Yesterday I visited a distant cousin who had been telling me
about a shop he opened. He sells honey and all kinds of honey related products
{skin creams, shampoos, tonics, teas and of course sexual enhancers}.
Aside from a truly atrocious water fountain {made of plaster
and shaped like a mutant honeybee},I was really impressed.
Family owned business that focuses on quality organic
products at reasonable prices. What’s not too like?
My cousin started expounding on the efforts him and some
other manufacturers had made in creating an association and quality control {enforced
by government} and branding. Which got me to thinking about the small hive
keeper’s way out in the rural areas that depend on their honey for their
livelihood? Its all well and good to harp on about quality, but as the large[er]
business owners are the force behind the enforcers {they incentivize the government
to screen quality for export} what’s to stop corrupt {or just overzealous}
officials from leaning hard and the small{and unknown and unrepresented
}businesses ?
Should they depend on their larger colleague’s largesse?
Of course my cousin did not like this train of thought, but
it got me thinking, is the price of progress? In order for Sudan to develop a
robust export ‘brand’, do these small producers have to be pushed out {and I
have no doubt that they will be}?
The beauty of Sudanese honey is the diversity of its origins
{like all of our great things} and sources. A dirty plastic drum from a no-name
keeper will contain some of the most delicious elixir you ever tasted.
I hope that never changes.
