Love That Became a Business: Martik’s Journey in the Wings4All Program

In the village of Khot in the Syunik region, Martik’s day begins with bees. However, his story started much earlier — in his grandfather’s yard, when he was just 18 years old.

“Bees had always been in our family yard. When I was 18, I saw them, fell in love, and started working in this field,” Martik explains, speaking about his passion for beekeeping.

That love turned into 30 years of experience, specialization in queen breeding, and a respected role within his community. After displacement from Kashatagh region of  Artsakh, Martik had to start everything from scratch. He was able to bring only part of his beehives with him. Despite the hardships, he decided not only to restore his business but to grow it further.

6 Months: From Idea to Competitive Business

Martik participated in the “Wings4All” program implemented by the We Are Our Mountains Development Agency, within the framework of a grant program by the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation.

For six months, with the support of specialists from Innobiz NGO, participants gained fundamental entrepreneurial knowledge, developed business thinking skills, and learned financial planning, market assessment, packaging, and sales strategies. Through individual mentorship, Martik developed a competitive business proposal.

“The ‘Wings4All’ program was important because we gained the knowledge necessary for entrepreneurship. No matter how much of a specialist you consider yourself, first of all, you need to learn how to develop a proper business plan,” says Martik.

At the conclusion of the program, Martik’s project was selected among the winning proposals and received grant funding from the ACBA Federation.

“The grant made it possible to increase the number of beehives, create new queen-rearing units, and purchase a new honey extractor. The old one was no longer sufficient for larger volumes,” the beekeeper explains.

Development That Extends to the Community

For Martik, business growth is not only about personal success but also about community development.

“The more bees we keep, the more benefit there will be for us and for the community. Expanding the business also creates jobs. During the season, we already need several workers, and as we grow, that need will increase.”

He supports beginner beekeepers, helps them with honey sales, and wants people to understand that beekeeping can become a stable source of income.

New Goals: The “Hin Khot” Brand

Martik is developing his future brand, “Hin Khot”. His goal is to advance artificial queen bee insemination in Armenia and produce high-quality queens.

“If you manage to bring any product to a proper standard, people buy it, they are satisfied, and it is impossible that they won’t reorder. We are going to produce high-quality queens,” says Martik.

Within the next year, he plans to increase the number of bee colonies and queens, develop eco-honey production, and strengthen new business partnerships.

The “Wings4All” program of the We Are Our Mountains Development Agency not only supports business recovery but also creates long-term economic opportunities in Syunik by fostering new entrepreneurs, new jobs, and stronger communities.