# General beekeeping > Scaling up and marketing >  Honey pricing

## snimmo243

We extracted the first of our honey last week, we aim to use 12oz jars, any thoughts on a reasonable price to charge if selling direct to the consumer?

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## gavin

> We extracted the first of our honey last week, we aim to use 12oz jars, any thoughts on a reasonable price to charge if selling direct to the consumer?


We've just agreed prices for the Dundee Flower and Food Festival beekeeper's stall.  Hardly any change in 5 years but a couple of small rises here and there.  12oz jars don't feature, but mid-way between 8oz and 16oz jars would suggest:

Blossom - £4.00
Heather - £5.40

In recent years the heather crop in jars and anything in cut comb has flown off the shelves, but it is an established venue with regular customers every year and a lot of people passing by.  I'd make sure it is good quality stuff presented well, and don't sell it too cheaply.

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## HJBee

I've sold some 6oz boxed cut comb for £4 without a hesitation from the buyers. Most have gone to pay debts for good deeds and presents as they look so nice boxed.

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## lindsay s

Last year I was selling 1lb jars direct for £4.50 and it was retailing in a local shop for £5.95. Im switching to round 12oz jars this year so I will drop the price a little bit. Judging by the number of replies to this thread all the beekeepers out there either give their honey away or its the usual wall of silence whenever money is mentioned.
Ive just ordered jars and I was pleased with the price and the company was helpful. Now for the bad news £10.00 delivery only applies to the mainland. The cheapest quote for delivery here is £60.00!!! That adds another 17p to the cost of each jar and because of greedy couriers I have to grin and bear it.

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## Bumble

I don't know what the going rate in my area is for cut comb, but jars tend to be £5 for 12oz and £6 for 1lb.

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## snimmo243

Thanks for the replies, we've settled on £4 for 12oz

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## Poly Hive

I bulk sold most of my blossom cut comb at £2 per pack in the plain white tub. It is retailing in my local deli at £4-95. I sell it direct through my breakfast room at £4 a unit and pounds of blossom are priced at £5-50. 

PH

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## Adam

My honey retails for £3.95 for 350 g (12 oz). A few years ago it went up from £3.75 and the shopkeepers said that no one was bothered. Yes you can get honey for next to nothing in the supermarkets but it's not premium local stuff.

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## Wmfd

Mine retails I a farm shop at £4 for 8oz. It was £3.50 but the shop put the price up this year and no one even commented. 

David

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## Williamtyrone

I saw some local honey today in a butchers shop window, £4.80 for 8oz jar. It was in Moy Co Armagh. They had a dozen jars in the front window.

Mark.

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## busybeephilip

At a market today 8oz jars were being sold by a beekeeper at £5.  I thought it was a tad expensive.  Would you pay £10 for 1 lbs jar of ordinary honey ?  Even a section priced at £10 would be over the top

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## prakel

I saw a local guy's cut comb in a health food shop, marked as min 170g the other day, it was basically a cut-comb container half full with a little bit of liquid run off in the other half (suppose that helps to 'stick' the comb in place): £4.25 each. I assume that they must be moving it because he's been selling through that shop for years.

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## rogerb

£5 for a 1lb jar of blossom.   Seems to go okay, it’s a balance between making sales and not undercutting the retailers too much, or all local shops who sell on for us will stop doing so and we’ll all suffer.   I’ve had the occasional grumble but not enough to make me drop it any.

The thing that I think most of us let ourselves down on is labelling (mine is not good), as much of what we get from the equipment manufacturers is a little dated so I wish I could get something that had a bit more of a quality look to it (my selection looks very 1970’s), any suggestions would be good.   

If you look what Harrods and Fortnum and Masons do, you may see what I’m on about.

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## bryden.mckinnie

Last year was the first time I had honey after losing bees in the previous 2 years. Having research prices and only have 20lbs of honey I went with 8oz jars. Settled on £5 when people thought £4 was too cheap. It all sold within 2 days with no complaints about the price. As others have said, in delis , you see more smaller jars for premium products.

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## Poly Hive

It very much pays to have attractive and CLEAR labelling. I had a wee master class some years ago from a guy who sold on other peoples products and his advice was make the text clear as many are too vain to wear specs, and to make sure the label was not fussy. Too much is as bad as not enough. Use Ariel rather than Comic Sans whatsit and so on. KISS

PH

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## Bumble

> At a market today 8oz jars were being sold by a beekeeper at £5.  I thought it was a tad expensive.  Would you pay £10 for 1 lbs jar of ordinary honey ?  Even a section priced at £10 would be over the top


Mars Bars cost 50p each, a 20 pack of crisps can cost a fiver or more depending on the brand.

