Importing + storage + package

[SONY007]

Hi there guys, I'm seeking some information if anyone can help.

I intend to import around 6 tonnage of natural honey onto the shores of England as I will become a seller in the not so distance future. What it is I would like to shore if anyone has any ideas are the following:


1) what is the best way and most cost effective way to import honey from the EU.

2) What options are available for storage for 6+ tonnes of honey?

3) Is there a particular temperature that honey needs to be kept at?

4) What is the best method to keep honey contained whilst in storage?

5) Where would be the best places to get jars and to also get them labelled and packaged? (I'd be based in London)

6) What is the average annual honey yield for small to medium producers in the UK?


There are a lot more question I would like to ask but for now that's all.

Cheers

 

[susbees]

How about, I'd like to set up a honey packing and distribution co-operative selling UK honey with beekeepers in the SE?

 

[SONY007]

That's sounds like a great idea, that's exactly what I'm looking for, honey packaging and distribution in the SE.

 

[peter genders]

honey importer

Dragons den would ask about possible business plan or yet another forum wind-up.

 

[For want of a better word]

6 tonnes of honey is not a massive amount..... 3 - 4 IBC's ?
Probably would be more cost effective to get is jarred outside the UK, paying full regard to UK labelling legislation...
Imported honey would have to be labelled as such, and will not attract the same price as English local honey.

 

[Chrisfnvs]

Local Honey is the only way to go, can i suggest you ask UK based bee farmers to supply you, much better than cheap imported rubbish

 

[rolande]

Local Honey is the only way to go, can i suggest you ask UK based bee farmers to supply you, much better than cheap imported rubbish

There's plainly a huge market for imported honey -and it's not all 'rubbish' or cheap.

 

[Russel]

If you really want to get into importing and selling bulk honey, try HM Govt re. rules & regs and not an online forum.
Try some of these guys honeyassociation, they'll do it all for you.
Economies of scale kick in, but bear in mind that Tesco/Aldi etal can sell "honey" for a £1 a jar.
What's the target market/ price point etc.
A little more proper research required me thinks?
Follow Chrisfnvs advice and promote a premier home produced product.

 

[mbc]

There's plainly a huge market for imported honey -and it's not all 'rubbish' or cheap.

Indeed ! IIRC home produced honey is only about 14% of the total consumed within the UK.

 

[oliver90owner]

Indeed ! IIRC home produced honey is only about 14% of the total consumed within the UK.

That was a response to the 'huge' bit and not necessarily the reference to quality? Certainly a lot of honey imported into the EU is cheap and a lot of that is likely rubbish (compared to a good locally sourced product).

 

[mbc]

Indeed ! IIRC home produced honey is only about 14% of the total consumed within the UK.

That was a response to the 'huge' bit and not necessarily the reference to quality? Certainly a lot of honey imported into the EU is cheap and a lot of that is likely rubbish (compared to a good locally sourced product).

I cannot recall the figures but I remember reading that the UK is well below the rest of the EU when it comes to the proportion of home produced honey, and while agreeing with you about the indiferent quality of much of the imported honey it depresses me to see the cheap price of some very nice honey in shops like aldi, some of their honey is superb and ridiculously cheap priced.

 

[bee crazy]

Hi Sony,

Why don't you try the Bee Farmers Association they have comercial beekeepers and would be more than happy to sell you UK Honey

 

[Chrisfnvs]

Hi Sony,

Why don't you try the Bee Farmers Association they have comercial beekeepers and would be more than happy to sell you UK Honey

I totally agree bee crazy, there were a few BFA members who had good quantities of local Honey for sale in the last bulletin, all i am saying is support the UK beekeepers first before importing and undercutting us.

 

[rolande]

That was a response to the 'huge' bit and not necessarily the reference to quality?

What reference to quality? This reference?

and it's not all 'rubbish'

Certainly a lot of honey imported into the EU is cheap and a lot of that is likely rubbish (compared to a good locally sourced product).

SONY007, interestingly, said nothing about importing into the EU.

I understand where people are coming from with regards to supporting UK beekeepers but I can also see how that might not work as a business model in this case -unless you're able to put SONY007 in touch with a supplier that can give him a price which will allow the same net profit at the end of the day; in which case I would agree with you as it would be pointless to import.

 

[Dishmop]

Problem with food prices in the UK is that they are controlled by the supermarkets..Good for the consumer but not the producer.

There's always somebody who will supply cheaper.
Supermarkets impose fines on suppliers for late delivery to regional distribution centres. Not for days but hours. I doubt there is enough honey production in the UK to fill the supermarket shelves and therefore they import it, or they buy it from somebody else who has imported it and pretend not to know where it comes from. Also lets not forget the devilish little trick of adding something to the product and then being legally entitled to call it a product of the UK.

There have been cases where people were caught for importing honey from China big time, bottling it and calling it a UK product. Shops dont care where it comes from, apart from the small local ones where they sell strawberries which you can pull the stalks from and tomatoes that taste like tomatoes because that havent come from Spain in a fridge truck. Locally produced milk that is actually milk and not the coloured water that used to get thrown away years ago.