Business Opportunities

Bulembu Essential Oils

Bulembu’s first macro-enterprise, Bulembu Timber was launched in the spring of 2006, in order to utilise the timber from the roughly 1000ha plantation.  A sawmill was laid out on the site of an old power generation station next to the Mkhomazane river, which marks the Northern and Eastern boundary of the farm.  This sawmill cut some of the larger logs that came from the plantation into cants and planks for various markets – both local and export.  Bulembu Ministries managed the sawmill in the beginning years, but due to the focus on the children’s care and homes the plantation and sawmill were later leased out to other parties.  The plantation and sawmilling leases ended in late 2019.  After the end of the leases, Bulembu continued managing the plantation and have recently started an essential oil project, converting part of the plantation into different species for oil production.  

The essential oil project will focus mainly on eucalyptus oils but a range of other high value oils are also being trialled.  Planting began in January 2020 and to date (January 2021) around 55ha of a planned 650ha have been planted.  The oil distillation plant will be installed in the middle of 2021.

This project will contribute significantly towards the sustainability goals at Bulembu and will require substantial capital investment in the early years – please contact Essential-Oils@CMSwazi.org.uk  for investment opportunities.

Dairy

However, to capture a greater sales market we need to expand. This expansion needs to be through an increased herd size, improved bottling and manufacturing processes, intensifying our farming process to compensate for limited ‘greens’, finance to reclaim redundant land and convert it into pasture. With your help we can do so much more. 

Case Study

A donation from a UK company paid for the production of plastic milk bottles for the dairy business in Bulembu. This enabled the sales team to sell milk in bottles directly to the supermarkets rather than the wholesaler. Changing the distribution channel doubled the average selling price and therefore our income from the dairy business.

Honey Farm

Investment has increased production and sales, but with your help we can do so much more – finance for more hives in multiple locations, increased automation, greater product range … this is a sweet story of success, can you bee more for us? Can you help us bee more productive?

Case Study

Other donations have led to improvements to the honey factory, paying for equipment that made production more efficient and therefore more profitable.

Lodge and Restaurant

The restaurant through an upgraded kitchen and training of staff provides gourmet food not only to our teams, but also to many tourists who book with us through the Swazi tourist board. All visitors find not just a peaceful get away experience and fulfilling volunteer work, but have the enjoyment of knowing their money buys more than just a good experience – it helps provide beds and a roof over the heads of our children. 

Profit is now generated from this enterprise – but we can do more! Would you finance the training of a chef, front of house staff, a waiter – and all coming from the young adults graduating from our orphan care programme. How about financing a new lodge house refurb? There is so much you could do.

Case Study

We are slowly painting and decorating each of the rooms in the lodge as money becomes available. By improving the standard of rooms, in particular, installing modern bathrooms, we are increasing the income from tourism.

Bakery

Not only does it feed the children in our care, but also provides an income from sales to people in our local community. Over the last few years the product range has grown to include delicious cakes.

Can you supply resources in the form of advice, time (come over and help) and money to improve our product range, finance a new bakery, help run one of our delivery trucks for a year?

Conference Centre

With the improved Lodge facilities we now host some of Eswatini’s top businesses. But with 365 days in a year we have a long way to go in our forward bookings – more investment is required in marketing and advertising. Is this your forte? Can you help promote our facility, pay for more staff, fund an advertising campaign?