Honey price

[mbc]

It’ll be thimble fulls next

Its often sold in markets in Africa by the teaspoon , usually straight into a child's mouth to alleviate tummy upset

 

[Hachi]

Just shows the regionality factor I think. I have maintained £5 for 227g (8oz) to all buyers. The one local shop (deliberate on my part) that buys in sells at over £7. Curiously I have interest now in in 113g (4oz) jars and not as " favours"; selling happily at £3 a jar.

Not being rude to anyone but over the years, I've noticed the price tends to increase the nearer and in London you get. Clee Hill is miles from London, hence my surprise at the amount CGF is able to secure.

Any update Curly on your jarring rate this week and your heather harvest?

 

[maddydog]

Yes, it's always interesting to know how people do these things and at what point it becomes impractical to manage by hand.

Assuming that CGF has sufficient honey to fill most of his jars and they're all 8oz, I'd guess he's dealing somewhere in the region of 200 supers? Never having had anywhere near that many, I'd go out on a limb and suggest that extraction is probably achievable manually if it's your full(-ish) time job, but it could well be pretty gruelling for one person, especially actually moving the full supers about. Two might make it more bearable. Or you just chug along doing what you can at a comfortable pace until the job's done.

James

One man band, everything is done by me. 400+ supers using a brush uncapper and konigin swing basket. 'Pretty gruelling ' sums it up adequately
Jarring and labelling by hand. With practice I'm now pretty fast

 

[Hachi]

How long does it take you MD?

 

[maddydog]

How long does it take you MD?

This season I've more than doubled the amount of honey I've ever had to extract before. I reckon it's taken 3 weeks in total (spring & summer) 40 supers is a very good day. Not so much the physical graft but the tediousness is mind-numbing. Luckily I can practice my singing (I'm in a band )

 

[maddydog]

Big question now is can I sell it for a reasonable price. Given what's happening in the country I'm beginning to have my doubts. Will be interesting to see how many folk are prepared to spend £5 on a jar of honey.
It'll be a shame if I have to fold just as I've started to bridge the knowledge gap between hobby and commercial beekeeper i.e. the mistakes I make each year are less devastating
I can't screw down overheads anymore. To cover 150 hives is a 32 mile round trip from home and I pay no rent on the extraction area or equipment store (thanks to a generous land owner) Yet the input costs keep rising and I'll struggle to raise prices as my honey is already in the upper range for my county.
Interesting times

 

[Hachi]

For me and my personal circumstances I sell in bulk. The price I get for bulk verses my time to jar and label and the cost of doing it equates to such a small amount extra I feel my time is more valuable directed at other activities. I do have a small cadre of customers who buy in jars and they are not showing any signs of slowing down what they buy or my price yet! I am keeping a careful eye on it tho.

 

[maddydog]

Yep I completely agree. The difference between bulk and jarring at the price I charge there is very little in it with regard to margin once time is factored in. I also sell in bulk but I do worry that if I went entirely down that route and sold to one or two buyers and they were to let me down then that's my business finished.

 

[mbc]

Yep I completely agree. The difference between bulk and jarring at the price I charge there is very little in it with regard to margin once time is factored in. I also sell in bulk but I do worry that if I went entirely down that route and sold to one or two buyers and they were to let me down then that's my business finished.

Same boat here.
I've always thought its best to have a foot in both camps, I have a local network of shops who take my honey, I'd hate to disappoint them in lean years so marketing has to realistically match what I'd expect to get in a poor year and then the surplus gets sold in bulk.
Bulk prices are holding if not increasing for honey of good provenance and there's growing demand for British honey as natural sweetener in the drinks industry, I'm actually hopeful for the future.
Edit: I wouldn't be in a rush to sell at the moment though, the market is awash with many sideliners having had bumper crops, it'll mellow after Christmas.

 

[maddydog]

Same boat here.
I've always thought its best to have a foot in both camps, I have a local network of shops who take my honey, I'd hate to disappoint them in lean years so marketing has to realistically match what I'd expect to get in a poor year and then the surplus gets sold in bulk.
Bulk prices are holding if not increasing for honey of good provenance and there's growing demand for British honey as natural sweetener in the drinks industry, I'm actually hopeful for the future.
Edit: I wouldn't be in a rush to sell at the moment though, the market is awash with many sideliners having had bumper crops, it'll mellow after Christmas.

