Our Fairtrade Beekeeper Carmen

This is how beekeeping is practised in Chile.

Carmen, a smiling beekeeper in a white beekeeper’s suit, standing in front of her colourful beehives

About me

Hello, my name is Carmen Catalina Villablanca Acuña and I live in Chile. I’ve been working as a beekeeper for 15 years and sell around 1,500 kg of honey a year.

I am married and have three adult children who are studying at university. My whole family actively supports me with the honey harvest and beekeeping.

My journey into Beekeeping

I’ve always wanted to look after my children’s upbringing myself whilst still working. Beekeeping is the perfect way for me to work from home. As an agricultural technician, I soon came up with the idea of using our small plot of land for this purpose. It wasn’t suitable for farming, but it was all the more suitable for beekeeping.

The Cooperation with Fairtrade

We use the Fairtrade premium primarily to help our co-operative grow. At our meetings, we discuss how best to use the premium and then make a collective decision. For example, we invest in new equipment, facilities or the maintenance of the laboratory.

Carmen, a beekeeper in a white beekeeper’s suit, takes a honeycomb out of the hive, with lots of bees sitting on it
Carmen, a beekeeper in a white beekeeper’s suit, takes a honeycomb out of the hive, with lots of bees sitting on it
Carmen, a beekeeper in a white beekeeper’s suit, takes a honeycomb out of the hive, with lots of bees sitting on it

Challenge of the climate change

For a good four years now, we have noticed how honey production is changing. Many native plants are dying out due to climate change, and the bees are struggling to find enough food.