The Aseda Story

The story of Aseda began in 2009, when Anthony Baron Kirk found his face in a gallon of the darkest, richest, most unique honey he had ever experienced. This humble beginning started the Aseda journey. He knew that the spirit of the honey, soon to be called Aseda Wild Honey, had chosen him to bring the honey, the story, and the experience to the global marketplace. Anthony set out to discover the origins of this magnificent honey and explore the viability of it for the world market. He was extended a special and exclusive relationship with the tribal chief, Nana Kwasi Agyemang, of the Ashanti -Twi ethnic group, of Ghana, Africa. Anthony spent time building a friendship with Nana. Ghanaian people are known for committing to relationships, with their word, instead of signed contracts. Prepared with attorney’s contracts, it was quickly understood that the strength of the relationship came with truth and passion for a people and a project that would forever change lives. A wonderful relationship developed and an exclusive connection to the chief, the villages and the Dagomba and Gonjas peoples of Mole National Forest, the bees and the honey was formed. The integrity of this culture, inspired Anthony to think of Aseda as a cooperative relationship, where Aseda, Nana and the villages of Mole would work together. As the success of Aseda grows, the success of the Co-op and partnerships grow.

The bees live in the Mole National Forrest, a place untouched by industry. It is pristine, wild and remote. Imagine paved roads turning to dirt as you venture further away from the city, past distance villages, through rivers that are impassable during the rainy season and over terrain that only a 4×4 can handle. After hours of maneuvering over the ever changing landscape, you arrived in Mole National Forrest. It is a wildlife preserve, filled with elephants, lions, monkeys and a variety of birds. The landscape feels like being in a National Geographic documentary. The area and the villages that surround Mole are like stepping back into a time far removed from history. This is where Aseda Wild Honey takes the stage.

Aseda means Gratitude in the Twi Language spoken by the Ashanti. The initial passion for the project came with the idea of creating an exchange to benefit everyone involved. The exchange of honey results in the opportunity to create the most unique honey product, available in the market place.

In anticipation of Anthony and Nana’s arrival, the bee farmers had been gathering honey. Upon visiting the lead village, Nana and Anthony experienced a very warm welcome. A meeting took place between the village chiefs, the bee farmers, women, children, Nana and Anthony. Nana and Anthony laid the foundation of Aseda to purchase honey from the sustainable bee keepers, by paying the industry setting price in Africa, and setting a higher standard of “fair trade”. We call this Beyond Fair Trade. Anthony and Nana conducted similar meetings with the other villages. At every village, the two were met with warm welcomes and heartfelt goodbyes. The excitement from every village was echoed. A special memory for Anthony was small group of women and children running after the truck as it drove away from one of the remote villages yelling “Aseda! Aseda!” It was clear that the prospect of Aseda’s Co-operative exchange had been warmly accepted.

Aseda supports the bee keeping operations by building more infrastructures, in the form of bee hives, transportation and other resources. Aseda works closely with the village council to determine the work projects that Aseda commits to financially supporting. This support is managed through the Aseda Foundation and Aseda sponsored projects. In addition, 5% of every sale is donated to the Aseda Foundation, which uses the funds for village improvements.

Upon arrival back to the USA, the process of creating Aseda’s infrastructure on this side of the world began. Anthony, aka The Honey Baron, partnered up with Bessie McIntosh, aka Madame Bee. Upon Bessie’s first taste of Aseda, she felt a vibrational shift in her body and a knowing that it was her path to help bring Aseda into the world. The beginning of a deep friendship, shared vision and passion to build Aseda ensued. For her, “it’s all about the bees, the sweetness of honey and bringing people together. We are working with some of our generation’s most devastating problems; the vanishing of the Bees, the need for natural food and clean water, and humans’ disconnection from nature and each other. By introducing this marvelous honey to the world, we are growing a healthy bee population, have the opportunity to teach the importance of real food for your body and the health of our planet, and we are building a bridge to connect our global village”.

Aseda’s first 5 years have been incredible. The honey has been tested to ensure its integrity, its pristine nature, and its fundamental health properties. A brand has been built with a following we call the Aseda Tribe, to which we offer much love. We are humbled by and hold a huge amount of gratitude for the lovers of Aseda Honey. Multiple offerings have been developed with sustainable packaging and labeling. Distribution throughout the United States continues to grow and is expanding to Europe. The Aseda Athletes program has grown to more than a dozen. Aseda and its creators have been written up in numerous publications. Aseda Honey traveled to many corners of the world, including Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt Everest and Mt Olympus. Aseda been used by award winning chefs to create delectable dishes, used as a medicinal substance, and has become a staple in many lives.

Our global bridge is being traveled a handful of times a year. We have 2 harvest seasons and barrels of honey travel our bridge to the US. In turn, we have at least one member of our team travel our bridge to Mole National Forrest several times a year. Through these emotional and exciting experiences, a spirit between Aseda and the villagers has developed, which is at the root of the Aseda vision. These emotional connections support an indigenous wild bee population that is healthy and prospering. With the current global crisis of the bee population, it is Aseda’s imperative to support and protect this healthy bee population and the land where they pollinate. We are creating a transparent hive to honey jar process; keeping the touch of the hands of man to a minimum. The idea of pure, raw, organic, wild honey…. The honey in the jar is the same honey you would find in the hive.

Team Aseda feels this has been the perfect opportunity to develop a lifelong dream of a socially and environmentally responsible business. To build a business that sets an example for the world community; for a different and cooperative business model founded on sustainability and longevity. From the many hands that bring you Aseda, we offer you thanks and gratitude.

ASEDA (A-seed-A) means gratitude in the language of the Ashanti-Twi.