Business case on RECP assessment in Shirak Green Club member “Hovik Papikyan-BEEGINNING” PE
“Hovik Papikyan-BEEGINNING” PE was established in 2023, drawing on local traditions, knowledge, and experience, and taking advantage of the opportunity to experiment with various forms of beekeeping (such as bio-dynamism). The company produces around one tonne of organic honey annually, with its market extending to various regions across the country, including Yerevan. The bio-dynamic approach is based on respecting the natural lifestyle of the bees and keeping the integrity of the colonies. It aims to promote the health of bees by minimizing stress factors and by letting them develop in accordance with their true nature. Motivated to address production costs and improve product quality, the company participated in the RECP Green Clubs project under EU4Environment (2019-2024). This publication details the company’s experience reported after the assessment exercise conducted in 2024.
The RECP assessment examined the production site and identified several RECP options, out of which the following three were prioritised by the company. These include medium and low-cost measures:
RECP option 1: Installing photovoltaic (PV) solar panels: With a capacity of 8 kW, the PV solar panels would sufficiently cover the company’s electricity needs, generating around 12 MWh of electricity annually.
RECP option 2: Producing compost: The organic waste from the kitchen, garden, and crop fields could be collected and dried for approximately 8-12 days, then stored in a pit to decompose, resulting in about 500 kg of compost per year.
RECP option 3: Improving the wastewater irrigation system: The technology used to process natural waste (e.g., fruit waste) would allow the company to use 90% of the water from the production process for irrigation, amounting to 4,890 liters per year.
Additionally, two good housekeeping proposals were suggested to better protect the environment, and improve the company’s productivity: the construction of a tasting room (investment worth 3,5000 EUR), and the development of ecotourism in Shirak Marz (investment worth 1,000 EUR).
