Meet The Founder

Drienie Botes is the founder and CEO of Meant To Bee, and brings to bear her experience in marketing, communications, and SME development to assist in the development and upliftment of SME beekeepers from rural and disadvantaged communities.

Drienie is a graduate of the ‘GIBS 10,000 Women Capacity Building and Social Entrepreneur Programme’, and is engaged in export market studies with Future Females as part of a sponsorship with the UK Department for International Trade.

A committed advocate and enabler for the empowerment of women, Drienie has a long history of supporting women’s projects, specifically those affecting women in rural and previously disadvantaged communities in Southern Africa.

Drienie is an innovator, and a visionary marketer. For Meant To Bee, this means creating a unique honey brand that links rural beekeepers to high end markets through a luxury brand.

Driven by her belief in the potential of people, and specifically women, Drienie believes that with guidance, motivation, and innovation a new generation of SME beekeepers can be developed, changing their own fortunes and uplifting their communities.