Black Honey

[Hull Bees]

This year I got a super of the darkest honey I have ever seen. Going to be fun selling it I'm thinking it's probably honeydew but has anyone got any other suggestions what the bees were likely foraging on to make it?

 

[WoodenBeam]

Made me salivate - looks very inviting.
We had sweet chestnut one year that was extremely dark but that was more brown, does Honeydew have a red tinge to it?
Buckwheat can be very dark but again more brown than black.
Interesting weight detail on your label…….434g

 

[ericbeaumont]

probably honeydew

If the % is up to 70-80 you ought to consider labelling it as Honeydew as the Honey Regs specify. Honeydew can be blood red or old engine oil black and tastes of Fisherman's Friends and deep caramel.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/1348

Yes, the label weight is weird as that jar usually holds 454g, and it looks fairly well filled. What's your thinking, HB?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I've never had it so bought a jar at the Conwy Honey fair this year to try. It was like glue and tasted awful so I've used it up to make bread.

ought to consider labelling it as Honeydew as the Honey Regs specify.

Thanks....I didn't know that. The day selling it insisted it was pine honey when I said I had never tasted honeydew.

 

[Garry R]

Sorry to be picky but a BB date and lot number required, Also should state Net weight. Trading Standards can be picky too if you are selling it.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

a BB date and lot number required

not necessarily both - it depends on the date format

 

[ericbeaumont]

Sorry to be picky but a BB date and lot number required, Also should state Net weight. Trading Standards can be picky too if you are selling it.

Yes. Suppose HB could have put it on a back label.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Sorry to be picky but a BB date and lot number required, Also should state Net weight. Trading Standards can be picky too if you are selling it.

Could all be on the back where I put mine

 

[North End Bees]

Yes, the label weight is weird as that jar usually holds 454g, and it looks fairly well filled.

It would look much better if filled so there's no air gap below the lid and then labelled accordingly.

 

[Hull Bees]

Sorry to be picky but a BB date and lot number required, Also should state Net weight. Trading Standards can be picky too if you are selling it.

They're all on the back label, along with degranulation info, no honey to infants, etc, but you can't see it through the opaque black honey

 

[Hull Bees]

Interesting weight detail on your label…….434g

Yeah it's a 1lb jar, reduced the weight by 20g a year or two ago so annually increasing the cost of the honey doesn't ramp up the price per jar so much. A jar with no visible air gap does look nicer but sales haven't been noticeably affected

 

[ericbeaumont]

much better if filled so there's no air gap below the lid

Not necessary unless you're entering a honey show, and it's quite adequate to fill to the base of the neck. It's when the level drops below the neck that visual largesse declines.

ramp up the price per jar so much

You will find that as every consumable known to man has increased in price in the last two years your customers will not notice a price increase. In fact, if you didn't raise your prices they might think something odd is occurring. Bear in mind that jars have increased by 40+% in that period and so have many other beekeeping costs.

The easiest way to increase your return is to abandon the 454 jar and sell in 340s. Depending on your price point, you could share the 25% increase with your customers, so a 454 at £9 might mutate into a 340 at £8.50, and give you room for future rises.

For a long while I was loathe to risk putting up a 340 to the double digits of £10, but no-one noticed when I did so last year, and at a recent apple day event I put it up to £11; again, no-one noticed.