By Idrissa Hilton Gogra
Press Attaché to the Federal Republic of Germany
Christopher O’Neil, a Sierra Leonean based in Germany to the surprise of many people residing in Germany and beyond has made history as the first African to produce Honey Bee in Europe.
According to Christopher O’Neil during the corona virus lockdown in Germany, he noticed that he was putting more weight which he was not comfortable with.
“My first attempt was to stop drinking tea with sugar and I consider honey bee as an alternative,” he disclosed, adding that he went around his compound and he observed how the honey bees were moving around. He disclosed that he took up the challenge to produce the honey himself. He said that at first it was just for his consumption but now it has a huge market in Germany and beyond.
“I have sold my honey to Canada, Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom,” he narrated, adding that lots of people in Germany became interested in the honey that he is producing because of the quality and how it is produced. He said that he has never regretted starting something new furthering that his product now has wide acceptance not only in Germany but in the entire Europe.
Some of customers have described him as the perfectionist; this is as a result of the fact that the honey he produces, tastes nice.
The Sierra Leone Ambassador in Germany, Dr. M’Baimba Lamin Baryoh commended Mr. Christopher O’Neil for raising the Green; White and Blue flag high, adding that he is impressed with the way and manner the Germans and other nationals raise the value of the honey product that is produced by a Sierra Leonean national. He called on Sierra Leoneans in the Diaspora to work on innovative ideas that will be of great help to all adding that by so doing we will be pushing forward the vision of His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio for direct foreign investment.
Ambassador Dr. M’Baimba Lamin Baryoh also appealed to Christopher O’Neil to start production in Sierra Leone so that Sierra Leoneans will start benefiting from their own local product, adding it is the vision of His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio’s New Direction Government.
