# Sourcing Cane Sugar



## jcase (Jul 30, 2016)

I can't get a single sugar supplier in Washington state to reply to me, I guess 500 or 1000lbs just isnt worth the hassle. Local bakers either won't help, or say "we get it from costco". All the food supply places here are more than costco or even walmart in price. I'm just not a big enough consumer, stuck between "go to costco" size and you guys size.

$12.49 is the current costco price for 25lbs, cheapest I can find here.

Any one have a suggestion besides "try to order more"? Or, any beeks in WA already have the hookup and wouldnt mind increasing their order size? I'm in port angeles, WA, so pretty much any city of any real size is a drive and a ferry trip.


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## Rbogers (Apr 26, 2017)

I picked up 50LB bags from one of the local sugar beet factories for $20/bag. That comes out to $.40/LB. They also have 2000LB Super sacks for $700. That comes out to $.35/LB


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## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

Walmart has been running $8-something for 25 pounds of what the bag says is cane sugar. Those of us who use it notice that it is not pure white, but has just a tinge of brown sugar color. 

Our bees adore it.

Hey, you only need 20-40 bags (it is rare for any store to have more than 4 bags on the shelves). 40 bags will probably get you a visit from the revenooers. Don't buy any cracked corn on the same visit!


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## jcase (Jul 30, 2016)

Phoebee said:


> Walmart has been running $8-something for 25 pounds of what the bag says is cane sugar. Those of us who use it notice that it is not pure white, but has just a tinge of brown sugar color.
> 
> Our bees adore it.
> 
> Hey, you only need 20-40 bags. Which will probably get you a visit from the revenooers. Don't buy any cracked corn on the same visit!


Walmart sugar seems to vary regionally and time of the year. Most of the time it is a pure white cane sugar here, sometimes it isnt marked cane sugar. I've yet to see it not be pure white.

Wife already told me no distillin'!


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## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

jcase said:


> Wife already told me no distillin'!


Same here, but she's letting me try making a small batch of mead.

I'm wondering how the hurricanes are going to affect sugar prices.


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## jcase (Jul 30, 2016)

Phoebee said:


> Same here, but she's letting me try making a small batch of mead.


Mine encourages the mead, but I hate the process of making it, lot of work and those 7gallons dont last long lol.


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## jcase (Jul 30, 2016)

Rbogers said:


> I picked up 50LB bags from one of the local sugar beet factories for $20/bag. That comes out to $.40/LB. They also have 2000LB Super sacks for $700. That comes out to $.35/LB


No sugar factories out in my neck of the woods


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

You might as well buy your sugar from Costco. I do. 50, 50 lb. bags on a pallet. Very fine and dissolves easily.


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## jcase (Jul 30, 2016)

Michael Palmer said:


> You might as well buy your sugar from Costco. I do. 50, 50 lb. bags on a pallet. Very fine and dissolves easily.


That is what I'm doing now, but doing 25lb bags, cheaper per lb here. Really hoping to find an even cheaper source, I keep hearing about these "great prices' people are getting, I just guess that is really regional.


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

Costco will sell by the pallet also. Where is the problem?

Crazy Roland


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## jcase (Jul 30, 2016)

Roland said:


> Costco will sell by the pallet also. Where is the problem?
> 
> Crazy Roland


I'm hoping for a discount by buying by the pallet. Wasn't aware this was something costco does? Do they?


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## clyderoad (Jun 10, 2012)

How many hives are you feeding?


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## jcase (Jul 30, 2016)

clyderoad said:


> How many hives are you feeding?


Hoping to reach 100 peak next year.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

jcase said:


> I'm hoping for a discount by buying by the pallet. Wasn't aware this was something costco does? Do they?


No, they don't.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Hmm ... this Costco page says pallet discounts _are_ available:
https://www.costco.com/volume-bulk-sales.html



> WHAT TYPE OF MERCHANDISE CAN BE PURCHASED AT VOLUME SALES?
> There is an expanded selection of merchandise available at Costco.com, most of which is eligible for the program, when purchased in [HIGHLIGHT]pallet [/HIGHLIGHT]or truckload quantities.
> 
> 
> ...


Don't expect to just walk into a warehouse store and get a pallet discount ... use the link above to ask for a quote.



... buy early and buy often  I'm pleased with how my Costco stock has performed, but every bit helps!


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## Gumpy (Mar 30, 2016)

One of our local grocery stores had a sale on sugar a few weeks ago. $1.49 / 4 lb bag = $0.3725/lb. I asked if they had more in the back room rather than take all that was on the shelf. They said they could order it for me to be available in two days so I did that. It came in bundles of 10 bags wrapped in brown paper; 40 lbs each. This works out perfect as I've been feeding 5:3 ratio made in a 7 gallon turkey cooker. 3 gallons water, one bundle of 10 bags of sugar. Makes 6 gallons which lasts about 2 weeks. Was only feeding 8 nucs and two hives.


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## kramerbryan (Oct 30, 2013)

Have you tried cash-n-carry in Bremerton?


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

Try Cargill sweetener in Seatle.


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## jcase (Jul 30, 2016)

Will give Cargill another try, no reply last time.

Will also check out Costco by the pallen and Cash-n-Carry, thank you!


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Note that, most likely, a pallet of bagged sugar will be over 2000 lbs. 50 sacks of 50 lb each or 96 sacks of 25 lb each are typical sugar pallet schemes.
https://cooperativepurchasers.com/FAQs.html


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## Flyer Jim (Apr 22, 2004)

jcase said:


> I'm hoping for a discount by buying by the pallet. Wasn't aware this was something costco does? Do they?





