# Honey Labels;



## Russ (Sep 9, 2001)

Does anyone have their Honey Label's custom printed and by whom. I am thinking about having some Label's printed with "Kansas Wildflower Honey". Who does custom Label printing & what was your experiences with them? Also are they waterproof? Thanks for your input. Dale


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## libhart (Apr 22, 2010)

I'm assuming you're looking to get a fully custom label, meaning you design the whole thing, it doesn't just have your name/address on a stock label.

Custom labels are expensive until you get to about the 1000 mark, even then they're expensive I think. onlinelabels.com has a "honey label" that specifically fits a classic/queenline 1lb jar. If you design it you can make a full sheet design of them, take that pdf and your labels to OfficeDepot's print center and they'll feed your labels through their color laser using your pdf. That's like 25c-40c/sheet and there are 10 labels on each of those sheets.

Getting a full bleed and proper alignment can be tricky though....the devil's in the details.


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## Russ (Sep 9, 2001)

Thanks for the reply libhart, I would settle for a "Wildflower" design with the words "Kansas Honey" or something similur and of course I would like them to be waterproof.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Find your local Print Shop and see if they will work w/ you. They will have a catalog w/ stock sizes and shapes that they will order labels for you from. You may have to find someone to work up any art work or design beyond your wording.

I just picked up 1,000 round labels 2" in size red w/ white lettering and they cost me 25 cents each.


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## Tgill (May 23, 2013)

I found minute man press(franchise) print shop. The stickers were around 75 cents each but look great.


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## DC Bees (Sep 24, 2009)

I just ordered 500 labels from Brushy Mountain for $40.00 you can get them in printable sheets and print them yourself .You can also down load the label printing template for windows 7 from there site.The problem I am having is finding the right label template for windows 8.:scratch:


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## Jared.Downs (Jun 28, 2013)

Does everyone expect the cost for the artwork to be a apart of the individual label cost (A) or a fee that is added on top of the label cost (B) 

The number are just for the sake of the question.

A) 
$0.10 per label covers printing and custom artwork

B)
$0.08 per label w/o artwork to cover cost of printing
+
$0.02 fee per label to cover cost of artwork
(At $0.02 per label, at 1000 labels that is a $20 fee)

I'm asking this as I am a product / graphic designer and trying to better understand how some people think when it comes to this type of stuff. Thanks.


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## Jared.Downs (Jun 28, 2013)

Russ said:


> Thanks for the reply libhart, I would settle for a "Wildflower" design with the words "Kansas Honey" or something similur and of course I would like them to be waterproof.


Have you looked at getting the artwork done and providing a print shop with the artwork? If you need a designer there are websites you can find some. Places I've used to land design work or where people have found me / my portfolio is:

www.craigslist.com
www.coroflot.com
www.behance.net


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Tell me what each part costs. If you were to design me a new label would you do that by the hour or by the simplicity or complexity, flat rate?

Unless one has a die made for a new special shape label, the blank labels cost the same, unless you get a break for a large order. I assume. Doesn't printing them cost the same each time?


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## Jared.Downs (Jun 28, 2013)

My fee structure (and many other consultants) is based on time. When clients come to me to design a label or product the cost is calculated by (projected # of hours) x (hourly rate) = (cost)

To calculate the "projected # of hours" I've got a formula that I use that accounts for the worst case and best case scenarios. Say I quote a project at 100 hours (a product) and it takes me 86 hours, I don't change for the 14 hours that I didn't work but initially quoted. If I quote 100 and it takes me 114, depending on how good the client is, they'll pay the extra 14 or I'll eat those 14 hours. 

Charging based on simplicity or complexity doesn't seem fair to either party in my opinion. To design a simple clean graphic can often times be harder; I'd be spending my time making multiple variations to find that one design that fits the criteria perfectly. Where as a complex graphic would take time to get all the detail work done. To me, it all boils down to time. 

Flat rates can be good but can be very bad. Depending on the relationship the designer and client have. With a flat rate, there is incentive for the designer to get it done as fast as possible. And if the client wants more revisions but the designer has used up all the time they planned for, then the client is often times no longer getting the best results because the designer is now hustling through the revisions.


So in the end, when you hire someone it's _*all about the relationship*_ that both parties have with each other. 

Printing them should* cost the same each time. I'm guessing if you bought a pallet load of ink and toner you might get a slight price break similar to honey by the bottle or by the drum.


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## Tgill (May 23, 2013)

This is my new label - pretty excited about it


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Very nice.

