printing honey labels

[Nellie]

Agree on getting a decent stand out label done.

Apparently the cottage label from Thornes is a favourite with customers as well as beekeepers but I think it looks cheap and nasty and I want my honey to stand out and shout "I'm different to every other jar and I'm better too" even if that is just packaging. I unashamedly put my honey forward as a premium, quality product and if spending an extra 15-20p a jar means I can charge £1-2 more than everyone else that's fine by me.

 

[Hombre]

Welcome to the forum Beestie.

You will be happy to know that I'm happy with my labels and the turnround time.

Interesting that different label designs of the same size can be run back to back with savings to be had in the setup.

The only reason that I said that I would look elsewhere, is that I don't really have any knowledge about general pricing for bespoke labels. The end price of around 20p a label seems to be about right for a top flight label and I think I have that now.

Thanks Beesie. I hope you have a good bee keeping season in front of you.

 

[beestie]

No Problem Hombre - and feel free to look around for other labels, but remember Jon Ruskin's Common Law of Business Balance:

"There is hardly anything in the world that a man can not make a little worse and sell a little cheaper. And people who consider price alone are this man's lawful prey."

Good Luck with the season!

 

[nelletap]

A question. I have been looking for a photo to make a label for my honey. I can see the indication is that a single flower can't be used unless it is the predominant source for the honey. I have a couple of photos that would work - one shows my front dooor and part of the house and also shows some clematis across the top of the door. Another is a view of one of my hives in situ with a few of the nearby flowers - eg cornflour can be seen but the flower heads are only about one two hundredth of the picture and it conveys the idea that the hive is surrounded by countryside and flowers rather than emphasise one particular flower. I would most like to use the one with the clematis - the trailing clematis might take up as much as one twentieth of the image or perhaps a little less. If I added in some other flowers to either would that solve the problem (ie no longer implying only one source?) Or made a sort of frame that showed other things that are growing around the garden? (I know that sounds naff but I think I could make it look OK)
tricia
tricia

 

[Poly Hive]

FWIW.

I had a master class one year from a packer, at the Aviemore Trade Fair.

He took me round and showed me the faults with the produce on display.

The bottom line is this. The purchaser needs to be able to read what the contents are. Nothing must distract from that. Oh and dinna forget how many are too vain to wear their glasses whilst shopping....

Never mind how pretty you think it looks, does it get over the message?

My labels had nothing on them bar the product info and the legally required info. No pretty flowers, no distractions. Just gold foil on black for heather, silver foil on blue for blossom and gold foil on red for whisky honey.

KISS.... it pays in spades for labels. Check out the supermarket shelves for clarity and see how many that are clear are on the eye level shelves, the fast moving ones.

PH

 

[Kev]

A few members have recomended this company as being very good if you want to buy in labels;
http://tinyurl.com/yf3yrs2

Hi,
Just recieved my labels from these guy's. Spoke to Phil on Tuesday, labels here today (Friday). They are realy good quality and can't fault the service. All sorted out over the phone in 5mins. They emailed me a proof 15mins later. Checked and accepted - easy.

If only all suppiers were this efficent!

Kev

 

[nelletap]

I haven't made my final decision. I could print my own and have made my own design - the word honey is large and chunky and the writing is filled with an image of honeycomb cells from a hive. This is superimposed on a picture of the bees forage area with no one flower or tree being identifiable. There are other features that I don't think I could get from any of the main suppliers. I have sent the design to a local printer who can print it on adhesive vynyl for me and is going to send me a sample that he has done for another purpose. I agree that looking professional is good - I think that different might also be worth it. After all, we have probably all seen Powerpoint presentations and thought, I've seen that template before.
I quite like supporting local businesses and these people have turned my artwork into Christmas cards producing a much better finish that I could. The costs they are quoting seem very competitive given it is an individual label and there will be no additional set up charges to add on. (about £50 for 250 including vat) Given that buying sheets of labels is up to £20 a pack and printer ink is quite costly I think I would recommend people not to rule out getting quotes from local tradesmen/printers.
Tricia

 

[Stevebees3510]

Labels

Hi
This an area I am experimenting with I have looked at spraying the label with lacquer to seal the Ink I have found that this works very well. Just a word make sure you do the spraying away from your honey room and allow to dry fully to avoid any possible contamination of you food preparation area i.e. honey room. I hope this helps.
Regards
Steve

 

[parkranger]

The labels look very nice, but label B is NOT compliant. It shows a picture of a Grape Hyacinth flower. Unless the majority of your honey is from this flower, then you cannot put it on the label. Even these guys do not know the regs.

