“Three Bees”: From a Small Gift to a Great Endeavor

15 years ago, when Norayr Abgaryan received three beehives as a gift, he could hardly imagine that this small gesture would one day become the work of his life. That gift marked the beginning of a journey that, over the years, turned into his profession, his belief, and a story of love for his craft.

Norayr lived in the town of Berdzor in Artsakh, where he increased the number of beehives from three to 85. Alongside beekeeping, he was also engaged in woodworking and ran his own workshop. However, the 2020 war changed everything. While Norayr was stationed at the front lines, the bees were left without care, and after the war, the residents of Kashatagh were forced to leave their homes.

“When we moved to Armenia, only 18 out of the 85 beehives had survived by spring,” Norayr recalls.

After relocating to Armenia, he once again started from scratch. In honor of the three beehives that had started this entire story—and as motivation for further growth—Norayr named his brand “Three Bees.”

In 2021, he established a new woodworking workshop in the enlarged Tatev community of Syunik region.

Today, the workshop produces:

• standard and non-standard beehives,

• queen-rearing hives,

• “lazy beekeeping” hives, which allow minimal human intervention and help produce pure honey.

Gradually, the business began to grow. “At first, we had no customers or very few, but over the years their number increased,” says Norayr.

The geography of his clients has expanded beyond the Tatev community and now includes Kapan, Sisian, and Yeghegnadzor.

An important step in Norayr’s new journey was his participation in the “Wings for All” program of the “We Are Our Mountains” Development Agency. The program is implemented within the grant framework of the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation, in cooperation with Innobiz NGO and the Tatev Community Center, while grants for Norayr and some of the participants were provided with financial support from the ACBA Federation.

“We applied to the program with a woodworking project. The grant we received is a great support for our workshop. We plan to purchase new equipment… it will help us organize our work more efficiently,” Norayr says.

Today, Norayr produces 12 different types of beehives and is considering expanding the workshop and creating new jobs.

As he notes, beekeeping is important not only for the economy but also for nature:

“If we increase the number of bees, pollination will improve, nature will become more active, and this, in turn, will contribute to higher yields.”

This year, the number of Norayr’s beehives has reached 250.

The “We Are Our Mountains” Development Agency expresses its gratitude to the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation, Innobiz NGO, the Tatev Community Center, and the ACBA Federation. Thanks to their support, our beneficiaries are able to restore, develop, and strengthen their businesses, create jobs, and build a new future.