"Barbas"? That's not a typo, is it? What is Barbas?

I am curious about why you have elk horns on your honey bee though? Not that anyone other than I would or will notice.

What does it cost you? Going to use it on a round jar?


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## Tgill (May 23, 2013)

Barbas are my nephews - I am a big hunter and 
Raise deer on the ranch where the hives are. The antlers are actually mule deer (even though we have white tail deer). I had 48hour logo do it for me. I put the labels on the glass honey jars and they loom great


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I bet they do. Post a photo of the label on the jar, why don't ya?

Is that Spanish for Nephews?


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## Tgill (May 23, 2013)

Barbas is their last name

Sorry the pic is sidewise


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I c.
Thanks, looks nice.


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## Mbeck (Apr 27, 2011)

I can not say enough good things about dealing with Anne @

http://customhoneylabels.blogspot.com/p/contact-me.html?m=1

Hassle free, easy


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## Mbeck (Apr 27, 2011)

Tgill said:


> Barbas are my nephews - I am a big hunter and
> Raise deer on the ranch where the hives are. The antlers are actually mule deer (even though we have white tail deer). I had 48hour logo do it for me. I put the labels on the glass honey jars and they loom great


I chuckled a little when I saw the hog hunt unlimited bag. I've got two boys would you skin all the hogs they can shoot in 4 days for that price we don't even need to hunt at your place!!!


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## Jared.Downs (Jun 28, 2013)

Tgill said:


> This is my new label - pretty excited about it


I love the fact that you included the antlers. Subtle and not something you notice when you look at the label for the first time.


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

I just looked at the labels from onlinelabels.com Unless my math skills are on the blink they cost 5 cents each at the 1000 label quantity. 4 cents each at the 10,000 quantity. If the prices above for printing are accurate that adds another 4 cents. so you are looking at 8 cents per label. Now I have looked into labels for quite a while and I have not found anything that actually works out to that price. But I also cannot stomach adding 75 cents to the cost of a jar either. And that is closer to what I have been finding when you get right down to the pay button.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

The cost of your label isn't figured into the price of your honey? You don't pay for your labels, your customers do.


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## AstroBee (Jan 3, 2003)

Tgill said:


> This is my new label - pretty excited about it


I think the exponent should have been 4 to include Burnet.  Actually, its very nice!

I've been using Amy's bee labels for many years and have been very satisfied with her service. She does custom work, but I don't know to what extent. She is a professional graphic designer for Dadant, so she's probably suited for most design tasks. My wife does most of our label design and Amy makes it label-ready. Also, her labels are not totally waterproof, but do hold up very well under most usage.


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## clyderoad (Jun 10, 2012)

Tgill- Hook'Em
Yes I noticed, as an alum I bleed burnt orange. 
Nephew a Jr. now.
Like the label- alot


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## Edymnion (May 30, 2013)

Great, now I want to make a label for Pyramid Honey. Big honeycomb pyramids in the background and little slave bees carrying jars of honey under the taskmaster's whip (a drone in an egyptian skirt) while the queen bee lounges in the background on a litter.


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

Jared.Downs said:


> Does everyone expect the cost for the artwork to be a apart of the individual label cost (A) or a fee that is added on top of the label cost (B)
> 
> The number are just for the sake of the question.
> 
> ...


For me the label and the art work are two separate things and should be charged for separate. I may have a different view than is typical because I have done art work.


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## NewJoe (Jul 1, 2012)

I made what I consider to be some fairly nice looking labels using the Avery labels from walmart and Avery's website to design them.

I have not calculated it to see the cost effect compared to buying labels, but I like the convenience of doing them when I need them.


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## Ddawg (Feb 17, 2012)

I bought some of the Avery printable jar labels at Walmart. Just go to their website and design your own label and print them on your own printer.
It's pretty basic, but it works well for a small operation.
I was really pleased with it.


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## WBVC (Apr 25, 2013)

Any cost you incur,including labels should be paid for by customers...that is if you have them. Until the customer pays the costs incurred are yours


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Well, sure. All costs are eventually paid for by the customer. My point was just because something costs what you think is somewhat expensive shouldn't keep you from spending the money, make the investment.


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## Jared.Downs (Jun 28, 2013)

sqkcrk said:


> make the investment.


To Marks comment about making the investment. You might have the best honey in the world but that is judged by taste. 

But first the product has to be visually appealing to the customer in order to make the decision to purchase the goods. 

