# I've got 1600 lbs of honey, now what?



## squarepeg

nice harvest! how many hives are you running?

if your not in a hurry some of those other suppliers may run out as the year progresses and there may be more of a market for yours.


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## clyderoad

I'm one on this forum that is in it for the honey and there are many others. 

How much more is this harvest compared to what you normally harvest and sell to friends/family/coworkers?
I guess it was unexpectedly large or a plan would have been made to sell it.

Selling to shops, groceries etc. is not selling at retail prices, though it's better than wholesale in the bucket prices. 
Don't lose that wholesale guys number because you can't make 3-4 times as much money selling retail if you have no customers for it.
Get to work finding retail customers who will pay the big bucks. Having an idea in mind about what to do with a big harvest before it happens helps.
Or sit on it for a while a see what markets develop later in the year and next spring.


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## cryptobrian

keqwow said:


> I've got 1600 lbs of honey so far this year, and I go to the "Marketing" section of this forum and there are only 10 threads in the entire forum.


Really? When I go to " Forum > Business Side of Beekeeping > Marketing ", I see 211 threads. 




keqwow said:


> How does one sell their honey if everywhere you look, there is someone else all ready offering honey.


You're asking this after you produced 1600 lbs? Seems like it would have been good to figure this out before hand. But that said, when I look at most of the mom and pop shops around my area offering honey for sale, they don't just offer honey from one supplier. Most have several on the shelves and occasionally I'll see them sold out. So why assume that just because a shop has honey on the shelf today that they aren't interested in your honey or that the only way to get the shelf-space is by undercutting. 


By the way, you posted your message in the General Beekeeping section, not the Marketing section.


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## WWW

Yes indeed in the middle of winter there can be shortages that you will be able to capitalize on.


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## Cedar Hill

You could try selling it to the organizers of the local food coops that are probably in your area. The kind where the customers buy shares in whatever may be harvested at particular times of the growing season. Quick way of getting rid of quite a large amount if you contact more than one. I never sold it at wholesale to them, but close enough to retail deducting what was felt the worth of the bottling and labeling labor time. OMTCW


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## Cedar Hill

Craigslist is also an excellent adv. spot for honey near large cities. OMTCW


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## bevy's honeybees

I had that problem too after spring harvest last year. Farmer's markets full, I can't sell to stores, because of Florida laws I can only sell face to face unless I want go commercial. 

I started going to a "community yard sale" e.g. flea market, that a local church holds 3rd Saturday of the month and I do well there. All I sell is honey and candles. I get a lot of people who call me between the sales dates. 

I envy your problem...I only had 100 lb surplus from spring harvest, and holding my breath for fall flow. Nice going! 
Don't be in a hurry to sell in case you get a bad season, you will still have plenty of honey. I'm out of honey and people asking when I'm going to get more. If I hadn't bulk sold some of last spring's, I might have had enough to get through til fall harvest. IMHO


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## odfrank

I sell a lot to other beekeepers who are better salesman than I am and do not produce enough to fill their markets. I have found that as soon as they have a few bottles of honey they jump into a farmers market, and quickly run out. I am not sure that all the time it takes to bottle and label, load up and sit at markets and unload, pays for the difference between wholesale and retail. Unless you do that full time. I can make much more hourly as a landscape contractor. I am lucky to have had decades of established customers before all of the newbees flooded the market. I sold out last year, we will see how it goes this year. I don't feel that Craigslist works for selling honey in small sizes. I have sold five gallon buckets on Craigslist.


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## David LaFerney

Get a hat or pin that says "Local Honey For Sale" - wear it and keep a supply in your car all the time. Run free internet adds with your cell number, and be willing to deliver locally at some volume point. You will sell a steady stream and as the farmers markets and whatnot wind down your sales will pick up. Of course put your phone number on your labels. Over time you will establish customers who will call or want you to call them when the new crop comes in. Others might buy early and ask you to contact them again before you sell out.

I also give a dollar a jar back to my family members that sell to their friends.

I prefer this to sitting at the farmers market and it results in a more or less continuous income stream until I sell out - about February last year.


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## BeeGhost

odfrank said:


> I don't feel that Craigslist works for selling honey in small sizes. I have sold five gallon buckets on Craigslist.


I agree with this one, I posted an add just for fun to see what would happen...........not one hit on 1 pound bottles that were priced the same or less than other postings, and I was the only one in my area!!! Word of mouth and repeat customers have been very good to me this year, had one person buy a bottle, then called me to buy 4 more the next day!! 

I even put a sign out in my front yard to see what happens....got two hits, both from neighbors across the street!!LOL Of course my street is not busy at all.

