What started in 2010 as a small social project on a Copenhagen rooftop has grown into a successful urban business. Today, it manages between 80 and 100 bee colonies across the Danish capital and produces up to six tonnes of honey each year. The project, called ByBi (CityBee), was started by British anthropologist Oliver Maxwell. His aim was to build a social enterprise that helps people who face social and economic barriers. It does this by training people who have been unemployed for a long time, asylum seekers, and people recovering from addiction in beekeeping. According to a report by The Guardian, the project offers an alternative to traditional business models. It uses work with nature to help people from disadvantaged backgrounds rebuild their confidence and develop new skills.
Combining environmental care and social inclusion
ByBi places beehives in different parts of Copenhagen, including on the rooftops of company headquarters, in public parks, on housing estates, and at cultural institutions. The project works with local businesses, city authorities, and community groups. Companies can sponsor beehives on their premises, while ByBi takes care of the bees, collects the honey, and processes it. In an interview with The Guardian, Maxwell explained that the project was created to question common ideas about productivity and the value of people’s work. “We created ByBi to explore how a business can create value for people, nature, and the city simultaneously,” Maxwell told The Guardian. “The bees are a great metaphor, but they are also very real worker partners. They show how small, daily contributions can build something massive and beneficial for the whole community.” People who join the programme receive practical training in caring for beehives, collecting honey, packaging products, and selling them. By offering flexible work in a less stressful setting, the organisation helps people who have spent years outside the regular job market take steps towards employment.
Scaling up urban production
Over the past 15 years, ByBi has greatly expanded its work across Copenhagen. It now manages a network of beehives that produces between four and six tonnes of honey each year. The amount depends on seasonal weather and when flowers bloom. The honey varies by neighbourhood because each area has different plants and flowers. These include coastal parks and botanical gardens. ByBi packages and sells the locally produced honey through markets, shops, and corporate partners. The organisation also makes beeswax candles, honey-based sweets, and cosmetics. These products create more jobs in processing and packaging for programme participants during the winter months, when the bees are less active and the hives are dormant. Data from ByBi cited by The Guardian shows that hundreds of people who faced barriers to finding work have taken part in the programme since 2010. Many have gone on to find permanent jobs or enter formal education.
Rethinking economic value through nature
The project is built around what Maxwell calls a “relational economy”. This approach puts the health of the environment and people’s well-being ahead of making the highest possible profit. Maxwell explained that traditional economic measures often treat social care and environmental protection as expenses rather than valuable investments. “The modern economic system often treats people and nature as resources to be extracted,” Maxwell said in statements reported by The Guardian. “What we are demonstrating is that when you structure an enterprise around care, inclusion, and biodiversity, the commercial outcomes follow naturally.” The project’s success has attracted international interest from city planners, social activists, and environmental groups. They are exploring ways to use a similar model in other European cities. By placing beehives in different urban areas, ByBi also supports local wildlife and pollination. Its work helps maintain green spaces across Copenhagen while creating lasting routes into employment for people who face social and economic challenges.
