What price are you charging in 2009

[Poly Hive]

If you say so Mozzie.

Mind you many amateurs do heat it too. They though don't have the pumps to get a good consistency. I'll sell you a good pump for 2k if you like.

PH

 

[shonabee]

I think amateur honey would be better than the cheap imported supermarket stuff.... hopefully even mine will be nicer!
But I'd have to say, there's no way I'll be expecting my attempts at extracting, bottling, labelling, etc to be a dire business threat to a professional beek..... I guess where you can sell it is going to make as much of a difference as to what quality you're selling (am a long way off being able to sell honey though)

 

[bobandbec]

The offering from the small "amateur" keeper will very often be of a purer untreated product than the pro who needs to provide clear,creamed etc... for the retail market, with the treatment and heating etc that is required.

I think a generalisation that the presentation of the "amateur" product is poorer than the "pro" product is over simplified at best.

As for price the pro is needing to make his living from the results of his labour whereas, usually, the amateur is selling as a sideline without the pressures of keeping a business finncially sound - two very different outlooks as I see it.

Price is not always representative of quality!

Peter

 

[planbee]

"Price is not always representative of quality!"

I always try to remember this little maxim; "Price may be an indication of quality, but it's always an indication of the buyers' gullibility"

John

 

[Geoff]

The big advantage you have in your favour if selling is you can sell it as 'local honey'. Provenance is the key word in food nowadays. Some people want local honey because they think local honey with local pollen might help combat asthma. However never claim this quality. It is unproven and perhaps doubtful but if the customer wants it for that reason then its up to them, just provide them with the product they want.
You will have to state the country of origin. Here we have an advantage. We know our bees produced the honey. I have seen honey sold near here by a farm shop on a big estate. All the meat etc was local, much from the estate itself and obviously appealing to the wealthier middle class. However when I looked at the honey jars it said "packaged in the uk" so probably not UK honey at all.
Places that suit this sort of marketing would be the Country Markets stall at the local market. You just pay the membership fee (ours in the princely sum of 5p/year) and most of the time someone else sells your honey for you - its worth the 10% commission for that. Farmers Markets would be good as well. Most of the honey available is not UK and not local so there is still going to be a market there.

 

[Onge]

£5 per lb and i think that is cheep

 

[Baggyone]

Was £4.50 a lb at the East of England show.