But I think you miss the point. Not all honey is raw. I call my honey raw because it is. If a cheap derivative of honey is called raw but is not then it should not be called it and therefore THEY are misleading people, not me!
I don't miss the point at all.
The use of 'raw' is raising straw men arguments about other peoples honey. By the use of a legally meaningless term.
I do not know of ONE beekeeper who sells cooked honey pressure filtered thus denaturing it. So it is trying to gain advantage (that's fine in itself..its a competitive world and we all make our own choices) over people who, through choice or simply compliance, choose to keep the MAIN label simple and legal.
Nothing on the main label precludes you from telling your own story (only thing is it must be true) elsewhere, like on a back label or lid seal. Make it about why YOUR honey is so good and stick to real things.
Which product are you inplying to the customer is actually a 'cheap derivative of honey'. I know of no such thing on the UK market. The honey market is already chopped and diced into sectors and that bottom sector...the cheap generic honey, primarily Chinese...and very low prices..is bought by a totally different clientelle from your honey. Its not even competition.
The assumption that filtering is bad is just plain wrong and originates in an amateur artificial distinction between straining and filtering. Its all filtering strictly speaking......the distinction has arisen in the background making filtering removing everything, and straining just the rough stuff. The amount of severe treatment of honey that goes on in the UK is minimal....quality assurance just does not allow it..its part of what the honey regs are for.
Numerous other points have arisen in the thread....will go to one......consistency. The customer does in fact like knowing if they buy the blossom honey of beekeeper and enjoy it, that the next jar will meet their expectations. Bulking your year's harvest to get a consistent product is absolutely fine, it is not tampering.
In the big bulk trade it is called homogenising....not the same as sticking it through a blender...but in the UK the amount of domestic origin honey treated this way will be zero. Giving the customer what they expect is a good thing....if they suddenly get a jar of honey from you that is different, dandelion for example, you might get complaints and reduced sales.
Its the bees that make the honey depending on floral source......the measure of quality at retail level is really about how little the beekeeper has done to spoil it.
Have tried honey from a shedload of places all over the UK....often buy a local jar when travelling...just curiosity. Might be a red rag to say it....but there are some very poor packs out there using premium language for honey that is not great. The superiority of one beekeepers honey over anothers is very often only in the beekeepers own head...OSR from beekeeper A, B or C, is generally much the same. There are a few truly exceptional packers of UK honey........their sales come not from hyping it up in terms of little legal value....they come from repeat purchases. It is crucial that that point gets home.......you can sell one jar once easily...but to attract brand loyalty you need to focus strongly on the product in the jar, not the words on the label.
John Mellis in SW Scotland is the classic case....his labelling is simple..no fashionable buzzwords....his packing is invariably immaculate..he never advertises...his prices are pretty bullish (high)....the demand for his honey is so high he can hardly cope. Get the basics right and the market will come.
