BienenSchweiz
BienenSchweiz is the non-profit beekeepers' association for German- and Rhaeto-Romanic-speaking Switzerland, representing roughly 14,000 beekeepers through the bienen.ch portal, the Goldsiegel honey quality label, education and federal certification programs, and the BGD bee-health service.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersAppenzell, Switzerland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What BienenSchweiz does
BienenSchweiz is the Imkerverband (beekeepers' association) for the German- and Rhaeto-Romanic-speaking parts of Switzerland, representing approximately 14,000 beekeepers and operating as part of the apisuisse national umbrella alongside SAR (French-speaking) and FTA (Italian-speaking). It is a non-profit association with 9 staff, headquartered at Jakob Signer-Strasse 4, Appenzell, and serves roughly half of Switzerland's ~18,000-member national beekeeping community through member services, certification, and political representation.
The organization's core product is the bienen.ch multilingual portal — jointly operated with SAR, FTA, apiservice, and Imkerbildung Schweiz — which delivers member education, the Goldsiegel Qualitätshonig quality label, the BGD hotline (0800 274 274), and digital tools including the Betriebskonzept (personal beekeeping operation concept), the AI-based BGD-Chatbot for 24/7 advisory queries, an online marketplace for colonies and queens, and the Blühflächenprogramm habitat-creation service. Beyond digital, it delivers physical services such as the Bienengesundheitsmobil mobile sanitation unit, Handwaschwanne rental, in-person beekeeping courses (including the eidgenössischer Fachausweis federal certification), and the annual Biene des Jahres public campaign.
Revenue is derived from a mix of recurring membership fees, course fees (CHF 200-440 for specialty courses), equipment rentals (CHF 48-450 per deployment), licensing under the Goldsiegel mark (CHF 17/500g recommended retail), donations and legates channeled through the Stiftung für die Bienen (founded August 2020), and Swiss federal program funding routed via apiservice for the BGD hotline mandate. No audited revenue figure is publicly disclosed.
BienenSchweiz firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BienenSchweiz
- Legal name
- BienenSchweiz
- Website
- https://bienen.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- BienenSchweiz is the non-profit beekeepers' association for German- and Rhaeto-Romanic-speaking Switzerland, representing roughly 14,000 beekeepers through the bienen.ch portal, the Goldsiegel honey quality label, education and federal certification programs, and the BGD bee-health service.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BienenSchweiz industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Apiculture Association Services
- NAICS
- Apiculture (11291), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Beekeeping Training, Education & Advisory Services (AFAEAHAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Bee Health Management & Treatments (Mite/Disease Control Products & Services) (AFAEAHAK), Honey Production & Extraction (AFAEAHAA)
Keywords
Where BienenSchweiz is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Appenzell
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices7 records
Markets served
BienenSchweiz business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Membership fees: Annual membership fees from beekeepers affiliated with BienenSchweiz, supporting the association's operations and services.
- Educational courses and certifications: Revenue from beekeeping courses including the federal specialist examination (eidgenössischer Fachausweis), honey courses, and management training. Courses range from free for association members to CHF 200-440 for specialized training.
- Goldsiegel quality label program: Quality certification program for Swiss honey ensuring above-average quality and residue-free production, managed by apisuisse and its member organizations.
- Donations and foundation funding: Donations and legates to the Stiftung für die Bienen (Foundation for Bees) supporting biodiversity and bee protection projects.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | One time | Honig – einwandfreie Qualität (Honey - Impeccable Quality) one-day course |
| Unit Pricing | One time | Honigsensorik (Honey Sensory Analysis) two-day course |
| Unit Pricing | One time | Honigsensorik-Auffrischung (Honey Sensory Refresher) course |
| Freemium | One time | Vorstandsarbeit und Club Management course |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bienengesundheitsmobil (Bee Health Mobile) usage |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Handwaschwanne (Hand Washing Tub) rental |
| Freemium | One time | Marketplace listing |
| Subscription | Annual | Goldsiegel honey recommendation price |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels12 records
BienenSchweiz product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BienenSchweiz is the non-profit beekeepers' association for German- and Rhaeto-Romanic-speaking Switzerland, representing approximately 14,000 beekeepers. It provides membership services including bee health consultation via the BGD hotline, certified beekeeper training with federal examinations, the Goldsiegel quality label for Swiss honey, a classifieds marketplace, a flowering-area habitat program, and advocacy for beekeeping interests. The organization operates the bienen.ch multilingual portal jointly with partner associations SAR and FTA under the apisuisse umbrella.
