# Honey Prices 2013



## mleck (Sep 10, 2010)

What is everyone's retail Honey prices 

pint $12
Quart $20
Gallon $60

or 

$8 lb for smaller quanities. 

These were our prices last year and sold out as soon as we extracted.


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

I get $10/lb. bottled and $6/lb in 5 gal buckets.


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## DLMKA (Feb 7, 2012)

This will be out first real honey crop (~400 lbs) and I have the following containers:

2oz sample/gift bear - $2.50
8oz glass and plastic - $5
1lb glass and plastic - $8
2lb glass and plastic - $15

None of those prices are set in stone yet, I still have a day or so before bottling to watch this thread.


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## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

camero7 said:


> I get $10/lb. bottled and $6/lb in 5 gal buckets.


Prices like that wouldn't fly around here, that's great if you can get that kind of money for your product and sell lots of it. John


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## GLOCK (Dec 29, 2009)

1/2 pint =5.00
pint=8.50
Quart=15.00
I sell 1/2 pints the most .
I'm glad to finally have honey took 4 years but I have honey and bee's everywere hopefully I can ad nucs to that list next spring.
Having a great bee year.


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## Bill91143 (Jun 7, 2013)

Those prices seem high, but when you start figuring the amount you have invested in both money, and time honey is still way under priced.


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## Sharpbees (Jun 26, 2012)

I get $10.00/LB. net wt. No matter the size I price it so that it equals $10/ lb. net wt.


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## psfred (Jul 16, 2011)

Lucky you!

Current in grocery store retail around here, bottled by the beek down the road a couple miles, is $4 a pound. I can't see getting more than that.

Peter


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## gone2seed (Sep 18, 2011)

Prices at the farmers market...there are 4 other honey sellers there
1/2 pint.......5.00
Pint............8.00
quart..........15.00
gallon.........55.00
Price at home and church is a couple of dollars less


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## Birdman (May 8, 2009)

I have a commercial beekeeper just north of me, keeps the price in check around here. We are in the 6.00/lb range, I find that to be a good price, now if I can just figure out how to get my bee's to produce 200lb a hive. :waiting:


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

jmgi said:


> Prices like that wouldn't fly around here, that's great if you can get that kind of money for your product and sell lots of it. John


I sold out in December this year. Getting lots of calls for honey right now. Haven't started extracting yet.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Birdman said:


> I have a commercial beekeeper just north of me, keeps the price in check around here. We are in the 6.00/lb range, I find that to be a good price, now if I can just figure out how to get my bee's to produce 200lb a hive. :waiting:


$6.00/lb is a reasonable price. The commercial guy probably sells bottled honey at a wholesale price, don't you think? What is the retail price found on grocery store shelves? Price yours a little higher.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

camero7 said:


> I sold out in December this year. Getting lots of calls for honey right now. Haven't started extracting yet.


Have you raised your prices yet? Do so before you start selling this years crop.


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## Birdman (May 8, 2009)

sqkcrk said:


> $6.00/lb is a reasonable price. The commercial guy probably sells bottled honey at a wholesale price, don't you think? What is the retail price found on grocery store shelves? Price yours a little higher.


He works the farmers markets also, 7.00 on one pound bottle. I never planed on getting rich on bee's, it is nice to have a hobby with some return. If I were to make a living at it may be a little different.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Birdman said:


> I have a commercial beekeeper just north of me, keeps the price in check around here.


Don't let someone elses price influence your price decisions. You probably are selling from a Farmer Mtk or your own stand or by word of mouth, aren't you? If so, then your market is people who want your honey. I think you should be able to sell your honey at a higher price than your commercial neighbor. You don't need to sell it all in a hurry. You'll sell the higher priced honey at a slower rate, but you will glean more profit.

That being said your price should be equal to or higher.


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## Birdman (May 8, 2009)

I just check thier web site 6.85/lb with a special this month wild flower 1/lb glass for 6.00. They did supply a large retail chain but not any more.


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## Birdman (May 8, 2009)

sqkcrk said:


> Don't let someone elses price influence your price decisions. You probably are selling from a Farmer Mtk or your own stand or by word of mouth, aren't you? If so, then your market is people who want your honey. I think you should be able to sell your honey at a higher price than your commercial neighbor. You don't need to sell it all in a hurry. You'll sell the higher priced honey at a slower rate, but you will glean more profit.
> 
> That being said your price should be equal to or higher.


Good point.