A, although compliant looks very much like a bumble to me!

 

[davnig]

The labels look very nice, but label B is NOT compliant. It shows a picture of a Grape Hyacinth flower. Unless the majority of your honey is from this flower, then you cannot put it on the label. Even these guys do not know the regs.

A, although compliant looks very much like a bumble to me!

I believe it only has to be 25%, although how you'd prove/disprove it is another matter!

 

[VEG]

Pollen analysis

 

[psafloyd]

A few members have recomended this company as being very good if you want to buy in labels;
http://tinyurl.com/yf3yrs2

I agree, admin. I have had a couple of batches off them. While they are more expensive, I think they lo a lot better and so do all my customers. You can see them http://sevenkingsapiarydotorg.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/3-honey-jars.jpgh

 

[davnig]

Pollen analysis

even to get the percentages, rather than just source??

 

[BrianO]

Hi

My tuppence worth, think there should be more emphasis on the labelling/packaging marketing of the honey, need to let people know straight away

1. Product is Honey

2.It is NOT Imported / Blended / Non EU.
IE in my case "IRISH HONEY" or localised which enhances the " Home Made " appeal and appeals to peoples " Shop Local " principles, as in "Dublin Honey" or even more local for me would be "Stillorgan Honey". But crucially this needs to be big and bold in tastefull typo to add a perception of exclusivity as the product deserves and would brand it as a more artisan product and therefore makes it more appealing I beleive.

Thing an atractive labell is essential, and even better in a more bespoke shaped jar, saw in Italy jars stamped with a honeycomb pattern which enhanced the appeal I thought.

After all, it is a premium product, though unbeleivably so, here in ireland anyway does not attract a commensurate premium price as i beleive it really should given its health food status, and relative scarcity.

So to summ up, clear product definition. IE "Honey", clear product labelling of origin. IE: town name, and an atractive labell colouration wise, and if possible a original bespoke shaped Jar.

Maybe also a reference to its Health Food status



There was a fascinating article on this in " An beachaire " the Irish Beekeeping Assoc mag recently which detailed the low prices acheived for premium Irish honey, and crucially one beekeeper who "went the extra mile " in relation to packaging, labelling and even a little tag/information booklet commanded a far higher price for his honey.

Which i thought was fantastic, and only rightly so.

cheers

brian.

 

[eleanor20]

Does the 'local' bit on the label have to be accurate too? I live really close to a county boundary, can I label my honey as 'wiltshire honey' when there's a good chance some of it may be from Gloucestershire? Or is it enough that the hives are in Wiltshire? (This is of course assuming that we manage to harvest enough this year to require labels! )

 

[Black Comb]

From memory there is no legal definition of local.
Was an article on BBC site about this a couple of years ago.

 

[Hombre]

My honey is West Midlands . . . is that West Midlands County or Region, with quite a different meaning. Choose to understand what you will.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Does the 'local' bit on the label have to be accurate too? I live really close to a county boundary, can I label my honey as 'wiltshire honey' when there's a good chance some of it may be from Gloucestershire? Or is it enough that the hives are in Wiltshire? (This is of course assuming that we manage to harvest enough this year to require labels! )

You can label it 'local honey' and/or use the name of the town nearest the apiary

 

[masterBK]

Maybe also a reference to its Health Food status
------------------------------------------------------
I think you would encounter problems if you labelled your jars with any words that infer your honey had "health giving properties".

 

[Hombre]

Given the opportunity, a large proportion of 'ladies' indicated that they would be willing to travel a significant distance in order to secure a supply of local honey . . .

A million bees just can't be wrong