What Plan Bee Ltd does

Plan Bee Ltd is a Glasgow-based, UK-wide managed beehive services company founded in 2011 that supplies and maintains honeybee hives on corporate and individual sites across the United Kingdom. The company installs high-density polystyrene hives populated by European honeybees (Apis Mellifera), delivering end-to-end hive management including installation, seasonal inspections, disease prevention, honey extraction, and client reporting. Operations are delivered through a decentralized network of regional beekeepers covering more than ten regions including Scotland, the North East, North West, Grimsby, Cambridge, Northamptonshire, Berkshire, Reading, Essex, and London.

The business operates five primary revenue streams. The flagship B2B offering, "Host a Hive," is a managed subscription priced at £4,995-£6,995 per hive per annum with a three-year minimum contract and volume discounts. Tiered corporate "Sponsor a Hive" packages range from £750 to £1,500 per year and offer brand visibility and honey rewards. On the consumer side, individual bee adoption packages (The Pollinator, The Queen's Favour, Hive Hero Sponsor) run from £27.50 to £89.99, complemented by an e-commerce shop selling honey, beeswax skincare, and beekeeping experience vouchers, plus Bee School workshops starting at £500 per day. The proprietary Responsible Hive Management Policy documents protocols for wild pollinator coexistence.

Plan Bee is privately held, founder-led, and bootstrapped, with approximately $391,713 raised across two early rounds in 2013 and 2014 from Kelvin Capital, Scottish Enterprise, and Crowdcube. The enterprise client base spans at least 12 named organizations across transportation, spirits, food manufacturing, luxury, energy, real estate, hotels, retail, healthcare, and publishing, with flagship partnerships in place with Garrard (since 2021) and RWE (since 2023). The leadership team includes a Principal Beekeeper and Head of Biodiversity with a Diploma in Conservation and a Marketing Manager, supported by an AgriTech advisor, with a total headcount of 11-50.

Name

Plan Bee Ltd

Legal name

PLAN BEE LTD

Website

https://planbeeltd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Plan Bee Ltd provides fully managed beehive installation and maintenance services for UK businesses, plus individual adoption programs and consumer honey and beeswax products, supporting corporate ESG and biodiversity goals through pollinator stewardship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Sustainability and Beekeeping Services

NAICS

Apiculture (11291)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Apiary Management Services (Contract Beekeeping, Hive Maintenance) (AFAEAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Beekeeping Training, Education & Advisory Services (AFAEAHAO), Value-Added Bee Products Manufacturing (Candles, Cosmetics, Supplements, Mead Ingredients) (AFAEAHAM)

Keywords

• Managed beehive services
• Corporate sustainability programs
• Bee adoption packages
• Educational beekeeping workshops
• Honey and beeswax products

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Managed Beehive Services (Host a Hive): Annual subscription service providing fully managed beehives to businesses. Includes hive installation, ongoing maintenance, honey extraction, and regular updates. Priced per hive with volume discounts available for multiple hives. Requires 3-year minimum contract.
2. Hive Sponsorship Packages: Tiered sponsorship packages (Bronze, Silver, Gold) offering brand visibility, sustainability credits, employee engagement sessions, and honey rewards. Annual subscription model with varying benefits at each tier.
3. Bee Adoption Programs (Individuals): Individual adoption packages (The Pollinator, The Queen's Favour, Hive Hero Sponsor) providing symbolic bee adoption with physical rewards including honey, certificates, and merchandise. 12-month adoption period.
4. E-commerce Product Sales: Direct sales of honey products (gift sets, single jars), beeswax-based skincare (lip balm, hand cream, soap), and beekeeping experience vouchers. One-time purchase model.
5. Bee School Educational Workshops: Educational workshops for schools, communities, and businesses including expert talks, interactive workshops, beehive bi-products activities, and take-home packs. Starting at £500 per day.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Plan Bee Ltd provides a fully managed beehive management service to businesses across the UK, covering hive supply, installation, ongoing maintenance, seasonal inspections, disease prevention, honey extraction, jarring, and delivery. The company offers tiered corporate sponsorship programmes, educational workshops, individual bee adoption packages, beekeeping experience days, and a consumer product line of small-batch honey and beeswax-based skincare. Services are delivered through a UK-wide network of experienced local beekeepers and entomologists.

Product overview

Plan Bee Ltd is an ethical, sustainable eco-innovation business providing a fully managed beehive management service across the UK. The offering consists of a core managed beehive service for businesses (Host a Hive and Sponsor a Hive programmes), individual adoption tiers (The Pollinator, The Queen's Favour, Hive Hero Sponsor), experiential offerings (Beekeeping Experience Day, Bee School education programmes), and a consumer product line (Plan Bee Honey, Honey Gift Sets, beeswax-based skincare products including Lip Balm, Hand Cream, and Beekeeper's Soap). Additional premium ranges include Origin Honey and Beehive Brae mead and honey beer products. The services are delivered through a network of experienced beekeepers and entomologists operating across multiple UK regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Origin Honey: Premium honey range produced by the company from their managed hives.
• Beehive Brae