Product overview
BienenSchweiz operates primarily as a beekeeping association rather than a software product company. Its main digital offerings center on the Bienen.ch multilingual web portal (bienen.ch, ailes.ch, apicoltura.ch) serving approximately 18,000 Swiss beekeepers. The portfolio includes web-based tools like the Betriebskonzept (personal beekeeping operational concept tool), the BGD-Chatbot (AI-powered question answering), the Gesundheitsprogramm (health program), and a newsletter service via MailChimp. Beyond digital products, the organization offers physical services including the Bienengesundheitsmobil (mobile sanitization unit), Handwaschwanne (hand washing basin lending), the BGD hotline (0800 274 274), and various beekeeping courses including the federally recognized Imker/in mit eidg. Fachausweis. The Goldsiegel Qualitätshonig is a quality certification brand for Swiss honey. The Blühflächenprogramm creates bee habitats through consultations and flower area development. These products and services are supported by partner organizations apiservice (Bee Health Service), Imkerbildung Schweiz (Beekeeping Education), and the Stiftung für die Bienen (Foundation for Bees).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Goldsiegel Qualitätshonig: The Goldsiegel is apisuisse's Swiss honey quality label guaranteeing above-average quality, controlled residue-free production, and transparent origin, awarded to beekeepers who meet high production standards and undergo regular independent inspections.
- Siegelimker/-in
- Hotline Bienengesundheitsdienst
- Blühflächenprogramm
- Imker/-in mit eidg. Fachausweis
Quantifiable outcome
- Swiss honey consumption coverage of ~1/3 of domestic demand
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use BienenSchweiz
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
BienenSchweiz technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability2 records
Feature4 records
BienenSchweiz partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.
- Stiftung für die Bienen (Foundation for Bees)majorFoundation established August 2020 to support projects for honeybees and wild bees as important pollinators and biodiversity conservation. Primarily supports BienenSchweiz.
- apisuissecoreNational umbrella organization for Swiss beekeepers. BienenSchweiz is a member of apisuisse along with SAR (French-speaking) and FTA (Italian-speaking Switzerland). apisuisse operates apiservice with Bee Health Service and breeding department.
- SAR – Société Romande d'ApiculturecoreFrench-speaking Swiss beekeeping association with ~3,500 members managing ~50,000 colonies. One of three national language associations under apisuisse.
- FTA – Federazione Ticinese di ApicolturacoreTicino beekeeping association with ~500 active beekeepers managing ~8,000 colonies, organized in 6 sections.
- apiservice GmbHcoreSubsidiary of apisuisse operating the Bee Health Service (BGD), breeding department, and supporting education. Provides free hotline 0800 274 274.
- Imkerbildung Schweiz GmbHcoreSubsidiary of apisuisse providing beekeeping education with federal certification (eidgenössischer Fachausweis). Established in German-speaking Switzerland since 2014 and French-speaking since 2016.
- Agroscope / Zentrum für Bienenforschung (ZBF)majorCenter for Bee Research in Liebefeld, Bern. Collaborates with Bee Health Service on bee health monitoring and annual reports.
- Institut für Bienengesundheit (IBH) – Universität BernmajorInstitute for Bee Health at University of Bern. Collaborates with BGD on bee health research and monitoring.
- UrbanrootsminorSeed subscription service partner. For each annual subscription sold, Urbanroots donates 1 m² of flowering area to BienenSchweiz's bloom area program.
- Migros KlubschuleminorEducational partnership for beekeeping and wild bee courses, delivered at Migros Klubschule locations throughout Switzerland.
- BLV – Bundesamt für Lebensmittelsicherheit und VeterinärwesenmajorFederal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs. BGD fulfills federal mandate for improved bee health, working under BLV supervision.
- Bundesamt für Landwirtschaft (BLW)majorFederal Office for Agriculture. Collaborates on agricultural policy related to bee protection and pollination.
- Cercle ExotiquemajorNational body coordinating the fight against invasive species including the Asian hornet (Vespa velutina). Taskforce coordinates with this body.
- apimondiaminorInternational Federation of Beekeepers' Associations. apisuisse is a member, enabling international collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
BienenSchweiz competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Imkerbildung Schweiz GmbH: Subsidiary of apisuisse providing federally certified beekeeper education (eidg. Fachausweis). Operates training locations in Maienfeld and Nyon that serve BienenSchweiz's members, making it a closely linked but functionally distinct education peer.
