16 Jun A TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE – NIKITA LEGALL
The beginning
Nikita Legall admitted to being fascinated by bees from an early age! “A lot was happening when I started. I didn’t know anything about bees so I did a course at the Ministry of Agriculture” said Nikita. Describing her first experience with bees “when I was six years I had a neighbor who had a lot of bees and the entire swarm landed on a tree close to me.” Still reminiscing on the encounter “I live in a residential area in Trincity and at that point people were afraid of bees; my parents asked me to by my grandmother that night.” Those experiences shaped my thinking.
A 2008 graduate of the University of the West Indies with a Bachelors Degree in Chemical and Process Engineering, many thought that Nikita would have sought employment in the engineering field, but she was already bitten by the entrepreneurial bug. Nikita is also grateful to the team at Youth Business Trinidad and Tobago (YBTT) for their unstinting support along her entrepreneurial journey.
The Evolution
Nikita was driven to start her business “Tropical Hives” as she saw a real connection between bees, apiary and the environment. “There’s something poetic and intriguing about how bees operate – for example if the Queen is not performing she’d be booted out; there’s a weird democracy that takes place as every bee in the colony has a role and roles change depending on their stage in life.”
Nikita described her business as being more in line with sustainable activities that are beyond honey production.
Reliving Shell LiveWIRE
Nikita described her participation in the Shell LiveWIRE Programme as an amazing encounter!”I was able to connect and collaborate with other entrepreneurs and the workshops and overall learnings were awesome.”
"My ultimate passion and drive is to create a positive impact on people’s health.”
Looking Ahead
In spite of the pandemic, Nikita has been able to pivot and adapt “I’m still able to maintain a strong online presence and payments for products are also done online.” According to Nikita “There’s much more than honey out of a bee hive. I’m currently in the process of creating new by-products as well as strengthening my relationships with stakeholders.”
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Shell LiveWIRE is Shell’s global flagship social investment Enterprise Development programme, with a vision to strengthen local economies by promoting entrepreneurship, innovation and meaningful employment. Since inception in Scotland in 1982, the programme is facilitated in over 15 countries and supports thousands of entrepreneurs willing to transition their bright ideas into sustainable businesses. Download the Shell LiveWIRE Deal Book.