I wouldn't pay £10 for a 1lb jar of honey, but I've seen it at that the equivalent of higher than that in National Trust etc shops. Local honey is a special and rare product, I often think most beekeepers sell far too cheaply - myself included.

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## HJBee

I agree, there is a good high demand for local 'artisan' products at present. Neither of the outlets I sell to blinked an eye at the cost and came back asking for more. Think we've got manuka to thank for that ironically.  Hope this trend stays, there is always the cheap European blends on the supermarket for the less educated.

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## Hoomin_erra

I use 10oz jars, and charge a fiver. I never have any left for very long. People who know their honey are willing to pay that if they know it is locally produced, those that think it is too expensive are used to the supermarket price and quality. Their loss, i still sell all of mine to others.  :Wink:

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## alclosier

Saw a pound jar of blossum for sale today for £12 in St Andrews...

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## fatshark

> Saw a pound jar of blossum for sale today for £12 in St Andrews...


Rubs hands together ... !!

(Gavin will understand)

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## Jon

Don't you go exploiting all those folk with more money than sense fatshark!

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## alclosier

Is it his? IG so good effort!

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## gavin

> Is it his? IG so good effort!


Not yet!  However FS may have competition for places on those £12/lb shelves.

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## alclosier

Mitchells is the name of the shop  :Wink:

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## gavin

I'm guessing that the honey may be from John Mellis - whoever's it is (and especially if John's  :Smile: ) any honey I may have for sale will go to shops that don't already have an arrangement with a supplier.  Or farmers markets.

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## alclosier



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## gavin

Glencarse?!!!!  That's the next village along from my current main site: http://www.sbai.org.uk/sbai_forum/sh...ll=1#post29688

Looks rather like OSR-dominated spring honey too rather than something refined and special.  AND I don't know a beekeeper in Glencarse, despite being active in both associations that might cover the area.  Gobsmacked.

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## alclosier

I would have taken a picture of the label but I was scarred I might drop it and have to pay for it!

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## lindsay s

Last year when I was selling my honey for £4.50 a jar I felt a bit guilty about the price but after coming across this in the Daily Mail it looks like mine was far too cheap. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/fo...price-tag.html 
So following the example of the Tregothnan Cornish Floral Manuka Honey here’s how I intend to market mine this year (that’s if I get any).
I will start with a base price of £4.95 for a 12oz jar.
Add £5.00 because it’s from Orkney.
Add £5.00 because it’s from Varroa free bees.
Add £5.00 for the type of honey, it will be called Curly Dodie (Orcadian words for wild clover).
Add £5.00 because my bees will be working the same flowers as the very rare Great Yellow Bumble Bees.
That comes to only £24.95 for a jar of my honey. Oh I almost forgot the retailer still has to add their mark up. Please let me know if I have missed anything out. :Wink: 

Sorry about the link right click it and select open.

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## gavin

Add £5 because the bees are close to _Apis mellifera mellifera_, the native honeybee of Scotland (£10 if you'd documented that well)

Add £15 because the bees have been discussed on the foremost bee forum around, SBAi!

£45 and counting .......

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## fatshark

organic  pick a number, a large number  :Wink:

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## Calum

add 5 pounds because you do not gas your bees with cyanide or slaughter the drones in the autumn (FOE)
add 5 pounds bacause the atlantic air is free of fine particle polutants (therefore so is the honey)
add 5 pounds because of the naturally added sea salt from the briney air
add 25 pounds because they are the foraging bees of neolithic orkneys UNESCO site  (if they are within 20 miles of it on a windy day)

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## gavin

> Saw a pound jar of blossum for sale today for £12 in St Andrews...


A bit of detective work today on the occasion of a meeting with a forum friend.  

1/2 lb blossom - £6.99
1 lb Scottish heather honey - £12.99, yes 12.99

Quality of product - poor, some with liquid sitting on top of crystalised.  Claimed heather honey looks no more than 50% heather honey to me.

Labels - some creased

Producer - not declared. 'Packed for Glencarse Foods, Kilda Street, Perth'

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## alclosier

I think we are going around selling honey the wrong way! It must sell at that price in St Andrew's.

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## busybeephilip

maybe time to put my prices up  !  that 1lb jar in the middle top looks like it might be starting to ferment, it looks all wet around the lid and is that a dribble of honey on the shelf between the hex and round jars ?  Glencarse do a wide range of fancy foods, they either bought honey in bulk and self packed or supplied already by a beekeeper in unlabelled jars.  As glencarse take on the role as being the producer they are soley responsible regards insurance so the beekeeper who supplies is not liable should there be a dead bee / wasp in the honey jar.  (thats my opinion)

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## subhi

Hi All,

New to the forum. I am looking for anyone selling honey in quantity bottled. If you are please do get in touch with me via private message.

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