Spot on

Exactly what I'm trying to achieve. For the investment required (both time and money) and the necessary skillset and responsibility the return is terrible in all honesty It's a cliche but you really have got to do it for the love

 

[Skinfaxi]

Yes it strange that food producers are treated so badly. when it is honoust work that keeps the population from burning the goverments down, revolting, against the peaple that say that food production is rubbish and the growers are rubbish and unskilled.

 

[Sutty]

Just got another retailer who wants a regular supply. Took a dozen for now as didn't have much cash, another dozen next week. £5 for a 12oz hex jar, not as good a price as my other place but ok.

 

[Sutty]

Just got another retailer who wants a regular supply. Took a dozen for now as didn't have much cash, another dozen next week. £5 for a 12oz hex jar, not as good a price as my other place but ok.

Well here's a turnup for the books. My second retailer has asked around re prices & is now happy to give me £6 for a 12oz jar! She wants to have an ongoing supply available for a while which is fine by me!

 

[Hachi]

Yes it strange that food producers are treated so badly. when it is honoust work that keeps the population from burning the goverments down, revolting, against the peaple that say that food production is rubbish and the growers are rubbish and unskilled.

Its a race to the bottom for the sellers of the price to make more profit and Its all greed from the consumer. Today people want what they want when they want it, eg strawberries on xmas day. As a lad we had seasons, e.g. I recall the excitement of the first Jersey Royals hitting the grocers in the town and when other foods came into season. Oh and buying apples in bulk and wrapping them in newspaper and putting them under the stairs for the winter. Some will scoff at this but the fruit n' veg tasted of something back then not like the tasteless stuff you buy today.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Its a race to the bottom for the sellers of the price to make more profit and Its all greed from the consumer. Today people want what they want when they want it, eg strawberries on xmas day. As a lad we had seasons, e.g. I recall the excitement of the first Jersey Royals hitting the grocers in the town and when other foods came into season. Oh and buying apples in bulk and wrapping them in newspaper and putting them under the stairs for the winter. Some will scoff at this but the fruit n' veg tasted of something back then not like the tasteless stuff you buy today.

God yes! I was always the apple wrapper at home and wow betide me if I wrapped a blemished fruit which later rotted.
This afternoon on our way home from the honey fair Stan and I scrumped a few apples and pears from Conwy orchard. Very nice

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

always remember wrapping up the apples as a kid (apparently the gases the skins leave off helps preserve the apple) - we had a few family orchards to help clear, even access to one derelict farm the other side of the mountain with a substantial orchard. but then the freezer came along. Even now we tend to just gather up the surplus fruit and leave it in a box in the shed (no fuss) and they vlast for months.
In fact, I expect a bonus curry this weekend as the lad who delivers our takeway asked if he could have ome apples for a massla suce he's planning, so I gave him a carrier bag of windfalls.

 

[JamezF]

Just discovered that "Somerset Honey" from a local bee farming operation is selling at £5.50/lb retail in some local shops and Taunton market, which seems crazy to me. Even the supermarkets seem to be asking £8/lb for "English Honey" (though selling in 12oz jars).

James

 

[Jimmy]

At my local BBKA honey show recently there were comments about some local small scale beefarmers charging £5.95 for a 12oz jar and saying that the 'right' price was £4.50-£4.75 for a lb jar.

 

[Sutty]

Buying 12oz hex jars and labels costs me around 65p a go, so have to figure that into pricing.
One of my retailers just had another 30 jars, so seem to be selling ok

 

[mbc]

Its a race to the bottom for the sellers of the price to make more profit and Its all greed from the consumer. Today people want what they want when they want it, eg strawberries on xmas day. As a lad we had seasons, e.g. I recall the excitement of the first Jersey Royals hitting the grocers in the town and when other foods came into season. Oh and buying apples in bulk and wrapping them in newspaper and putting them under the stairs for the winter. Some will scoff at this but the fruit n' veg tasted of something back then not like the tasteless stuff you buy today.

Bit of a tangent but I still get excited about the first sweet little pembs new potatoes, tato newi, nothing better!