To put things in perspective, a toy company I use to work for would spend 25% of their MSRP on packing. 

Example: If the toy cost $20.00 at Walmart, $5.00 of that $20.00 cost went to paying for packaging.


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## cg3 (Jan 16, 2011)

I had trouble getting Avery labels to remain stuck on the jars. Onlinelabels.com labels have good stickum and a zillion sizes/shapes.


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## D Coates (Jan 6, 2006)

Amy's Labels [email protected] She does great work!


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

sqkcrk said:


> The cost of your label isn't figured into the price of your honey? You don't pay for your labels, your customers do.


Amen. They pay for the packaging also.


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## cg3 (Jan 16, 2011)

rwurster said:


> Amen. They pay for the packaging also.


Oh, my. That really cuts into my profits.


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## fieldsofnaturalhoney (Feb 29, 2012)

Russ said:


> Does anyone have their Honey Label's custom printed and by whom. I am thinking about having some Label's printed with "Kansas Wildflower Honey". Who does custom Label printing & what was your experiences with them? Also are they waterproof? Thanks for your input. Dale


I think it is worth the reasonable pay to have someone else do your labels, especially if you do not have all the materials or time. I worked with Laura at Hetrick Honey Bees, great experience! She custom made our labels with my ideas and some of hers, until we had a product we both thought was dynamite. Great to work with, and well worth the money, but dont think they are waterproof. No :no: dipping the jars in hot water!, that is what the sun is for . However, not sure if she is taking on new customers, but you should check them out and see. http://www.hetrickhoneybees.com/


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## red_kokanee (Feb 8, 2013)

Before spending money on labels make sure the labels meet FDA (and state or local) requirements. Basic requirements are product description, ingredients, name and address of processor, and weight in ounces and grams (U. S. Standard and metric). Below is a link to FDA labeling information.

http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm064866.htm


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

sqkcrk said:


> Well, sure. All costs are eventually paid for by the customer. My point was just because something costs what you think is somewhat expensive shouldn't keep you from spending the money, make the investment.


Except I care how I spend my customers money.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

What does your label look like?
What do they cost?
What is the point of your label? To attract attention? To be recognizable as DanielY's honey? To inform w/ as few a number of words as necessary? To fit into the kind of outlet you wish to market through? (my label wouldn't fit in a fancy upscale kind of outlet)
Do you sell much honey?


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

sqkcrk said:


> What does your label look like?
> What do they cost?
> What is the point of your label? To attract attention? To be recognizable as DanielY's honey? To inform w/ as few a number of words as necessary? To fit into the kind of outlet you wish to market through? (my label wouldn't fit in a fancy upscale kind of outlet)
> Do you sell much honey?


1. Right now generic very ugly thing from Western Bee Supply.
2. Don't remember, very cheap.
3. To make our name known, to make our brand known, to tell people it is raw natural honey of course. and to give contact info most likely a web site in order to re purchase.

at the moment the contact info repurchase info is pending further decisions. I do not want to sell out quickly. I am looking to develop enough loyal repeat customers to sell what honey we do produce. at this time that will be easy to over do. We started out selling it to fast and then dwindled to almost nothing as of now we are a little bit behind.

4. Whole food to Fancy Up scale is exactly what I am looking for. we are also considering selling much of it as a holiday, Gift. Gift basket sort of product. It is likely we could end up in nothing but Upscale due to other products I can make and sell.

5. so far less then 300 lbs form 4 hives. next year we are looking to have 21 hives. Not sure i will focus much on honey production. We have so far sold about 100lbs of that 300.


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## cg3 (Jan 16, 2011)

If you're going after the upscale market why cheap out on packaging?


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## Jared.Downs (Jun 28, 2013)

Daniel Y said:


> 4. Whole food to Fancy Up scale is exactly what I am looking for. we are also considering selling much of it as a holiday, Gift. Gift basket sort of product. It is likely we could end up in nothing but Upscale due to other products I can make and sell.


If you are targeting the upper end of the market, then packaging is of the utmost importance. 

Think of it like wine. What do you look forward to drinking more? The wine that has the elegant, classy feel and look to it. And when you drink it, you need to take the cork out and you your nicest wine glasses ......or....

Do you want franzia? Box-O-wine? Where you drink it out of a solo or dixie cup?

What experience do you want your customer to have? 
Do you put a short blurb on the back of the packaging that tells what type of bees the honey came from? The landscape? The family that raises the bees? et cetera.

