Sugar prices

[Repwoc]

There were sugar shortages in supermarkets earlier in the pandemic which may have eased now and someone (Karol?) warned of possible sugar shortages due to covid in producer countries (Brazil I think) so I thought I would check prices and possibly get some in now ready for autumn feeding.

Sainsbury had 5kg bags @ £3.50 (70p / kg) a couple of weeks ago but SWMBO says they are no longer available.

Booker has 15 * 1 kg bags @ £8.99 (60p / kg) or 2 * 25 kg bags @ £26.00 (52p / kg) until 04/08/20. I may go for this.

 

[Angry_Mob]

Similar to what I priced one local companyh was looking 60p/kg delivered and another quoted me today 53.5p/kg for it collected.

 

[Beekeeper Brownie]

Two things:

The UK can produce it's own sugar, it's approximately 50% self sufficient. This comes from a plant called sugar beet grown in the Eastern counties of England and processed at 4 factories, two in Norfolk, 1 in Suffolk and 1 in Nottinghamshire. This is what is sold under the Silver Spoon brand in supermarkets. Anything from Tate and Lyle is imported cane sugar

Farmfoods near me has granulated English sugar for 50p/kg bag

 

[philipm]

Is it that time again already ,where has the year gone!!!

 

[Repwoc]

The UK can produce it's own sugar, it's approximately 50% self sufficient.

I think that sugar prices are strongly influenced by supply and demand. So if we import 50% of our sugar a modest negative impact on the imported supply may have a large effect on the price.

Farmfoods near me has granulated English sugar for 50p/kg bag

Thanks for the heads up. Farm Foods doesn't publish prices on line.

 

[GuyNir]

Tesco sells 5kg bags for £3.15

 

[madasafish]

B&M 59p per Kg

 

[viridens]

Morrisons £1.25 for 2 kg (I think it was 85P last year). Is 62.5 per kg the cheapest of the main supermarkets?

 

[DaveG23]

I have just been offered bee feed sugar (whatever that is) for 65cents a kg. Or granulated at 71 cents a kg. Minimum order is a tonne though.


Summer has been shite so far but not sure what I would do with a tonne of it

 

[Poly Hive]

Buy the ton and punt it on for a margin.

I'll ask at bookers next time I'm in but they were happy for beekeepers and Assocs to join for sugar. The 2 for one offer ran until late March if I remember rightly and may well come back again.

PH

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

We used Booker for years, defiantly not the cheapest now though, for the price difference this year between granulated and invert it makes no sense to mix our own, especially as we will need in region of two ton.

 

[youngyoungs]

B&M 59p per Kg

Agreed, you just have to find a store that hasn't already been visited by another local beekeeper!!

 

[Brian Bush]

Buy the ton and punt it on for a margin.

I'll ask at bookers next time I'm in but they were happy for beekeepers and Assocs to join for sugar. The 2 for one offer ran until late March if I remember rightly and may well come back again.

PH

I have a Booker's card as a beekeeper. They were very ready to accept me. I always buy in 25kg bags in mutiples of 2 for the best price. SWMBO sends me to fill up her sugar bucket every couple of months.

 

[BMH]

Delivered from BAKO NW @ 50p a kilo when ordering a pallet (1000kg @ £500)

That makes up over 1000ltr when added to 500ltr of water. Cost of 1000 litre invert is circa £850-900 so worth the saving when you have a fair bit to mix.

Rigged up a 3 inch trash pump to mix in the IBC. Works a treat!

 

[Angry_Mob]

I believe 1000 Kg of sugar makes up 1100 ltrs of 2:1 so at 45.4 ppl its almost half the cost of invert.

 

[BMH]

I believe 1000 Kg of sugar makes up 1100 ltrs of 2:1 so at 45.4 ppl its almost half the cost of invert.

Yeah our IBC is only 1000 litres and its 900 odd KG added to the 500 litres of water to make 2:1. Definitely works out considerably cheaper when you have a few colonies.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I suppose if you have a hundred or more IBCs to mix you’d need a processing plant. Maybe the likes of Murray just get their invert much cheaper
Not that this means much to somebody with ten hives

 

[BMH]

I suppose if you have a hundred or more IBCs to mix you’d need a processing plant. Maybe the likes of Murray just get their invert much cheaper
Not that this means much to somebody with ten hives

Murray does indeed have his own processing plant. Its a thing of beauty!

 

[Somerford]

I might add a blog entry on sugar and all its forms for feeding when I get the chance - but prices for sure are higher than last year in all forms.

The discount retailers are fine for the hobbyist - one or two hives are easy to buy for from B&M / Morrison’s / et al.

Bookers ‘did’ do the ‘2 for’ price for 25kg but it ended and during lockdown they stopped bulk purchases to eek out supplies.

Best Way Wholesalers have a price of £11.99 for 25kg at the moment and plenty in stock which is a little under 48p a kilo.

If you buy bulk quantities then you can get a slight improvement on prices but they are all much of a muchness as the middle men take their cut too.

Sadly you can’t buy direct from the farmer unless you want a trailer load of beet !

With rising prices it only makes sense that ALL beekeepers, hobbyist, semi commercial, commercial, do not under value the honey they sell and make sure the price per jar reflects the costs involved

KR

S

 

[Karol]

Meanwhile still zero sunspots. Lost count how many days but it's many months and way into last year.

https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/en/solar-activity