Karim Sabag’s fascination with bees started with a simple curiosity: how could thousands of bees work together as one?
“When you get to know the bees, you just fall in love with them,” Karim said. “They all work as one organism.”
That curiosity grew into a passion for beekeeping and, eventually, something his whole family could build together.
In early 2026, Karim and his wife, Jennifer, formalized San Diego Bee Collective, a family business providing commercial crop pollination, humane beehive extractions and their own harvested honey.
For Jennifer, joining the business meant stepping into unfamiliar territory. She had never considered herself an entrepreneur, but the chance to build something with Karim, and include their young son along the way, made it personal.
“For me, it’s really important to build something as a family unit,” Jennifer said.
For the Sabags, that means creating a business their son can grow up alongside, while carrying forward a craft that has become increasingly rare among younger generations.
But turning that shared vision into a business came with a lot to learn.
The Business Behind the Bees
When Karim asked Jennifer to help manage the administrative side of San Diego Bee Collective, she had plenty of questions.
“I had never done anything entrepreneurially,” she said.
Looking for guidance, Jennifer joined Logan Heights Community Development Corporation’s LEEP program, which has received grant funding from San Diego Foundation’s El Camino Fund to support local entrepreneurs as they build and grow their businesses.
For Jennifer, it offered a place to start.
“The LEEP program was a well of knowledge for me,” she said, and explained how the program taught her about business structures, marketing, branding and other foundational business building blocks.
“The resources and the help have really continued,” Jennifer said. “It didn’t just stop at the LEEP cohort.”
She also put what she learned to the test, pitching San Diego Bee Collective in the program’s business competition and winning first place with a prize of $5,000 to invest back into the growing family business.
For Jennifer and Karim, that support came at an important moment as they worked to turn Karim’s years of beekeeping experience into a business with room to grow. Their experience also offers a glimpse into a much larger effort underway across San Diego County.
Expanding Opportunity for Entrepreneurs
Through El Camino Fund, SDF awards grants to nonprofits like Logan Heights Community Development Corporation that provide entrepreneurs with business guidance, access to funding and connections that can help them take their next step.
Since 2024, El Camino Fund has awarded $1.7 million to San Diego County nonprofits, with most funding supporting programs that help local entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses
Through these programs, local entrepreneurs have received thousands of touchpoints of support, from one-on-one guidance and business training to hands-on help navigating the next stage of growth.
Growing Beyond the Hive
For Jennifer and Karim, one of those next steps is seeing just how far San Diego Bee Collective can grow.
“We’re aiming to be at least number two in this industry in San Diego County,” Karim said. “We’re trying to get as many places as we can.”
His ambition is rooted in more than growing the business. Karim grew up in a farming family and has a deep respect for the people who grow our food.
“We’re hoping to help farmers to know that getting this pollination service on the crop is way better than just leave the crop without honeybees,” he said.
“It’s knowing that we’re part of an industry that makes an impact on our immediate environment, our immediate community, but then all across the country as well,” Jennifer said. “And also working together as a family is proving to be really satisfying.”
They know growing a business won’t happen overnight. Jennifer says it takes time and hard work, while Karim’s advice is simple: “Don’t give up.”
For the Sabags, there are more hives to tend, more farmers to reach and plenty still to learn. But they’re building San Diego Bee Collective the same way they started it: together.
Learn more about El Camino Fund and how it helps business owners like Karim and Jennifer grow their businesses.
