LocationsFrom a small office in Bishkek to mountain pastures on Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan's honey producers are opening doors to global markets. It took training, standards, and the right connections - but today, the country's golden product sells in 30 countries.
Kyrgyz honey finds its way to the world
September 3, 2026
Emma Savitskaya, Dary Tyan-Shanya LLC
UNDP Kyrgyzstan
BISHKEK
When Association Becomes Exporter
In a commercial neighborhood of Bishkek, Dary Tyan-Shanya occupies a modest office. There's nothing flashy about it. But what happens inside has changed the trajectory of Kyrgyzstan's honey sector.
The company began as an association - a group of beekeepers united to support each other and preserve traditional methods. Export was never part of the plan. The focus was local: help colleagues, keep the craft alive.
But over time, a realization took hold. If Kyrgyz honey was good - and it was - why not sell it further? Why not on global markets, where the prices reflect the product's true quality?
The turning point came in 2024–2025, when the UNDP Aid for Trade project (supported by the Government of Finland, in partnership with Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Agriculture) began working with the company.
It wasn't about money. It was about knowledge.
The team helped Dary Tyan-Shanya tackle the hard parts. How do international standards work? What does a buyer in Europe or Asia actually need? How do you document quality, navigate logistics, sign contracts?
Emma Savitskaya, who leads the company, quickly grasped the scope of the challenge. Kyrgyz honey was good, but the company wasn't ready for export. Processes were scattered. Quality was unmeasured. International standards were a mystery.
Over months, the project helped bridge those gaps.
Processes got structured. Every step - from hive to jar –has now been documented. Training came in. Specialists explained international food safety standards. Consultations happened. The company obtained ISO 22000 certification - the key to opening doors on global markets.
Honey by Dary Tyan-Shanya
UNDP Kyrgyzstan
Today, Dary Tyan-Shanya exports honey to more than 30 countries. But Emma understood something crucial: if she remained alone, the business was fragile.
She needed partners. She needed a steady supply. She needed to know that other producers were also rising to meet international standards.
That's when her role shifted. She became not just an exporter, but a link in a chain.
ISSYK-KUL
Nine Beekeepers Become a Cooperative
On the shores of Issyk-Kul, high in the mountains, nine beekeepers made a decision in 2023. Instead of selling their honey individually to local traders - and accepting low prices - they would unite.
The Issyk-Kul Honey Cooperative was born.
The nine producers together managed about 15 tons of honey annually. Good for a mountain community. Not enough for serious business.
Then the same Aid for Trade project reached them.
What followed was transformation at the ground level.
Ulan Abdylashev (on the right), Visit of "Issyk-Kul" honey cooperative, Tyup District (Issyk-Kul region)
UNDP Kyrgyzstan
Paseries were modernized. New equipment arrived. The cooperative implemented modern beekeeping technologies and began queen bee breeding - a shift that gave beekeepers control over genetics and colony health.
Knowledge transfer came alongside the equipment. Consultations on international standards. Guidance on market positioning. Connection to the broader support ecosystem that the project was building.
Tyup District (Issyk-Kul region)
UNDP Kyrgyzstan
Within a year, the Issyk-Kul Honey Cooperative doubled its production. From 15 tons to 30 tons.
This wasn't magic. It was the result of better practices, better knowledge, and the confidence that comes from being part of a larger system—one where producers support each other and bigger players help smaller ones grow.
THE ECOSYSTEM THAT EMERGED
What started as support to individual companies grew into something larger.
In the honey value chain alone, the project engaged a total of 166 participants, including eight micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) involved in honey processing and export. These MSMEs collaborate with 135 beekeepers and are supported by 11 service providers and 12 institutions that deliver technical expertise in areas such as honey processing, pricing, packaging, labeling, and certification aligned with market requirements. As a result of the project’s interventions, notable interim outcomes were achieved, including the creation of 34 new jobs—19 of which were filled by women—an average export growth of 10 percent, and a 25 percent increase in productivity.
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR KYRGYZSTAN
Honey is not incidental to Kyrgyzstan's development story. It is central.
The crop requires no industrial infrastructure. It employs families in remote mountain valleys, where economic opportunity is scarce. It produces a natural product with global demand. It can be certified organic. It can be sustainable.
When a beekeeper on Issyk-Kul sells honey for an honest price on an international market, it's not just income. It's dignity. It's a reason to stay in the mountains. It's a future for the next generation.
Tyup District (Issyk-Kul region)
UNDP Kyrgyzstan
The Export Development Programme (2025–2028), adopted by Kyrgyzstan's government, lists honey among its priority goods. The National Development Programme (through 2030) identifies small and medium enterprises as the foundation of sustainable growth.
The honey sector is not waiting for these policies to be written. It's already embodying them.
The Aid for Trade for Central Asia (Phase V) project is implemented by UNDP with support from the Government of Finland. Partners include Ministry of Economy and Commerce, Ministry of Natural Resources, ecology and technical supervision, the Kyrgyz Export' Export Promotion and Development Center, the State Agency for Tourism Development under the Cabinet of Ministers, State Customs Service, standardization bodies, and regional business associations.
Over USD 7 million from Finland has supported UNDP's work in Kyrgyzstan since 2018, with a focus on enhancing trade capacities, women's economic empowerment, and access to justice.
This is one of many stories emerging from that partnership.
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