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Author Topic: Selling Honey...Container preference and size!  (Read 5971 times)

Moots

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Selling Honey...Container preference and size!
« on: February 20, 2013, 03:30:57 pm »
OK,
Thinking about something that probably won't be an issue for me for a while...But trying to plan ahead.  At some point, I hope to be selling honey.

What sizes should I offer?  I know some do it by weight...If I'm not mistaken a 12 oz. container should be a pound.  A 16 oz (1 Pint) container is 1 1/2 pounds and quarts are naturally 3 pounds.

Should I attempt to offer at least 2 of these options....or just stick with one container size for starters to keep it simple.

If I go with one size....which would be the best choice?

If I go with 2 sizes, I guess I would do the 1 pound and 3 pound options...In that case, what's more popular?  Do I create equal numbers of each, or do you tend to sell a lot more of one than the other? What's a general rule (i.e. I sell twice as many pounds as Quarts)

I wouldn't mind if folks shared their container preferences as well and why.  Pricing would be nice also, although I realize that probably fluctuates heavily by where one is located.

As always....thanks for the input....So many things to think about!  :)

Offline gov1623

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Re: Selling Honey...Container preference and size!
« Reply #1 on: February 20, 2013, 04:01:41 pm »
I sell one pound drip less bottles for $6. That's the size most people i sell to prefer. I sell larger sizes on special request such as 1 gallon jugs.

I think you might be surprised how much honey a 1st year hive can produce around here once the      Chinese Tallow flow starts. Do you have Chinese Tallow around you?  I had a overwintered nuc last year produce over 120 lb of Tallow honey. When it hit last year my hives were drawing new foundation and filling a medium in less than a week.
« Last Edit: February 20, 2013, 04:31:09 pm by gov1623 »
Who Dat!!!

Moots

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Re: Selling Honey...Container preference and size!
« Reply #2 on: February 20, 2013, 04:41:54 pm »
I sell one pound drip less bottles for $6. That's the size most people i sell to prefer. I sell larger sizes on special request such as 1 gallon jugs.

I think you might be surprised how much honey a 1st year hive can produce around here once the      Chinese Tallow flow starts. Do you have Chinese Tallow around you?  I had a overwintered nuc last year produce over 120 lb of Tallow honey. When it hit last year my hives were drawing new foundation and filling a medium in less than a week.

Gov,
I don't really have confirmation of any Chinese tallow close by, however, I have my hives right near a canal which is lined with trees for about 1/4 mile in each direction.  I also have about 3 significant patches of woods within a half mile in 3 different directions.  So, I'm thinking there's probably some Chinese tallow in there somewhere.  When's your best guess for when the Chinese Tallow flow should start?


Offline bailey

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Re: Selling Honey...Container preference and size!
« Reply #3 on: February 20, 2013, 04:54:59 pm »
Tallow will be June or July.     1 lb for 16 oz of honey. 
I sell one pound inverted squeez bottles. 
If I wanted 2 sizes I would go with 1 pound and half pounders. 
Bailey
most often i find my greatest source of stress to be OPS  ( other peoples stupidity )

It is better to keep ones mouth shut and be thought of as a fool than to open ones mouth and in so doing remove all doubt.

Offline D Coates

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Re: Selling Honey...Container preference and size!
« Reply #4 on: February 20, 2013, 05:05:13 pm »
Whatever size you decide if they're bears, skeps, or queenlines you don't have to worry about conversion.  If they sell it as a 8, 12, 16oz, 2#, 5# etc the weight of honey has already been taken into account and it will be as advertised.
Ninja, is not in the dictionary.  Well played Ninja's, well played...

Offline gov1623

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Re: Selling Honey...Container preference and size!
« Reply #5 on: February 20, 2013, 05:16:16 pm »
I think the tallow flow started a bit early last year in my area. Around mid May and really got going early July.
Motts, I'm sure there is Tallow around you. It is the main tree around my area. 
Who Dat!!!

Offline bailey

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Re: Selling Honey...Container preference and size!
« Reply #6 on: February 20, 2013, 06:31:14 pm »
Tallow bloomed early last year.  And it bloomed twice. 
Once early then a lesser bloom came during June/ July.
 
The bees that made 120 lbs last year.   Where were they from?
Bailey
most often i find my greatest source of stress to be OPS  ( other peoples stupidity )

It is better to keep ones mouth shut and be thought of as a fool than to open ones mouth and in so doing remove all doubt.

Offline edward

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Re: Selling Honey...Container preference and size!
« Reply #7 on: February 20, 2013, 06:41:31 pm »
Over here we have metric sizes so I wont get into that, but I have a few questions.

How much honey do you have?

How much do want to sell?

How fast do you want to sell your honey?

Do you want it to last all year?

If you don't have much honey but want to have honey to sell all year and build up customer base go for the smaller sizes.

Selling the larger sizes gets more cash back to you faster.

Most customers like to buy directly from the beekeeper and are happy to pay well for the honey, some customers want to buy but don't use much and like small jars, but if you have enough honey I would go for the larger containers and more cash.

mvh edward  :-P

Offline 10framer

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Re: Selling Honey...Container preference and size!
« Reply #8 on: February 20, 2013, 06:59:23 pm »
the smaller the quantity the higher the price per pound.  that being said it probably also raises the cost of your container per pound.
i'd start with one pound  and quarts.  slice some comb honey to fit into a quart jar then fill around it with honey and see what kind of price you can get for that.
i think edward is right.  after you get some regular customers you'll start getting orders for gallons.
we mostly sold it by the 55 gallon drum back in the day.  cheap imported honey brought that to an end, though.   