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## Sharpbees (Jun 26, 2012)

I have a serious sideliner beek just a couple miles from me that sells much cheaper than I do but I still usually sell out by Dec. at $10/lb. There are several smaller beeks that sell at $5-$6/lb. but they run out quickly so that doesn't really affect me. It takes me a little longer to sell out but as long as it's gone by next years extraction I'm happy. Part of it is marketing, take time to talk to your customers. The guy up the road mainly does pints and quarts so I do smaller sizes like 1lb., 12oz., 8oz. These sell very well because many people don't want the larger containers. I also use muth jars especially around holidays and add a ribbon, hang tag with a holiday theme, and honey dipper. These sell at $13/lb.. after packaging I still make $10/lb net. and they sell great. Be enthusiastic about your product, if you convey a higher quality product then your customer will feel the same way and won't mind a higher price. There all kinds of little things you can do to get a higher price, I also talk to the other beeks in my area and try to get them to look at the work that they put in on their hives to get them to realize that their efforts should be compensated for and that they can get a better price. I never price according to retail shelf prices in the stores, my honey is better than theirs no matter where theirs comes from. The key to getting a higher price is to get your customer to perceive your product is of higher quality and deserves a higher price.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Like it.


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## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

I get $4.50/lb. wholesale for my whole crop, the big farm markets and health food stores that I supply sell it for $6.00/lb. I know they could sell it for a dollar or so more per pound no problem, but seems almost all honey produced in this area goes for about the same price retail. I started using 8 oz. jars also this year and was surprised at how well they move, 1 pound is the only other size I sell, may do 2 pounders eventually. John


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## cg3 (Jan 16, 2011)

I've been doing really well with the Muth jars, too. Gift shops and craft stores have been paying $8.50 for 1lb, 5.50 for 8oz and 3.50 for 4oz. Mostly I sell 16oz inverted plastic squeeze for $7 ($5 wholesale). It worked out perfectly. I sold the last of it the day I did my first extraction this summer.


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## hilreal (Aug 16, 2005)

1 pound invertible squeeze $6. Larger sizes a little less per pound smaller a little more. Try to average $6. Pint of chunk is $8 which is a steal with the work it takes but not real popular here. Do it mostly for a few loyal customers who want it.


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## peema (Jul 1, 2010)

Last year - $10/lb in inverted bottles. This year the price is going to $12.


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## NorCal Apiaries (Apr 1, 2013)

$15 per pint all day long. No complaints and plenty of repeat business.


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## Karolus (Jan 17, 2013)

I'm getting $12 a lb in muth jars. I'm marketing it treatment free honey. It's gone over well enough that I sold out my crop this year in a weekend. I'm hoping we get a fall flow this year.


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## Dieseltrac (Oct 14, 2009)

Like the answer "to this thead" but those prices are fair to me for the raw stuff.


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## Ben Franklin (May 3, 2011)

I am getting $10 for a half pint, which is 12 oz. I won't lower my price, since last year I sold out before fall. If I sell a case (12 jars) to a store I sell it for $8.00 a jar. Cash up front.


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## Dave1958 (Mar 25, 2013)

If I understood the futures price of honey in bee culture. The current is about 6( wholesale) and. Fall is 9.50. But I don't know how those are arrived at


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## Stella (May 22, 2013)

I have cases of one pound Muth jars in transit right now (So cute!!). Im going to sell them for 15 bucks. After those sell Ill fill pint mason jars and sell those for an undecided premium (still not harvested, so ya never know).

This is my first harvest with excess honey to sell in 3 years of beekeeping so Im selling it at a premium price. Raw, pure, untreated, local honey. Hard work for the bees. Perfect, complete food from nature. I value it highly. And the people I know also do. Remember, there's a new "local food" movement on and educated people will pay for a quality product.

If no one wants this precious commodity at my prices then Ill keep it for my large family. 

But, happily, their lining up already and it isnt even in the jars.


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## Stella (May 22, 2013)

Birdman said:


> I have a commercial beekeeper just north of me, keeps the price in check around here. We are in the 6.00/lb range, I find that to be a good price, now if I can just figure out how to get my bee's to produce 200lb a hive. :waiting:


 Is he trucking his bees around the country to pollinate the US flows? If he is, then you dominate the market with your local honey. You could charge more.


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## woodedareas (Sep 10, 2010)

I have never charged before as this has been a hobby. However my costs have gone up as the number of hives increase and the glass jars I use are expensive. I bottle everything in jars that hold about 9 ounces and now that I am going to sell it I will be charging $10.00. I doubt I will ever amortize the cost of the hives, the Maxant spinner, and a new uncapping machine I just ordered. I am a business man and in my opinion I would need a lot of hives about a 100 or more before making a dent on equipment. Even a t a high price of $10 for 9 ounces, its a loss. Now that I have been giving it free everyone expects it to be free.


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## mbcpa (Feb 10, 2011)

What is the weight of a quart jar of honey?


