Best size jar and labelling

[Robert Clark]

Hi Guys

Planning ahead for next year..

What’s the most popular jar size / type for honey ?

Where is the best place to buy them?

Finally, what about labels ?

Thanks
Robert

 

[E&MBees]

My customers like 227g (8oz) hex jars with gold lids. I tried round 340g (12oz), I got given two free boxes from a retiring beek and sales slowed.
I buy them in bulk from the Bottle Company South as I am close enough to collect in person saving delivery costs.
I print my own labels which means I can adjust them depending upon honey type, set/ runny/ spring/summer, date and lot number etc.

 

[enrico]

My customers like 227g (8oz) hex jars with gold lids. I tried round 340g (12oz), I got given two free boxes from a retiring beek and sales slowed.
I buy them in bulk from the Bottle Company South as I am close enough to collect in person saving delivery costs.
I print my own labels which means I can adjust them depending upon honey type, set/ runny/ spring/summer, date and lot number etc.

For me 12oz and 1lb have sold well this year . Print my own labels. Main label on front and info label on rear.

 

[pargyle]

12oz hex sell about twice as fast as 8oz when they are put side by side. 1 lb round are a bit yesteryear and to be honest customers seem to value the hex 12oz at the same prices as the 1lb round. It does depend to some extent on your potential customers, what they have been used to and what they compare your product with. I supply a shop that had been selling 1lb round from a beekeeper who had to stop keeping bees - they went straight in with 12oz hex at the same price they had been selling the 1lb round - not a single comment from existing customers.

Presentation is everything - you need a good looking label .. I get mine printed in sensible quantities by Stikaroo - they took my design and fiddled with it and I just update the BB date when they re-print. There are rules for honey labelling that you need to adhere to.

There are a number of jar suppliers - I buy from Freeman and Harding who give a discount for BBKA members, promotional prices at the shows and they ship beekeeper packs with the lids on. Be careful, there are some cheap chinese jars about and they don't look as good.

Lids - lots of variants - I like plain gold but it's your taste that will govern that decision. Security labels are a good addition if you end up selling via retail.

You are probably best, at this stage, to look around your area at who is selling 'real' honey, what prices they are selling for, what sizes, what type of jars and what their labels look like. Local honey is well received by those people who understand the difference between what you sell and what is found on supermarket shelves at low prices (A Blend of EU and Non-EU honey tells a story on the label) Sussex Weald Honey will tell a better story ...

 

[JamezF]

Interesting that 8oz seems more popular in some cases than others. I've only done 12oz this year because it's what I had, but perhaps getting some 8oz jars in as well might be worth a try.

James

 

[Robert Clark]

12oz hex sell about twice as fast as 8oz when they are put side by side. 1 lb round are a bit yesteryear and to be honest customers seem to value the hex 12oz at the same prices as the 1lb round. It does depend to some extent on your potential customers, what they have been used to and what they compare your product with. I supply a shop that had been selling 1lb round from a beekeeper who had to stop keeping bees - they went straight in with 12oz hex at the same price they had been selling the 1lb round - not a single comment from existing customers.

Presentation is everything - you need a good looking label .. I get mine printed in sensible quantities by Stikaroo - they took my design and fiddled with it and I just update the BB date when they re-print. There are rules for honey labelling that you need to adhere to.

There are a number of jar suppliers - I buy from Freeman and Harding who give a discount for BBKA members, promotional prices at the shows and they ship beekeeper packs with the lids on. Be careful, there are some cheap chinese jars about and they don't look as good.

Lids - lots of variants - I like plain gold but it's your taste that will govern that decision. Security labels are a good addition if you end up selling via retail.

You are probably best, at this stage, to look around your area at who is selling 'real' honey, what prices they are selling for, what sizes, what type of jars and what their labels look like. Local honey is well received by those people who understand the difference between what you sell and what is found on supermarket shelves at low prices (A Blend of EU and Non-EU honey tells a story on the label) Sussex Weald Honey will tell a better story ...

Thanks for the info
What size jar (in ml) takes 12oz honey?

 

[JamezF]

Thanks for the info
What size jar (in ml) takes 12oz honey?

Mine are 280ml hex jars from Bottle Company South, though they also actually say they're 12oz so you don't have to guess.

James

 

[E&MBees]

It’s really important to have a look around at what sells locally. It does take time and effort as well to build a customer base. There are plenty of photos and suggestions on here.

 

[Robert Clark]

Thanks guys for all your feedback

Now wondering if I need Public Liability insurance?

 

[pargyle]

Thanks guys for all your feedback

Now wondering if I need Public Liability insurance?

Not if you join an assoociation that is BBKA affiliated as the BBKA Insurance covers you for selling Bee products on third party liability. You could join the BBKA without joining an association but by the time you are done - better look for your local association - even if you don't participate fully there are often useful talks and they will help you to get your BBKA basic - useful bit of paper to waive around if you start expanding to out apiaries.

 

[pargyle]

Thanks for the info
What size jar (in ml) takes 12oz honey?

