CSV) Prize for 2014.

Honey Care that works with 35,000 farmers in South Sudan Honey Care Africa was established in 2000 as an innovative private sector social enterprise to promote sustainable community-based beekeeping in Eastern Africa.

Honey Care for its prize, had an investment of CHF 500,000, shared between the winner and runners-up, rewards innovative businesses that create value for their communities by addressing issues of nutrition, water or rural development.

Receiving the prize at Nestlé’s 2014 Global CSV Forum, which was held in held at the group’s global research centre in Lausanne, Switzerland, Mr Madison Ayer, of Honey Care Africa, noted that the company which seeks to help farmers has become commercial beekeepers.

"The Creating Shared Value Prize is such a wonderful recognition of the hard work and passion of our team, farmers, and customers in Africa. And what is even more exciting is the opportunity to build a long-term relationship with Nestlé, as we leverage our sustainable local supply chain with Nestlé’s global resources and expertise," he added.

Mr Ayer commended Nestlé for the award initiative that acknowledged the efforts put in by small scale businesses.

He noted that the mission of Honey Care Africa is to assist rural small-scale farmers to earn a second income, thus lifting them above the poverty line.

They also strive to enable farmers to earn a sustainable income over the long run thus positively impacting their quality of life.

Honey Care Africa to date, has doubled the income of several thousands of small scale farmers through its “Money for Honey” programme, which trains them in commercial beekeeping.

Nestlé’s CSV Forum brought together hundreds of people, including key members of industry, global, academics and representatives from international institutions and civil society.

This year’s forum co-organised with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development is focusing on how to create a new role for industry, at the heart of the societies in which it operates.

Nestlé’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Paul Bulcke said Nestlé believes that for a company to be successful over the long term and create value for shareholders, it must create value for society and appreciated the hard work of Honey Care Africa.

He explained that Nestlé’s Prize in CSV was organised every two years to rewards innovative businesses and non-profits that create value for communities they operate in by addressing issues of nutrition, water or rural development.

The other two runners-up were MSABI, a Tanzanian NGO that runs one of the largest rural, water, sanitation and hygiene programmes in the country and Sanergy, a Kenyan social enterprise which collects and transforms human waste into fertilizer or energy.