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## gone2seed (Sep 18, 2011)

mbcpa said:


> What is the weight of a quart jar of honey?


3 pounds not including the jar.


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## Dan. NY (Apr 15, 2011)

I just hit a farmers market last night in NJ and about 6.50 a pound at two different stands. I will have excess this year and am looking at ways to sell.


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## Dieseltrac (Oct 14, 2009)

Last year I sold .5 pints for $4 and full pints for $8., sold out fast. This year I got Queenline jars so I am selling half pound jars for $4 and full pound Jars for $8. Did not get the crop I expected due to each of my two hives that survived winter swarming about 3 times. Still have the goldenrod flow to come in and it looks like it may be a good one.


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## beeman99 (Sep 28, 2012)

What do people get selling in big cities such as Chicago? I'm willing to sell to restaurants if that will get me more money.


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## cg3 (Jan 16, 2011)

The restaurants that have approached me are used to buying buckets wholesale for around $150-175 for 60 lbs.


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## rweakley (Jul 2, 2004)

woodedareas said:


> I have never charged before as this has been a hobby. However my costs have gone up as the number of hives increase and the glass jars I use are expensive. I bottle everything in jars that hold about 9 ounces and now that I am going to sell it I will be charging $10.00. I doubt I will ever amortize the cost of the hives, the Maxant spinner, and a new uncapping machine I just ordered. I am a business man and in my opinion I would need a lot of hives about a 100 or more before making a dent on equipment. Even a t a high price of $10 for 9 ounces, its a loss. Now that I have been giving it free everyone expects it to be free.


Well you already know the error of your ways in giving it away at first so I won't hound you on it. You will just have to market to a larger audience than friends and family and those people will be willing to for the value you are giving. As for making beekeeping a profitable endeavor I think it's about slowly scaling up and make the bees pay for themselves thru either honey or bee sales. I didn't get an extractor till the bees paid for it. You just have to figure out what is in greater demand in your area: Honey or bees and set your operation up accordingly. Probably easier to make money with your bees if you have limited resources, because you can't just go out and buy stuff willy nilly and have a ton of $$ invested before the bees are ready to pay for.


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## Russ (Sep 9, 2001)

Everyone's market for Honey is different and everyone's Honey is different as it comes from different sources. Use some marketing skills and get all your Honey is worth. Market it as LOCAL which it is. If you sell out quickly, raise your price a little you might be surprised and get more money for your Honey. Would that make you mad? You can always come down on the price if it doesn't sell.


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## MWillard (Dec 8, 2008)

$7 for 12oz jars.

These same jars are then retailed by our wholesale accounts for $10 and $12 a jar. We can't keep it in stock at our retail locations.

We focus on retail stores that Foodies shop at, they will pay the higher prices for quality honey.


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## kbfarms (Jan 28, 2010)

$8 for 1 lb plastic, $8 for 8 oz munth jar, $16 for 1 lb munth jar. $18 for nice19 oz glass jar w/wooden dipper . 2oz bear $2. And 8oz plastic $4.50


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## Dan. NY (Apr 15, 2011)

For those using the Muth jars where are you getting them from? Also wondering where people are getting labels on the cheap???


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## Birdman (May 8, 2009)

sks bottle.com


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## spreerider (Jun 23, 2013)

i checked prices at our local stores the other day and they were, in canadian 
11.99 / LB for wildflower honey
14.99 / LB for fireweed honey
and 12.99 for clover


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## Cameron Daley (Mar 25, 2013)

Pint. Ounce. Pound. Quart. What the crap? How about everyone posts pictures of those cute honey bear containers so I know what everyone is talking about. Makes me wish I'd have finished elementary.


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## cg3 (Jan 16, 2011)

Unless you're buying a bunch of cases of Muth jars (or any other glass) try and get them from a supplier you can drive to. Shipping turns an expensive container into a prohibitively expensive container. Plus, glass ships uninsured. The first case I bought had 2 chipped jars.


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## cg3 (Jan 16, 2011)

Cameron Daley said:


> Pint. Ounce. Pound. Quart. What the crap? How about everyone posts pictures


How about going to the store and looking. Or a bee catalog.


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## Beesure! (Apr 24, 2012)

Our Bees work way to hard to just give away?


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## Creekside (Dec 29, 2011)

We can easily get $5 to $7 for 500 grams(1lb) or $10 to $14 for a kg(2.2lb). Canadian Dollars.


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## delber (Dec 26, 2010)

Last year I had no problem selling out all of my stuff at 8.00 for a 12 oz bear. I actually have a agreement with another guy who sells them, he marks them up a dollar and sells them. Works great for me!! The 12 oz bear is all he wanted, so that's all I've sold to this point.


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