Interview: Hernan Urrea Apicola Gekal
When people love what they do and have a vocation for work, the results are more than satisfactory, and this is demonstrated by the history of Apícola Gekal in Los Angeles, Chile. A family business that found its best allies in bees to offer more pure products to the population.
By Hispanic Entrepreneurs
How not to admire the bees? These little insects do nothing more than work hard inside their hives so that we can enjoy the wonderful properties that their honey gives us.
They are organized and work as a team; a mystique that the members of the Gekal Apícola, located in the Los Angeles sector, in Chile have been able to imitate. From this place Hernán Urrea and his family produce honey, pollen, propolis, jelly, and cosmetics that are later distributed in the national market.
The company was born from the idea of Hernán's mother, a honey lover who motivated her son to get involved in the business. Thus, inspired by his mother's love, Hernán was educated to learn about the beekeeping industry and fell in love with bees.
His first step was to enroll in a professional beekeeping course in Santiago de Chile, with an eminence in the field: Professor Rodolfo Lesser. After a year of technical studies, the goal was to enter a conventional beekeeping company to learn from A to Z all the processes of this business. He stayed there for 5 years, as he had planned, until he decided to resign to start his own business and fulfill the dream of having his own company.
Hernán has always been clear that his goal was to have a family business and he has done so. His wife has not only given him the emotional support to carry out the project, but also takes care of the manufacture of cosmetic products, while his daughters and sons-in-law, Patricio Islas and Danilo Neira, are dedicated to administrative and operational tasks .
Healthier products
The philosophy of Apícola Gekal is to create healthier and more ecological products for the population, for this reason they avoid the use of chemicals to treat the bees and thus achieve a much more organic result.
“We do not pollinate, we do not transhumance, we do not treat the different pathologies with chemical products and our wax is completely organic, it does not contain solid paraffin or animal fat. Our bees are located in a clean, ecological environment that are native forest reserves ”, clarifies Hernán.
Precisely, the floral cord that surrounds the beekeeper favors the exquisite taste and aroma of the honey they produce. For Hernán it is a privilege to be surrounded by native forests, as this enhances the quality of the honey and makes its characteristics the same year after year.
"One of the main qualities is that being an organic honey, the first impact it has on human beings is the detoxifying element of the blood."
But these properties are not usually well known to people and this has motivated the Gekal Apícola team to create educational campaigns to inform about the benefits of their products. For example, that of bee pollen, which can be used to reduce the effects of menopause, to raise the body's defenses, to treat osteoporosis, to regulate the nervous system, among others.
“Due to lack of knowledge of the product, there were not many people who knew what pollen was and there we strongly carried out an explanatory campaign to teach people how to do the skin test to know if they were allergic or not, what benefits they were going to have, "We taught how to make energy juices... and that's how we advanced in the market."
In the beekeeping they also manufacture propolis in two formats: resin and processed, which they make in capsule, spray, talc and shampoo presentations. "Propolis spray helps a lot in gastritis, boosts the immune system, helps lower cholesterol and is also useful for skin wounds."
Propolis shampoo, for its part, contributes to the treatment of psoriasis on the scalp and the regeneration of damaged hair.
A fruitful business
Today, everything that is produced in the Gekal Apícola is sold immediately and the public recognizes the prestige and purity of its products, but this success has not been easy to build. Hernán says that throughout these 30 years of experience they have had their ups and downs as in any business, even times of loss of production and not receiving payment from customers.
Luckily and thanks to the effort and work of the entire family that makes up the company, they have been able to cope and overcome difficulties. His wife is one of his fundamental engines and has been by his side to not let him decay in the worst moments. "Without her this dream would not have been possible either."
Of course, you cannot forget your greatest allies: bees. "Practically everything we have achieved in life has been thanks to bees."
And there is still much more to learn and to advance. From Apícola Gekal they aspire to continue growing and bringing their products to the market at an affordable price. For now, one of its greatest challenges to continue expanding is to obtain the necessary human resources to work in beekeeping, as people fear dealing with bees for fear of being stings; a problem that can be solved by creating a greater awareness of this profession and, of course, using the appropriate protective equipment and standards.
Following the example of the bees, Hernán and his family do not have the luxury of stopping work, not even in the pandemic situation that the world is currently experiencing. On the contrary, they maintain that entrepreneurial spirit that led them to where they are today without abandoning faith, perseverance and the desire to get ahead.
Tips for entrepreneurs
Hernan Urrea: “The advice that I would give to entrepreneurs in order to carry out their dreams, their entrepreneurship, is that first you have to have faith because without faith we cannot achieve anything. Second, have constancy, perseverance and above all things be a fighter ”.
Patrick Islands: “As Don Hernán said, that despite any difficulties that arise, they have to be constant and do their things step by step, organize themselves, keep in mind the pros and cons. Go climbing little by little ”.
Daniel Neira: "You always have to have a vocation and love for work, give everything for work."
+++ BUSINESS DATA SHEET +++
Location: Salto del Laja, Los Angeles, Chile.
WhatsApp: +56 962222442
Instagram: @apicolagekal
Facebook: Gekal Beekeeping