# Selling the sweet sticky goods



## Vashti (Dec 22, 2006)

DH just asked me to post something: He would like to know how you folks market your honey, package it, and in what sizes do you sell it, for what prices? Also, in your opinions, how many hives would be required for someone to make a living on their honey production? How many hours per week would be required for this kind of living? 

LOL you should see him...he's bouncing in his chair excited while I type this! He's so giddy and excited about beekeeping! I understand that some of you may not want to give me the prices you sell your honey for, and that's ok. We're intensely curious though, if you'd be willing to share. We've read that some folks sell their honey wholesale, and others sell retail. I'm sure some of you market your honey online, and others via signs in your yard or through local farmers markets or stores. We've also seen some at craft shows.

Thank you so much for your time. We've so appreciated all the kind responses we had to our other questions. You are all so helpful and knowledgeable. This forum is blessed to have each and every one of you! I hope that DH and I can one day be the ones answering questions for newbies like us!


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## dcross (Aug 12, 2005)

$3 a bear(8 or 10 oz. I think)
$5 a pint jar
$9 quart jar

I just gave it away at first, then when people came back for more...


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## Beeman (Dec 29, 2002)

I can get $5 if I market but usually get $4 for a pint jar. unfortunately mother nature has been cruel the last 2 years so I haven't been able to rob any due to late freeze and drought. Also have had a loss of some hives from weird weather and mites/stress.

I have no idea how many hives it would take but it would take a big buck investment and with all of the mites and now CCD it would be a real gamble.


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## Iddee (Sep 25, 2005)

Honey prices vary a lot accordingly to the locality. It is best to visit a few roadside stands, farmers markets, and local country stores and note the price and weight, along with the color and looks of the different honeys.


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## keltink (Nov 30, 2005)

Try to sell as much as possible retail. You lose money when you go wholesale. That said, we do have two wholesale accounts, because we felt locking down those particular outlets was important for branding purposes.
Prices outside your own area won't help much, but for what it is worth, we sell quarts for $15 each and pints at $8. (A tiny rant here: We feel that many beekeepers devalue the product by selling for too little. Beekeeping is a lot of work, and the end product is healthy and natural ... of course, we are also located near several high-end markets, and our second honeyflow in the summer is sourwood.)
There is no magic number on the number of hives. Just don't do more than your property can support or you can keep up with. Hours per week vary, but when something needs to be done, you can't put it off.
We work very closely with another beekeeper, in fact it is a cooperative in everything but name and the fact that we sell and market our honey independently. I can't recommend this method enough if there is someone you can work with in your area. He's building a honeyhouse now, we will put our extracting equipment in it for joint use. We pull supers together, extract together (ours one day, his the next), build equipment together, make joint trips to buy jars, buy medicines at bulk, and so on.


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## dcross (Aug 12, 2005)

keltink said:


> (A tiny rant here: We feel that many beekeepers devalue the product by selling for too little. Beekeeping is a lot of work, and the end product is healthy and natural ... of course, we are also located near several high-end markets, and our second honeyflow in the summer is sourwood.)
> 
> 
> > I agree. It was a heartbreaker when I was getting started and a local old timer said anything over a dollar a pound($3/qt.) was taking advantage of people. Of course, he didn't keep bees anymore because it was too much work!


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## Iddee (Sep 25, 2005)

We have a beek here that keeps bees two hundred miles away, in the mountains, to get the sourwood honey. Up there, it sells for 12 to 15 dollars a quart. He sold it here this year for 7 dollars a quart. I didn't argue with him......

I just bought all he had. Now he watches me sell his honey for 14 dollars a quart. I think he may go up on his next year. :shrug:


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## Mike in Ohio (Oct 29, 2002)

This year we priced our honey at $6 per pound and sell out all we produce - we've done so for the last 5 years. Last year our price was $5 per pound.

2007 prices:

12 oz plastic bears for $5
1 lb rounds for $6
1 lb queenline for $6
2 lb queenline for $12
3 lb queenline for $18

We also sell honey in hand blown glass bottles for gifts (with cork)

10 oz heart for $8
20 oz heart for $16
10 oz wavey square for $8

We have been avoiding using chemicals and when we extract we match the frames for taste and color. 

As far as making a living off your honey production, I'll simply point out that historically the money in beekeeping has been in pollination services. For the past few years honey prices have been high enough (anyone else remember when bulk honey was 62 cents a lb?) that it has had an impacted. With high losses and demand for pollination services we may see pollination back in the drivers seat again.

Mike


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## Susan Mary (May 8, 2004)

Believe I have a honey bee hive in a tree at the front of our property. We are located in the Crosby Texas area any bee experts by me? 

I would like the hive removed but not exterminated.

Let me know or pm me with information.

Thank you, Susan


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## chris30523 (Jun 11, 2005)

I pay 7.00 a qt for wildflower honey and 12.00 qt for sourwood locally.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

so far we sell our honey both retail and whole sale.
We are getting the local area price of $4.00 a pound except the special jars, like the upside down jar and the cristal 7oz jars which go for $4.00 each. We retail about 600 pounds a year so far but there are a lot of bee keepers in our area (enough to support 3 area clubs with out a lot of membership over lap.).
We whole sale the rest.
Have a friend that runs 500 colonies and his wife still works to help the cost of living out.

 Al


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