Busy Bee, a popular café with outlets in Msida, Sliema and Mrieħel that also caters outside events like weddings, has reported a 31 per cent increase in its profit before tax for the period between December 2022 and May 2023, reaching €254,000.

It noted that the result exceeded the expectations set as recently as March, attributing the improved profitability to a “substantial increase” in outside catering events, surpassing pre-COVID levels.

In its report, Busy Bee also said that “benefits were also reaped through ongoing focus to improve efficiencies throughout the operations”. These efforts resulted in a one per cent improvement in its gross profit margin, reaching 29 per cent.

Following the announcement in May of a new outlet set to open in Fgura, Busy Bee said the establishment will be the company’s first presence in the south of Malta.

Meanwhile, in outside catering, Busy Bee is “continuously looking into working with new business partners”.

As it remains on its expansion trajectory, the company’s management said it remains “focused on expenditure monitoring, giving particular attention to the supply chain of raw materials and labour supply and cost.”

First opened in 1933, Busy Bee has expanded over the years, including by providing catering for wedding parties and receptions. It acquired Villa Mdina in Naxxar in 1988, consolidating its position in the outside catering sector. It also opened a gelateria in 2012 and inaugurated an 8,000-square foot factory in Mrieħel in 2018, increasing the company’s production capacity.