BUSI was founded by 3 childhood friends from a small town in the Boland. With 3 sets of very different skill types they complement each other really well. While it is easy to focus on the founders, we believe BUSI is a team and community effort. From having a masters degree in food science, awesome web development to building fruit processing machines BUSI really has exceptional team members building the brand and products.
As the team, any other Mzansi brands that are your favorite? “We are really big fans of JOBJACK (app.jobjack.co.za), an online platform helping people find jobs. We have read so many success stories about people finding work it is really heart-warming. They are really making a difference in South Africa”.
When did you commence with Busi and what made you choose to go for this product? Also, what makes your honey different from other honey brands? “We introduced BUSI to the outside world on the 25th of October 2021 by announcing our CBD infused honey on Instagram. The idea was born purely from us really enjoying honey products and seeing the effect it had on our lives. One of our founders has a rare muscle disease that causes him to sleep uneasy. We investigated and tried all possible solutions and made the breakthrough with CBD. It was then when it hit us, why not combine these two life changing products and make one great product”. What makes our products stand out is that all of it is hand-made and we only use the best quality products available. It took months of research to ensure we get the perfect concentration of CBD in the honey and our other products”.
“We talk so much about CBD, but what is CBD? CBD, or cannabidiol, is the second most prevalent active ingredient in cannabis (marijuana). While CBD is an essential component of medical marijuana, it is derived directly from the hemp plant, a cousin of marijuana, or manufactured in a laboratory. One of hundreds of components in marijuana, CBD does not cause a "high" by itself. According to a report from the World Health Organization, there is no evidence of public health related problems associated with the use of pure CBD”
In starting, what were your challenges and how did you overcome them? “As a CBD company, our biggest challenge was and still is to overcome the negative connotation around CBD products. With the misconception that you will get "high" using the products, people are hesitant to use the product. How we try to address this problem is to educate people about CBD and the health benefits it has”, such as offsets anxiety and depression, treats select epilepsy syndromes, reduces PTSD symptoms, treats opioid addiction, alleviates ALS symptoms, relieves unmanageable pain, eases diabetic complications and protects against neurological disease. Also, we have multiple news articles and scientific publications on our website, people are also welcome to contact us with any questions they might have surrounding CBD products.
What other products do you offer under the Busi umbrella? “We are continuously growing our product range by trying new and exciting products. Currently, we have the BUSI CBD infused Honey, our very first product that launched the brand, we have our best selling CBD balm and then the brand new delicious CBD infused cold brew coffee”.
Since you have commenced, please share the highlights of your business? “At BUSI we have had multiple highlights the past year. From selling our first product, seeing clients return and continuously using our products and then of course hearing awesome testimonies of how our products change lives”.
Are your products available in retail stores? If not – where/how can people uBusi products? “As things stand currently, we are not yet available in retail stores. The team is working around the clock to make sure we partner with the correct businesses. All our products are available on our easy-to-use website (www.busi.co.za) with various shipping options.
As Busi – what role are you playing/planning to play in fighting unemployment in the country? “BUSI has four key values, Sustainability, Empowering, Innovating and Transparency. Each decision made within BUSI should embody all four values. The Second value listed, Empowering, is one of the key reasons we believe we are successful. It is our belief that by supporting our local businesses and giving back to the community we will be able to really make a difference in South Africa. That is why all our products are sourced locally from small business owners and people passionate about what they do. Our honey supplier is a small scale honey farmer who treats his bees with the most love and care possible, that is why the honey is of such exceptional quality".
"We also have launched Help The Hive soon after we realized there is a need for support in the community. Community is key to BUSI's success. That is why BUSI is proud to be one of the leading support networks to local upcoming bee farmers and queen breeders. With our Help The Hive program we support multiple individuals to set up their first hive".
"Help The Hive is mostly dependent on sponsors and donations. If you or your company want to make a contribution and help set up a local bee farmer, please visit our website".