Products and services

• Host a Hive Fully managed beehive service for UK businesses providing hive supply and installation, green space development, ongoing maintenance, seasonal inspections, disease prevention, honey extraction, jarring and delivery, and regular updates. Pricing starts at £6,995 per annum per hive with volume discounts and a 3-year minimum contract.
• Sponsor a Hive Corporate sponsorship programme with Bronze (£750/year), Silver (£1,250/year), and Gold (£1,500/year) packages offering brand visibility, sustainability credits, employee engagement sessions, honey rewards, and exclusive branding opportunities.
• Bee School Educational workshop programme for schools, communities, and businesses including expert talks on pollination, interactive workshops with observation hives, beekeeper gear demonstrations, candle making, health and wellbeing sessions, and take-home activity packs. Starting at £500 per day; one free day annually for sites with 3+ hives.
• The Pollinator Bee Adoption Entry-level individual bee adoption package providing a personalised digital certificate, fact-filled brochure, social media shoutout, and quarterly hive updates for a 12-month adoption period. Optional printed certificate for £3.50. Priced at £27.50.
• The Queen's Favour Bee Adoption Mid-tier individual bee adoption package including a 225g jar of Plan Bee honey, queen bee enamel keyring, personalised certificate, and welcome card on wildflower seed paper for a 12-month adoption period. Priced at £49.99.
• Hive Hero Sponsor Bee Adoption Premium individual bee adoption package offering personalised printed certificate, welcome card on wildflower seed paper, fact-filled brochure, social media shoutout, quarterly digital newsletter, queen bee enamel keyring, Digital Hive Wall dedication, welcome video from Head Beekeeper, three seasonal honey jars annually, and a My Guided Garden Planner & Journal. Priced at £89.99.
• Beekeeping Experience Day Two-hour private beekeeping experience including protective clothing, guided hive inspection, honey sampling, complimentary honey jar, and personalised certificate. Available in Lothian, North East, North West, Grimsby, Cambridge, Northamptonshire, Berkshire, and Reading. Priced £105.00 to £222.99. Voucher valid 12 months.
• Plan Bee Honey Small-batch honey crafted by Plan Bee's head beekeeper from hives in the Northeast, with a delicate floral profile and golden clarity, packaged with a complimentary wooden honey dipper. Priced at £8.50.
• Plan Bee Honey Gift Set Two-jar honey gift set featuring carefully selected Plan Bee seasonal honeys with distinctive flavour character, presented in a gift box suitable for gifting occasions. Priced at £19.50.
• Lip Balm with Beeswax All-natural lip balm formulated with cocoa butter, vitamin E-rich sunflower oil, and natural beeswax for deep moisture and protection. Priced at £5.50.
• Honey Hand Cream Light, non-greasy hand cream formulated with honey, beeswax, and Raspberry Seed Oil providing moisturising qualities and antioxidants including Vitamin E and Vitamin A for skin repair.
• Beekeeper's Soap Natural skincare soap made using hive products, available in Sea Salt & Lime, Honey & Propolis, and Lavender Rose scents. Priced at £9.00.
• Origin Honey Premium honey range produced through Plan Bee's managed beehive services, featured as part of the company's product portfolio.
• Beehive Brae Mead and honey beer products range produced by Plan Bee through their eco-innovation business.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60,000 pollinators added to local environment per hive
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship.

• RWEflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership initiated late 2023 to install 4-hive apiary on spare waste land at RWE's northeast coast site in Grimsby. Includes above-ground planters with wildflower seeds, herb garden, and wildlife corner. Modular design allows movement for turbine repairs. Partnership shortlisted for 2025 Humber Renewables Awards.
• GarrardflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership since 2021 to develop urban rooftop garden into thriving pollinator environment. Plan Bee worked alongside Garrard's team to transform the space with bee-friendly plants supporting biodiversity in urban areas. Supports Garrard's sustainability strategy including responsible sourcing of precious metals and diamonds.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Rowse Honey: The UK's largest honey brand, owned by Silver Spoon, with mass-market retail distribution. Comparable to Plan Bee's honey product line but operating at a fundamentally different scale and channel (mainstream grocery rather than direct-to-consumer e-commerce).
• The British Honey Company: UK-based premium honey and mead producer. Comparable to Plan Bee's Origin Honey and Beehive Brae sub-brands, particularly in the mead and premium honey consumer product category.
• Hill Top Honey: Major UK honey producer and brand selling retail honey products nationwide. Comparable to Plan Bee's consumer honey and sub-brand (Origin Honey) operations, though focused primarily on retail distribution rather than managed beehive services.

Others

• Treedom: Italy-based platform enabling businesses to fund tree planting projects as part of sustainability strategies. Comparable to Plan Bee as an adjacent ESG/sustainability service targeting enterprise buyers seeking demonstrable environmental impact, though focused on trees rather than pollinators.

Direct peers

• The London Honey Company: UK-based urban beekeeping company producing artisanal honey and offering beekeeping experiences. Comparable to Plan Bee as a direct competitor in the UK managed beehive and honey products space, particularly in urban London rooftop installations.

Emerging players

• BeeGood: UK-based bee products company selling honey and beeswax-based skincare and home products. Comparable to Plan Bee's e-commerce range (lip balm, hand cream, soap) and individual adoption programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/planbeeltd
• Facebookfacebook.com/planbeeltd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/plan-bee
• Instagraminstagram.com/planbeeltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Plan Bee Ltd