Four Athlone sisters are living the sweet life after their company’s honey won a prestigious award.
Nineteen-year-old Sana Khan is the co-owner of Beelal Honey, which won Platinum, the highest honour, at the 2021 International London Honey Awards.
She runs the business named after her father Bilal, with her sisters Noor, 15, Ilham, 11, and Asma, 11.
“This brand of raw honey is the only South African honey company to win platinum at the 2021 London International Honey Awards (LIHA),” explains Sana.
“There are four awards ranging from bronze to platinum, with platinum being reserved for honey that scores from 95.5 to 100 out of a maximum possible score of 100.”
She says it all started with dad Bilal who introduced her and her siblings to the nectar.
“For years, our father travelled the world on business trips and brought back home exotic honey from all the different countries he visited.
“We were very fortunate to be exposed to various honey of vibrant colours, textures and flavours from all around the world such as Turkey, Europe, Dubai, America, India, and countless more.
“As children, we were fascinated by this honey and eagerly awaited our father’s return from his business trips.
“Our father initiated our honey business four years ago, I used to help him and go on field trips with him during the research stage, and then I started handling the social media, the emails and the website and all the other background work of the business, and that was the beginning of my Beelal honey adventure and how I got to start running it.”
Their tasty honey is harvested on the West Coast from the indigenous Cape Fynbos.
“Honey that is harvested from these rare species of Cape flowers produces a rich flavour unlike any other,” the teen explains.
“The honey from this region is rare, with qualities and flavours that honey in other regions and parts of the world don’t have.”
Sana tells Daily Voice they are ready to take on the world: “This is rare honey, so I would like the business to expand to a larger scale, first nationally and then worldwide.
“At the moment we are trading in Woodstock, at the Neighbourgoods Market.”
The young businesswoman is studying towards a Bachelor of Science Degree, majoring in Politics, Psychology and French at UCT while her siblings attend Islamia College.