- Apimondia (International Federation of Beekeepers' Associations): Global federation of national beekeeping associations of which apisuisse is a member. BienenSchweiz benefits from Apimondia's international knowledge sharing and standards work, making it an umbrella peer rather than a competitor.
- apiservice GmbH: Wholly owned subsidiary of apisuisse that operates the Bee Health Service (BGD hotline, Bienengesundheitsmobil, Handwaschwanne, BGD-Chatbot). It is operationally integrated with BienenSchweiz and serves the same beekeeper base, but as an enabling service provider rather than a competing association.
- Landwirtschaftlicher Informationsdienst (LID): Swiss agricultural information service connecting agriculture and consumers. It is an adjacent ecosystem partner rather than a direct peer, but comparable in mission around Swiss food communication and supporting BienenSchweiz's consumer education efforts.
Direct peers
- Deutscher Imkerbund e.V. (DIB): Germany's national beekeeping umbrella association, representing ~140,000 beekeepers. It offers member services, training, and the Honig quality mark, making it the closest functional cross-border peer to BienenSchweiz in German-speaking Europe.
- British Beekeepers Association (BBKA): UK national beekeeping association offering membership, education, examinations, and honey certification. It is structurally similar to BienenSchweiz in combining member services, training, and advocacy for hobbyist and professional beekeepers.
- SAR – Société Romande d'Apiculture: French-speaking Swiss beekeeping association with ~3,500 beekeepers managing ~50,000 colonies. Operates the abeilles.ch portal alongside BienenSchweiz's bienen.ch under the apisuisse umbrella, making it a direct linguistic-regional peer.
- American Beekeeping Federation: US national beekeeping trade association representing commercial and hobbyist beekeepers. Comparable role in advocacy, education, and industry representation, though operating at a larger commercial scale than BienenSchweiz.
- FTA – Federazione Ticinese di Apicoltura: Italian-speaking Swiss beekeeping association with ~500 active beekeepers managing ~8,000 colonies in Ticino. Sister association under apisuisse, sharing the bienen.ch platform with BienenSchweiz.
Emerging players
- Mellifera e.V. German beekeeping association focused on ecological, close-to-nature beekeeping. It overlaps with BienenSchweiz on wild bee conservation, organic apiculture, and beekeeper education, but emphasizes a specific ecological philosophy.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BienenSchweiz social profiles
Digital presenceBienenSchweiz financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BienenSchweiz leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
BienenSchweiz funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BienenSchweiz M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about BienenSchweiz
What does BienenSchweiz do?
BienenSchweiz is the non-profit beekeepers' association for German- and Rhaeto-Romanic-speaking Switzerland, representing approximately 14,000 beekeepers. It provides membership services including bee health consultation via the BGD hotline, certified beekeeper training with federal examinations, the Goldsiegel quality label for Swiss honey, a classifieds marketplace, a flowering-area habitat program, and advocacy for beekeeping interests. The organization operates the bienen.ch multilingual portal jointly with partner associations SAR and FTA under the apisuisse umbrella.
Is BienenSchweiz a public or private company?
BienenSchweiz is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was BienenSchweiz founded?
BienenSchweiz was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is BienenSchweiz based?
BienenSchweiz is headquartered in Appenzell, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does BienenSchweiz make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership fees are the primary driver. The others are educational courses and certifications, goldsiegel quality label program and donations and foundation funding.
Who are BienenSchweiz's main competitors?
Others on record are Imkerbildung Schweiz GmbH, Apimondia (International Federation of Beekeepers' Associations), apiservice GmbH and Landwirtschaftlicher Informationsdienst (LID). Direct peers are Deutscher Imkerbund e.V. (DIB), British Beekeepers Association (BBKA), SAR – Société Romande d'Apiculture, American Beekeeping Federation and FTA – Federazione Ticinese di Apicoltura. Mellifera e.V. is listed as an emerging player.
Does BienenSchweiz have an API?
No public API is recorded for BienenSchweiz.
What industry is BienenSchweiz in?
BienenSchweiz's product category is Apiculture Association Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAEAHAO, Beekeeping Training, Education & Advisory Services, with a secondary code of AFAEAHAK, Bee Health Management & Treatments (Mite/Disease Control Products & Services). Its NAICS code is 11291 and its SIC code is 8600.