While the sales season has slowed down, Chasing Bees is currently in full manufacturing mode, Jeff tells us, with operations spanning product design, factory partnerships for new products, and seasonal production cycles. The development timeline runs from January through August, creating new product ranges before entering the next sales season.

Jeff also reports that Chasing Bees has made progress in its online shop (e-commerce) and international sales. They’re now shipping internationally, responding to overseas customer inquiries. However, technical challenges remain as Chasing Bees is working to streamline their online sales system and process customer data properly.

Marketing and customer acquisition continues to rely heavily on social media, particularly Instagram, where customers check out Chasing Bees’ products before reaching out to the company. While this organic approach generates sales, Jeff acknowledges significant gaps in their marketing strategy. Chasing Bees’ email marketing remains underdeveloped, and they have minimal presence in search engine marketing or paid advertising beyond social media boosts. “We still have a long way to go in terms of search engines and boosting things with paid adverts”, Jeff explains.

Customer data shows promising signs of repeat business and local and international growth. Local customers have been returning consistently over the past 18 months, and there are early indicators of international customers reordering from overseas after initial in-country purchases. However, the company admits they need more comprehensive data to properly assess their international success and follow up with international customers who purchase goods while they visit South Africa and then make follow-up orders after they return home.

Chasing Bees maintains strong sustainability commitments, connecting with environmental initiatives including the “Eden to Addo” corridor and sponsoring conservation expeditions focused on African wildlife corridors. While Chasing Bees’ sustainability credentials are on their website, this area also requires further development.

Technical backend work and platform optimisation remain ongoing challenges. As Jeff emphasises, Chasing Bees is still “playing catch up” in terms of processing the insights from the Imperial College Team’s report and recommendation, and they’re still working through implementation while managing current operations.

Jeff is optimistic about Chasing Bees’ foundation and growth trajectory, even as he also recognizes the need for strategic advancement across multiple areas to reach the next level of operations. “I really appreciated our time with the Imperial College Team”, he concludes.