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The Golden Company is an award-winning social enterprise based in East London. We work with young people and nature, developing our business caring for bees and producing natural cosmetics. The Golden Company's young members - Bee Guardians - create, market and sell our products. We nurture entrepreneurial spirit through first-hand experience of all aspects of running a business and provide training in urban beekeeping, enterprise, cosmetics making and life skills. All Bee Guardians earn an income for their share in the running of the business. Of the 20 young people The Golden Company has engaged in depth since 2009, 10 have gained ASDAN accreditations in Sustainable Enterprise and 3 have become British Beekeepers Association accredited beekeepers.
At present we receive no grant funding and support our third-party accredited training programmes through offering products and services. "I actually turned my life around."
(Bee Guardian Ezekiel Barzey in the Hackney Gazette)
"If I'm still alive by 2030 I want to run my own business and have 300 hives"
(Bee Guardian Devente Knight in BBC Radio 4 feature Spirit of the Beehive)
Watch Our Movie
We've been working in association with Bright Green Kids to make a short film that provides a snapshot of The Golden Company's work. Our Bee Guardians introduce some of their experiences with beekeeping and share their dreams for the future. Make sure to click on the green banner when on the Bright Green Kids website to see this great little film.
Listen to our voices
Spirit of The Beehive, a composed documentary by Nina Perry for BBC Radio 4 features Bee Guardians Devente, King, Lakshmi, Ezekiel and Janaki. To hear them talking about their work with bees and for some fascinating insights into the workings of a bee colony listen here.
Flo Neve from Reel Rebels Radio, a Hackney based radio station, has made a fascinating documentary called 'We Keep Bees.' From this link click on Show Archives, then Feature Reel to listen to some of our Bee Guardians talking about their experiences of working with bees in London.
Read all about it
Beekeepers Alison Benjamin and Brian McCallum have recently published 'Bees in the City' - an Urban Beekeepers' Handbook, take a look inside and read about the many types of urban beekeepers working in London here.  Golden Honey
We're grateful for the generous support of the Borough Market trustees. ELBA Peter Welton Memorial Award
Last December we were delighted to receive the Peter Welton Memorial Award from East London Business Alliance. Peter was the Director of ELBA's 2020 legacy programme who died suddenly in September 2010. Aisha, Devente and Helen picked up the award for creativity and innovation in enterprise.
 We've struck gold! We were selected for this award from 100's of applicants from organisations working across the UK. The Youth Innovation Award, generously supported by the Society of Ragamuffins and the RSA, enabled us to launch a range of new cosmetics products in 2010.
 Helen and Lakshmi headed to the Houses of Parliament to pick up the Award at the Kids Count ceremony and we since developed new products with the help of herbalists from the Archway Herbal Clinic.
Golden Co. Values
Greatness – we firmly believe that everybody has the potential to be great.
Opportunity – we support our young people and our co-ordinators in their personal and career development. Learning – we are a learning organisation and we realise that mistakes are helpful to improve as individuals and as an organisation. Discipline – we know that self-discipline is essential to learn our trade and work well as an organisation. Employment – we think that much self-worth is to be found through gainful employment and always make sure that the young people working with us are paid for their work. Nature – we promote the use of local goods, champion responsible beekeeping, follow the waste hierarchy (reduce, reuse, recycle) and respect the natural environment. (Bee Guardian, 16)  In Golden Company is a Company Limited by Guarantee, registration number 7217723.
Trading as The Golden Company - a social enterprise whose profits are re-invested for the benefit of the community.
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