Hanaa Makiya was able to win the title of “Best Newcomer” to the Netherlands in the Entrepreneurship category for the year 2024 (Al Jazeera)
European countries received millions of Syrian refugees who came to them in search of a safe haven and better opportunities for life against the backdrop of the humanitarian crisis and war that ravaged their country for 12 years, facing many challenges, beginning with the risky migration journey and the legal issues related to asylum, and not ending with the challenges of integration into the societies of the host countries, including This is learning the language, adapting and looking for job opportunities.
Despite the difficulties that Syrian Hana Makiya (29 years old) faced since she took refuge in the Netherlands in 2015 with her husband, Muhammad, and their children, she was able, during 9 years of hard work and hard work, to win the title of “Best Newcomer” to the Netherlands in the Entrepreneurship category for the year. 2024 about her project (Bee Candy Shop), which is a store that sells natural honey.
Which prompted the website of the Dutch organization “Best Newcomers” (Beste nieuwkomer) to describe Hanaa as a “honey bee” that spreads sweetness, as her excellence was not limited to the field of entrepreneurship, but also extended to excellence in work within the volunteer field, before Hanaa founded her store. Special in the fall of 2022, and won the title of “Best Newcomer” to the country after a long journey in which challenges turned into opportunities and dreams into reality.
Honey from a household need to European markets
The idea of the Bee Candy Shop project was born from the need of Hanaa and her family members for natural honey free of sugars, preservatives and colourings, which they were unable to find in the local Dutch markets, but due to their habit in Syria of consuming “original” honey, which is rich in minerals, acids and antioxidants and is responsible for building Immunity" They had to search for the material outside the Netherlands, and from here came the idea of the project.
The Hanaa project was launched by offering 3 products made from natural honey, which I was keen to prepare pure and free of sugars (Al Jazeera)
Hanaa and her husband, Muhammad, decided to open a project based on importing and preparing natural honey and presenting it to people themselves. Hanaa tells Al Jazeera Net, “The first step was to search for the best types of honey. We visited farms in the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Sweden, and Denmark, and the end of our choice fell on one of the Scandinavian Danish forests with abundant rain.” Many flowers."
The reason for choosing this forest was that it was free of chemicals responsible for preserving plants, in addition to its farmers not relying on sugar and food bags intended to feed bees, as the bee in this forest “feeds on flowers naturally,” as Hana says.
Hanaa’s project began by offering three products of natural honey, which she made sure to prepare pure and free of sugars, namely “Summer Season Honey,” “Spring Season Honey,” and “Danish Heather Honey,” before she began, in the advanced stages of the project, to prepare mixtures of these. Honey added to it substances that increase its nutritional value.
Today, Hanaa’s store offers many and varied types of honey, such as “summer honey mixed with black seed, which is beloved by Muslims, spring honey mixed with nuts, heather honey mixed with ginseng for hormonal problems and poor structure, heather honey mixed with propolis intended for reproductive problems and the digestive system,” and other types of medical and natural honeys. .
Within less than two years of the project's launch, the store's products were available in many European markets, especially in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, amid a great demand for them from Arab and foreign customers, as Hana points out in her interview with Al Jazeera Net.
Regarding the reason for the popularity of her products, Hanaa adds, “We offer a reliable product that makes our store reliable among all types of customers.”
In less than two years since the launch of the project, the store’s products were available in many European markets (Al Jazeera)
Patience and planning are the most important factors for success
At a time when it has become commonplace to associate the concept of leadership with sectors such as artificial intelligence, information and communication technology, smart applications, programming, and other technical sectors, the Hanaa project gained its uniqueness and achieved its leadership by providing a food product of high quality, with specifications not available in European markets, thereby fulfilling a basic condition. One of the conditions for leadership is starting from an innovative idea that meets the needs of the market.
By developing a well-thought-out plan to develop her project idea, and managing her resources well, Hanaa was able to create her own store, overcoming a number of obstacles and challenges, the most prominent of which were related to studying the project from the financial, organizational, and marketing aspects. Hanaa tells Al Jazeera Net, “We faced difficulties in creating the store’s website and photographing the product.” In an attractive manner, finding warehouses to store honey, and studying shipping costs to customers in the Netherlands and abroad, every detail needed to be studied and informed.”
While designing a unique visual identity for the store, and choosing the name and logo for the store, was another challenge for Hanaa. She says, “We were looking for a beautiful name and a unique logo, and we tried to make the appearance of the product and the store’s visual identity comfortable for the customer, which required a lot of effort and time from us.”
For those who wonder about the secret recipe for the success of entrepreneurial projects, Hanaa summarizes it by saying, “Success lies in patience, not giving up, and the presence of a clear plan and regular papers, which gives the project owner comfort and high self-confidence.” These are the factors that ensured the implementation of the project plan with high efficiency that ensures the achievement of its goals.
Best Newcomer Award for the Netherlands given to Hanaa Makiya (Al Jazeera)
The award is a moral reward and is not a condition for success
Hanaa has come a long way to deserve the title of “Best Newcomer” to the Netherlands after 9 years of hard work and continuous effort, whether within the volunteer field, or in her field of work as a doctor’s assistant, or by establishing her own store to sell honey.
Regarding that, she told Al Jazeera Net, "We came here forced, not unwilling, because of the war conditions in Syria, and receiving the award as the best comer (which is basically the best refugee before the word was beautified) was a moral support, in addition to it reflecting a positive image of all Syrian refugees here in the Netherlands." ".
Hanaa emphasizes that the award is not considered a condition for success. “We continue with or without a reward, and the opinions of people that reach us via the store’s e-mail and social networking sites about their happiness with the product, its taste and appearance are sufficient for us. The messages are always positive and this is sufficient, but the award is an important moral reward and motivation to continue.” ".
Hanaa chose to give her advice to refugee youth and those coming to Europe rather than to others, because these youth face challenges similar to those she faced at the beginning of her journey in the Netherlands.
She says, “The way for young people coming to Europe who want to engage in the field of entrepreneurship is only by learning the language of the host country first, because that is a major factor in establishing any project, understanding the laws of the host country, and proving oneself, in addition to developing a clear plan for the academic and practical future, and constant research.” "We look for solutions in the face of obstacles. Solutions always exist, especially in the European country that has institutions and entities responsible for assistance."
The Dutch non-profit organization “Best Newcomer” announced the competition in its first edition in 2021 with the aim of highlighting the most prominent successful and inspiring experiences of refugees and newcomers throughout the Netherlands.
Source: Al Jazeera