How do you connect your customer with you/the product and give them the opportunity to feel like this honey was made just for them?


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

cg3 said:


> If you're going after the upscale market why cheap out on packaging?


I wouldn't know I hadn't thought of doing so. I would have to assume you did. so you tell me. I said I take care in how I spend my customers money. And that was after someone pointed out it is the customer paying for the label not me. So far what I have seen and what they want to charge for it is not responsible spending of my customers money. I consider paying more than what something is worth being not only cheap but irresponsible.

As for what I am doing now. That is for my friends family and coworkers. I have not yet started "Marketing" my honey. That is one of the things I am the process of ding and it is not yet even a top priority. The label we have right now is not much more than a way those people can give our contact info to anyone they find interested in it. A lot of our honey has been sold with no label at all.


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## Jared.Downs (Jun 28, 2013)

Daniel Y said:


> And that was after someone pointed out it is the customer paying for the label not me.
> 
> As for what I am doing now. That is for my friends family and coworkers.


@Daniel Y-

While it's true your customer is paying for the packaging...it ultimately cuts into your margins. From a business perspective, I'd rather not look at it as though my customer is paying for the packaging. Instead I'd look at what percentage of your retail price you want to devote to packaging.

I remember either talking with some one or reading some where on here that the small containers for honey often can account for a greater percentage of the cost to make the goods when compared to selling say a 5 pound container of honey.

If you can maintain that percentage (what you deem you want to spend for packaging) across every different amount of honey you sell then I'd think it'd be a more business sound approach.

As for your comment about friends, family, co-workers. It sounds like word-of-mouth is more how you've been selling than relying on packaging or a retail setting. If that is the case, you could always go with a clean simple label....I'd actually go with a tag. This way you could undo the "tag," wash the container and do a deposit / return program since you know all your customers and re-coop some of the packaging cost. Plus it's environmentally friendly. Another marketing strategy.

It sounds like your at such a small scale that you have a lot more ways to get creative.


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## Baja (Oct 11, 2012)

Probably don't want to make your own but here is a few labels https://app.box.com/s/8rfmn4wd2g7lsne19udn . I use the program photoscape to add the words (i.e Kansas Wildflower Honey).


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Jared.Downs said:


> How do you connect your customer with you/the product and give them the opportunity to feel like this honey was made just for them?


Overthinking it a bit.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

It's kind of hard discussing things w/ folks who aren't doing things that we are discussing. If you aren't really selling honey of course you don't need to buy nice labels. And I never meant to imply that I advocate expensive labels anyway. Just good labels which do the job you want them to.


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## Jared.Downs (Jun 28, 2013)

sqkcrk said:


> Overthinking it a bit.


I respectfully disagree. I understand where you're coming from though. 

Some companies or brands don't operate in the manner I'm describing above. Some focus on their product while others focus on delivering an experience to their customers and these companies recognize that the product is just one portion of the experience.

You can still sell honey without doing what I've mentioned above but I'm willing to bet that you would get a better following for your brand / product if you did. 

The day I start selling honey at retail, I'll be try to establish a connection with the customer to show them my process and make them feel like they are apart of it. 

The connection I'm talking about is shown in videos made by manufacturing companies that make to show their products being manufactured by the people that work in the factories. They want you to develop an understanding for the product and see that there is a person that made your product.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

When I put jars on a grocery store shelf, where 90% of my honey is sold, how do I go about making a customer feel as though I put up jar number 692 just for them? What item do you buy that you feel was made just for you?


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## Jared.Downs (Jun 28, 2013)

sqkcrk said:


> When I put jars on a grocery store shelf, where 90% of my honey is sold, how do I go about making a customer feel as though I put up jar number 692 just for them? What item do you buy that you feel was made just for you?


Mark, your questions are great as it helps me brainstorm / think of different ways for all of this. Keeping in mind there is no "right" way to do this....if there was, everyone would do it. And retail can be a tricky. 

But trial and error with these ideas will hold the truth to how your customers react. Or you could do all of this and your sales do not change due to the grocery store not seeing an increase in foot traffic.

And keeping in mind, getting a _new customer_ and keeping an _existing customer_ are two different target audiences. 

But your comment about "jar number 692," how many do you bottle at a time and put on a shelf? You might think about numbering them ex. (692/1000) While this doesn't speak to the product being made for that specific customer and more to the "collector" or "connoisseur," that's one approach that might increase sales. 