Michael Palmer said:


> No, they don't.


truckload yes

pallet no
and they put a lot on a truck


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## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

Sugar at Costco and most other large distributors is not a high margin product. Essentially you may think that a 500 or 1000 pound purchase is a lot but the people you have reached out to think differently. This is confirmed by the fact that they do not return your calls.

I was in the same position as you once. Went to Roger's (a large sugar processing plant in the area) to get a pallet thinking I would save a few dollars. I was invisible to the union workers once I had parked my vehicle. I walked around the loading bay. 30 minutes later somebody acknowledged my presence and sent me to the office. The office guy sold me a pallet of sugar at a slightly higher price than Costco. (I was not leaving empty handed) Office man told me it is better not to come back should I need sugar, and to go to Costco in the future , seeing as how it was cheaper there. They made it very clear that they did not want customers like me. It was a bit of an eye opener at the time.

From my understanding you might get lucky and get 35 cent a pound sugar on sale. Make sure you don't go spending an extra $50 in fuel and wear and tear on your vehicle to save $25. 

Good luck. For what it is worth, that sugar should have been fed 4 weeks ago and perhaps ending 2 weeks ago. Now temperatures are dropping and the rains are here. It is harder for the bees to process today than it was 4 weeks ago. The end result is you "tire" your bees and age them prematurely when they process that sugar. There is not another flush of young bees coming in. You would have gotten a better bang for yor buck 4 weeks ago. Regardless, if they need it, feed them, sooner would have been better IMHO.

Jean-Marc


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## jcase (Jul 30, 2016)

jean-marc said:


> Sugar at Costco and most other large distributors is not a high margin product.


That looks like how it will be, that and sale shopping. I was looking for next year.

I am feeding right now, but for an entirely different reason. Yellow Jackets have been nuts this year. They took out two smaller hives, stripped every larvae out, even with reduced entrances and taking out over 50 nests, they are still an issue. This late in the year, they are ignoring the meat baits for some reason (but not larvae?), but they are still going after the feeder. I go out in the morning and night, while the bees are not out, and electrocute them. Burning yellow jackets smell a lot like burning hair  Tomorrow my cordless shopvac will be here, less fun than zapping but probably more effective.


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## HarryVanderpool (Apr 11, 2005)

jcase said:


> This late in the year, they are ignoring the meat baits for some reason (but not larvae?), but they are still going after the feeder.


When the end is close, yellow jackets stop rearing workers and raise a few queens and drones.
At that point, meat ceases to be workable bait. It happens every year.

Have you called Dadant or Dakota Guiness to see if they have syrup available in or near Port Angeles?
Their pricing is very reasonable.


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## jcase (Jul 30, 2016)

HarryVanderpool said:


> When the end is close, yellow jackets stop rearing workers and raise a few queens and drones.
> At that point, meat ceases to be workable bait. It happens every year.
> 
> Have you called Dadant or Dakota Guiness to see if they have syrup available in or near Port Angeles?
> Their pricing is very reasonable.


Find it odd they are hitting the larvae so hard but ignoring the meat. I had no issue last year, next year im going baiting full force.

I have not, I shall do so.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

I was unaware of Dakota Guinness before I saw Harry's reference above. And I thought their page on sugar for beekeepers was interesting enough to reproduce the text here (the lower part of the page is from the farmer coop that manufactures the sugar that Dakota Guinness sells to beekeepers):


> For All Your Fall, Winter and Spring Bee Feeding Needs
> 
> Our sucrose is 1/3 water – 2/3 dry sugar mix.
> We ship from the Wahpeton, ND factory to Midwest beekeepers and we ship dry sugar by rail to 2 locations in California—Vernon and Lodi, where the sugar is reconstituted to liquid form, according to the specs. You may order 50,000 pound truck load deliveries and smaller pickups.
> ...


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

You will not be able to purchase from Cargill. Mann lake has an account so call mann lake to order from Cargill. show up with a tote and they will fill you up for .2890 a lb. They should have they dry sugar as well. Dont buy from dakota gunness. They rip you off.


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## jcase (Jul 30, 2016)

RAK said:


> You will not be able to purchase from Cargill. Mann lake has an account so call mann lake to order from Cargill. show up with a tote and they will fill you up for .2890 a lb. They should have they dry sugar as well. Dont buy from dakota gunness. They rip you off.


Thanks. Can you explain the dakota rip off?


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

I order truckloads of hfcs from ADM thru Dadant. The few times I called Guness, they had a higher price. Yet the syrup would ship from ADM. They are a middleman.


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## The Honey Householder (Nov 14, 2008)

If you buy a full load there is brokers that will work with you. It's been a few years since I bought a load out of FL. The price was $.225 delivered on 42K pounds. Load i got was all in 5 lb bags. Easy for resale to all you hobbies at $.30 a lb. Didn"t take long to get rid of my extra.


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## clyderoad (Jun 10, 2012)

jcase said:


> Thanks. Can you explain the dakota rip off?


Dakota Gunness is a equipment and supply house in ND.


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## JpArnoldApiaries (Mar 26, 2017)

Here in Southeastern North Carolina Costco is roughly $22/50lbs for fine sugar.
Wal-Mart recently has 25lb bags for $7.48.
Its more course and inconsistent in quality, but have yet to have any issues with it.


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