Beekeeper Parade is a social enterprise, created by Cambodian refugee Koky Saly and his sister Sophia.
The Melbourne based business has an ethical mission: to support education in Cambodia and help the environment by using discarded fabrics to create backpacks and accessories.
It’s among a growing number of social enterprises in Australia.
As of 2016, there were an estimated 20,000 operating across a range of industries.
Beekeeper Parade is a growing player in the industry, and its success is partly driven by Koky's refugee past.
Collection of bags by BeeKeeper Parade. Source: Supplied
As a survivor of adversity, he's determined to give back.
His story begins in Cambodia where he was born during the brutal regime of the Khmer Rouge.
“In a war that had a quarter of the nation’s population die, and of the surviving population, three-quarters were people in mourning,” he says reflecting on those grim days.
His family was separated and imprisoned.
After the civil war, they managed to re-group, all eight of them, and escape to a refugee camp in Thailand.
It was there that their fortunes took a turn.
“My father could speak French, and made friends with a volunteer doctor. And this doctor, I’m told, couldn’t believe that our family survived together,” he says.
“The doctor decided that he was going to help this one family, get out of this refugee camp site."
"It was two months before we were able to be sponsored and be on a plane to Australia."
Koky arrived in Melbourne as a three-year-old.
That experience inspired Koky and his sister Sophia to build schools in Cambodia decades later.
“My dream was to be the kind of person that saved my life,” Koky humbly explains.
Koky and Sophia funded the building of four schools.
However, as an idea developed to turn the charity into a business, Koky’s sister Sophia was diagnosed with cancer.
“[She developed] cervical cancer, and she fought bravely, and didn’t make it,” he explains fighting back tears.
“When she left this world, in 2012, she left me her car in her will, and she told me to sell it, and to use the money to make sure this business comes true."
Creators of Beekeeper Parade: Koky Saly and his sister Sophia. (supplied) Source: SBS
To date, the sale of Beekeeper backpacks has funded 3,000 placements for children to study English.
Last year was Koky’s biggest year yet.
The business turned over about $350,000, of which about $20,000 was donated to schools in Cambodia.
And by using recycled fabrics, he’s also saved 10 tonnes of fabric from ending up in landfills.
The discarded fabrics come from all over: design and fabric companies, and individuals.
The response has been so overwhelming, Koky has temporarily called a halt to more donations.
“Look at this room, it’s a mess,” he says surrounded by gifted materials.
Through his store in Melbourne and his online shop, Koky’s backpacks now sell around the world. New Zealand is his best client country followed by North America.
Koky hopes to eventually build Beekeeper Parade into a multi-million dollar social enterprise, helping to educate even more children.
Six years since his sister’s passing, he’s proud of what he’s accomplished so far.
One of the five schools established in rural Cambodia thanks to BeeKeeper Parade funding. Source: Beekeeper Parade
“It blows my mind to think I was a child born in a war, survived it, and have this shop in Hipsterville in Melbourne!” he smiles.