And maybe I should switch my statement from "made just for you" to "making you feel apart of the process"? Aside from monogramming / tailoring (clothing as an example) it might be hard to provide that feeling for your customer. 

Let's say you bottle 1,000 jars at a time. Each one gets it's label. But you decide to print a tag or wrap the jar with a piece of card stock that the consumer will remove prior to opening the jar. On that tag / card stock, you print a graphic / image / text that shows you (Mark) working the bees. It shows the bee keeper that does all the hard work. etc. And maybe you make three versions of this, that way your _existing customer_ gets to see a different one and learn something new about your operation each time they purchase your product. And maybe being because of that graphic / image / text, a _new customer_ decides to purchase your honey rather than the stuff from Ecuador or other parts of Central and South America.

Maybe that card stock isn't printed? Maybe it's a combination embossing / debossing? 
One thing to keep in mind is, at the end of the day it's all about differentiating your brand/product from the other guys.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

30,000lbs worth 2 years ago. Not as much the last cpl years. I have 250 buckets put up so far w/ more to come as I get the last of this year's crop off and extracted. 

I have been doing this for some time now. I'm sure there are books written on Product Labeling and all sorts of courses on Marketing found in any Small Business Schools you could find.

I like to keep my label simple and sweet, like my honey. It's generic in a way, but being yellow w/ black lettering you can't miss it from across any room. Other than my 5lb jar label which has illustration on it, my labels are all text. They tell the customer what they need to know and does not elaborate on how the honey was produced or processed. Other than some of the honey I identify as Buckwheat, Orange Blossom, Bamboo, Blueberry Blossom, or Cranberry/Basswood, my label identifies the contents of the jar as HONEY.

I like your hang tag idea. DanielY might not like me passing the cost onto the customer though. 

I attended a Small Business Course a couple of years ago and the Instructor recommended that I change my label and Company name. He thought I should have my face on the label. I guess that it should be the whole label actually. And change the name to something which said something about what the company is, rather than "Squeak Creek Apiaries". But I maintained that once you got used to the name you'd never forget it. Squeak Creek is where I live.

I have never had any trouble selling as much honey as I want to and could sell much more if I wanted to. What I am doing has worked well enough for me. I think I will keep on doing it. But I do like kicking around ideas.

I may work up that hangtag idea. Unfortunately the guy I like working w/ on things like that has moved far away.


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## Jared.Downs (Jun 28, 2013)

30,000 lbs.... how's your back? That's a solid amount of honey.

Some people love the saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" but I am in the business of always trying to improve things.

If you're happy with how things are going then that's awesome. If you're well established in your area, then keep doing what you're doing and make minor adjustments as you need to.

As a designer that's done branding for companies, I see nothing wrong with your name being "Squeak Creek Apiaries." I actually like that it's not generic or lengthy. 

I know in my previous post I mentioned showing you "working" the bees. But I'd suggest not putting your face on the label. Not knowing whether Squeak Creek is an actual creek, I might have an iconic part of the creek (if it is a creek) with a bee getting a drink of water or something that speaks to your area. 

As far as small business schools and what other people say, take it all with a grain of salt including what I've said. You know your market / product better than any one here or any where else.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

My back is just fine. Thanks. Carried 8 buckets of honey into the house today, two at a time.

Yeah, I didn't get along w/ the instructor too well. He didn't care for me either after a while. Maybe if I had gone to his class back when I was starting out rather than after being at it as long as I had.


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

Actually I like the Hang tag and for some bottles it is about the only thing I an think of that I like. What I don't like about them is that will be separated from the bottle. Also keep in mind they do not work well if you sell honey at farmers markets and such where you will be packing and unpacking those bottles. those tags tend to take a beating. You can also end up with a lot of people touching the tag to see what is written on or in it. Which can result in it needed to be replaced if ti gets dirty. Printed cards could actually be far cheaper than labels.


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## cg3 (Jan 16, 2011)

At least some states require that the label be fixed to the container.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

One shouldn't use a hangtag as a label. Charlie's right. Follow State label regulations.

(regulations? when will this oppresive government get off our backs?) 
oops, sorry. something in my brain.


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## Jared.Downs (Jun 28, 2013)

If you're required to attach the label but want alternatives for packaging / label, then I'd put the bare minimum on the container and put the rest of the info you want to include where ever / how ever fits your brand and message.

This isn't exactly what I had in mind with the attached card stock but it's along the lines. 


Again, not entirely how I'd do it. More of a card stock wrapping the entire bottle from front to back.


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