Offline Joe D

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Re: Selling Honey...Container preference and size!
« Reply #9 on: February 20, 2013, 11:04:20 pm »
Moots, I haven't done this near as long as others, last year was my first to sell honey.  I sold quarts and pints in the spring, some with and some with out comb.  In the July harvest, I just did pints and almost no comb honey.  This year I will with pints and not planning to do comb.  I get walmart brand jars I think they were $6 a case.  They are smooth and easy to put labels on.  I priced mine about what others in the area got, $6 a pint w/o comb.  I did my last harvest in the end of July and was out of honey to sell before end of Sept.  I sold about 18 gals.  Good luck to you and your bees.
There is at least one guy in our club that still sells by the 55 gal drum.  He booked 150 drums last year and sold others to whom ever.  He has the tallow trees about 15 miles from me, there where none here.  I just picked up some to plant today.



Joe

Offline gov1623

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Re: Selling Honey...Container preference and size!
« Reply #10 on: February 20, 2013, 11:09:36 pm »
Tallow bloomed early last year.  And it bloomed twice. 
Once early then a lesser bloom came during June/ July.
 
The bees that made 120 lbs last year.   Where were they from?
Bailey

That nuc was the one i got from you in October. Out performed the hives that had queens that i bought over the internet by far (those queens are long gone). I am never buying out of state queens ever again ( not saying all are bad but trying to stay local). I found the wild bees we have in this area are REALLY GOOD bees.
Since then i caught over 20 swarms and made some splits. Hoping far a big honey flow this year.
Who Dat!!!

Offline bailey

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Re: Selling Honey...Container preference and size!
« Reply #11 on: February 20, 2013, 11:19:39 pm »
Not too shabby!!!!   Your coming along nicely!  
Glad they did so good for you.

Love that kind of feedback!!!  
Moot , blanc, plan-b.  y'all reading this?????????? :-D
Bailey
most often i find my greatest source of stress to be OPS  ( other peoples stupidity )

It is better to keep ones mouth shut and be thought of as a fool than to open ones mouth and in so doing remove all doubt.

Offline 10framer

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Re: Selling Honey...Container preference and size!
« Reply #12 on: February 20, 2013, 11:55:20 pm »
joe, in east central alabama the tulip poplar is (or was) the big producer.  we also got a lot off of sumac  usually we would try to set some of that aside for bottling (poplar honey is good but sumac has a buttery/nutty flavor that you can't beat).  most of the honey we produced went to the government.

Offline PLAN-B

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Re: Selling Honey...Container preference and size!
« Reply #13 on: February 21, 2013, 12:07:47 am »
You over there tooting your own horn Bailey... Lol   :-D I am reading it and can't wait to post success like that...  8-) Stop teasing me with pics of those NUCS ... Lol
Marshall

Offline bailey

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Re: Selling Honey...Container preference and size!
« Reply #14 on: February 21, 2013, 12:17:55 am »
Those weren't pics of nucs.  Those were pics of your new queens still all tucked into their nice warm queen cells.
Just looked at the calendar.
They should be out by Friday. 
Wow.  That went quick
Bailey
most often i find my greatest source of stress to be OPS  ( other peoples stupidity )

It is better to keep ones mouth shut and be thought of as a fool than to open ones mouth and in so doing remove all doubt.

Moots

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Re: Selling Honey...Container preference and size!
« Reply #15 on: February 21, 2013, 12:20:59 am »
Not too shabby!!!!   Your coming along nicely!  
Glad they did so good for you.

Love that kind of feedback!!!  
Moot , blanc, plan-b.  y'all reading this?????????? :-D
Bailey

Hey Bailey, you're preaching to the choir....I'm a believer!  :angel:

Offline Joe D

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Re: Selling Honey...Container preference and size!
« Reply #16 on: February 21, 2013, 12:52:06 am »
10 farmer, I think Mr. Henderson sell to the government or SueBee, not for sure which.  He has the equipment to extract lots of honey.  He told me a couple years ago during good honey flow he can do 20 drums a day.                                         I have some sumac, a little tulip poplar, little red bud, lots of crimson clover and hairy fetch and privy hedge.  And who know what the bee can find on their flights.  If I had more bees would talk to fellow about 6 miles away, he has numerous acres of blueberries.



Joe

Offline 10framer

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Re: Selling Honey...Container preference and size!
« Reply #17 on: February 21, 2013, 11:11:27 am »
man privet is an under-rated nectar source.  honey as clear as water, some people say it's bitter but it just tastes really sweet to me.  the down side is that i crystalizes pretty quickly.  i like to leave it on the bees for winter.
in the 70's and early 80's the government subsidized honey.  we technically took federal loans and then based on the market price at the time defaulted on them and the honey went to school lunch programs etc. kind of like government cheese if you're old enough to remember that program. 
once the import honey from argentina started coming in for pennies/pound that program fell apart.  everybody defaulted every year. 
i got into beekeeping at the end of an era.  i was really lucky to work with the people i did as a kid and into my college years.

Offline johng

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Re: Selling Honey...Container preference and size!
« Reply #18 on: February 22, 2013, 01:15:07 pm »
We sell ours in 1,2, and 3lb bottles. We will also sell gallon jugs when asked. At the farmers market we sell a lot more 1# bottles than anything else. But, from home we sell more 3# and gallon jugs. We sell very little in glass jars, we had a bunch get broke at one of the markets and it was such a pain literally to clean up all that honey with broken glass. 

Offline edward

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Re: Selling Honey...Container preference and size!
« Reply #19 on: February 22, 2013, 04:12:35 pm »
had a bunch get broke at one of the markets and it was such a pain literally to clean up all that honey with broken glass

you should have take the broken jars and let the bees clean up the mess  ;)


mvh edward  :-P

 

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