I get these from F & H

884.HS SPECIAL SHOW OFFER 280ml Hexagonal Jar

https://www.freemanharding.co.uk/280ml-hexagonal-jar-pack-of-33#/1-options-gold_lid

 

[Amari]

Security labels are vital otherwise people will unscrew the lid and sniff or taste. These are 12oz round jars and the labels from Thorne's

 

[TheOrchard]

12oz hex sell about twice as fast as 8oz when they are put side by side. 1 lb round are a bit yesteryear and to be honest customers seem to value the hex 12oz at the same prices as the 1lb round. It does depend to some extent on your potential customers, what they have been used to and what they compare your product with. I supply a shop that had been selling 1lb round from a beekeeper who had to stop keeping bees - they went straight in with 12oz hex at the same price they had been selling the 1lb round - not a single comment from existing customers.

Presentation is everything - you need a good looking label .. I get mine printed in sensible quantities by Stikaroo - they took my design and fiddled with it and I just update the BB date when they re-print. There are rules for honey labelling that you need to adhere to.

There are a number of jar suppliers - I buy from Freeman and Harding who give a discount for BBKA members, promotional prices at the shows and they ship beekeeper packs with the lids on. Be careful, there are some cheap chinese jars about and they don't look as good.

Lids - lots of variants - I like plain gold but it's your taste that will govern that decision. Security labels are a good addition if you end up selling via retail.

You are probably best, at this stage, to look around your area at who is selling 'real' honey, what prices they are selling for, what sizes, what type of jars and what their labels look like. Local honey is well received by those people who understand the difference between what you sell and what is found on supermarket shelves at low prices (A Blend of EU and Non-EU honey tells a story on the label) Sussex Weald Honey will tell a better story ...

Do you clean your jars from Freeman and Harding if they come with the lids on?

 

[Robert Clark]

Security labels are vital otherwise people will unscrew the lid and sniff or taste. These are 12oz round jars and the labels from Thorne's
View attachment 41724

They look great

 

[Macbear]

Not if you join an assoociation that is BBKA affiliated as the BBKA Insurance covers you for selling Bee products on third party liability. You could join the BBKA without joining an association but by the time you are done - better look for your local association - even if you don't participate fully there are often useful talks and they will help you to get your BBKA basic - useful bit of paper to waive around if you start expanding to out apiaries.

The price at which my local BK association sells jars and lids [sourced reliably] is considerably less than any that I have tracked down on the internet. Undoubtedly that is because of bulk buying, which for anyone with a small number of hives could consider. They also offer a selection of varroa treatments similarly very competitively priced.
The small amount of honey I harvest is strictly given away [i.e. never sold]. Recipients usually get 1lb round jars, but a few [e.g. living alone and who don't eat a lot of honey] are happy to have smaller jars. Folks always express their appreciation, and often empties are returned. The jars can be reused - new lids are not expensive. In times of recycling I wonder if some who sell honey might consider a box marked "cleaned returns". [It worked with milk and pop bottles in my younger days].

 

[JamezF]

The jars can be reused - new lids are not expensive. In times of recycling I wonder if some who sell honey might consider a box marked "cleaned returns". [It worked with milk and pop bottles in my younger days].

It's a laudable goal, certainly. Unfortunately as has been pointed out here in the past, you need to be absolutely certain that the returns have not been used to contain anything that might not be safe for humans even after, say, a pass through the dishbasher.

I've been trying to come up with an alternative system for recycling jars -- perhaps where a customer is guaranteed to get only a jar they previously used or a clean one. The logistics don't seem straightforward however.

James

 

[Macbear]

It's a laudable goal, certainly. Unfortunately as has been pointed out here in the past, you need to be absolutely certain that the returns have not been used to contain anything that might not be safe for humans even after, say, a pass through the dishbasher.

I've been trying to come up with an alternative system for recycling jars -- perhaps where a customer is guaranteed to get only a jar they previously used or a clean one. The logistics don't seem straightforward however.

James

Totally accepted.

 

[Robert Clark]

It's a laudable goal, certainly. Unfortunately as has been pointed out here in the past, you need to be absolutely certain that the returns have not been used to contain anything that might not be safe for humans even after, say, a pass through the dishbasher.

I've been trying to come up with an alternative system for recycling jars -- perhaps where a customer is guaranteed to get only a jar they previously used or a clean one. The logistics don't seem straightforward however.

James

How about customer brings their own jar for refilling ?
Customer gets their own jar back and is therefore responsible for its cleanliness

 

[JamezF]

How about customer brings their own jar for refilling ?
Customer gets their own jar back and is therefore responsible for its cleanliness

For that you need honey in a condition suitable for doing the refilling. Perhaps keeping some sort of bulk (yet relatively small) container in an airing cupboard or similar warm space might work. Otherwise I'd guess you're likely to find that the honey has started to crystallise by the time you need it.

James

 

[pargyle]

Do you clean your jars from Freeman and Harding if they come with the lids on?

No...not necessary as they come with lids on in trays of 33 shrink wrapped