I am going to try and set up a stand in a busier area of town in a friends front yard and set the kids and I up and see what happens!! I actually like to sell out as fast as possible so I don't have to store reserves and I can use that money to buy wooden ware to make over the winter!!


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## phersbees

make a bunch of mead then concentrate it. nothing like honeyshine to brighten ones day.


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## sqkcrk

keqwow said:


> How does one sell their honey if everywhere you look, there is someone else all ready offering honey.


Wixson Honey Inc is just up the road from you near Dundee, NY. Otherwise you are going to have to find a market niche and fill it. Since you don't seem to want to sell your honey to your friend, you can buy jars at Wixson too.

You could spend the money necessary to find and buy expensive jars and labels and try to get into a gourmet foods shop.

Do you have a bottling tank? Getting $2.50/# for your honey is not bad compared to what it takes to bottle all of that honey and distribute it. Take the money.


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## johng

I would think you could sell 1600lbs pretty easy from the house just by using free internet ads and craigslist. Bevy had some good ideas too, keep your eyes open for any kind of gathering, church events, lots of churches will have fall festivals, community yard sells, things like that. You should be able to move your honey. Just don't be in a hurry. You have to remember summer is just ending so a lot of backyard beeks have there honey to sell. But, most of them will run out pretty fast which will leave their customers looking for it somewhere else. My guess is you will easily sell out and wish you had more honey to sell before your next big harvest next year.


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## RayMarler

I'd be baking a lot more buscuits and making more cornbread.


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## Honey-4-All

What to do with a lot of honey?

Put on a heart of gratefulness by seeing the problem as a blessing...... Then start the networking if you don't like direct sales. 

Unless you are totally broke do NOT offer your BST at fire sale prices. Right now I am holding out for a buck more from my long time customer ( another beek) who sold out of all I provided them last year by December. She says I want to much for it and then I see her quoted in an AP article a few days later about the honey shortage in California. The only shortage I know of is the willingness to pay what it will take to pry it out of my hands. I know its value. She goes through a lot to get rid of it but considering their retail price last year is 3x what I want wholesale its not leaving at the current offering. 

If you store it properly you can sit on it for 10 years unlike a head of Cauliflower. Be patient. 

Once you get started the sales will snowball to the point where what you have in stock is inadequate. Be that retail or wholesale. 

Treat the customers like you want their grandchildren's business. Keep the jars clean, label them honestly and deliver when you say you will show up. The rest will fall into place.


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## sqkcrk

1600X$2.50=$4,000.00. Do you think you can double that w/ little effort? Take the money and reinvest it.


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## The Honey Householder

Put it a buckets and sell it all for $3 a lb. 1600x$3.00=$4,800.00, or take some time and bottle it up and find a market for it for $8 a lb. What is your time worth????? 1600x$8.00=$12,800.00. Thats some real money to reinvest.


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## keqwow

At $3.00/lb I might consider it. I haven't inquired, but I am assuming I am only looking at $2/lb if I sell it all wholesale. Even so, the few bottles I have sold have been at $7/lb, which is a lot more than $3/lb.


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## sqkcrk

True. So what is keeping you from bottling the whole 1600 lbs? The things you mentioned in the first post?


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## sterling

Be patient if you want to bottle it and sell it you can build up a customer base. I give a small bottle to people now and then and tell them the first bottle is free. Many come back and buy a qt. or two. When people start sneezing in the spring everybody else could be sold out and people want local honey. It's an easy sell then. As has already been said people are impressed by the packaging also. So get nice jars and labels. I'm just a hobbyist and have sold over 1200 # since the end of June and I'm about out so I would like to have your 1600# for spring. Last year I sold quit a bit at Christmas to people who gave it as gifts. But I won't have that this year.


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## justin

we've had some luck selling to local CSA's who put it in their summer/fall deliveries, or offer it as an option to their members. most stores here carry several peoples honey, and there are three beekeepers at my farmers market. we all do alright.


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## Hokie Bee Daddy

I had 500 pounds to sell this year and my wife took a picture and put it on her facebook page. It's been moving steadily since.


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## rookie2531

I read a few people saying things like, you should have got your customer base before hand. Seriously, I doubt anybody that starts keeping has done that. I just started beeking this year and split them and am not going to steal from them this year. I might not steal from them next year either. I am trying to build them up so I have a great harvest first time and make it worth it. Then I will build the customer base. Why get the customer base first and then if you disappoint, you are finished. Make a good product and when you get that right, then let the customers flock.


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## nater37

Our farmers market is full also, but I just talked to one of the vegetable venders and he said I could put honey on one of his tables cause people asking for honey all the time. I offered him a dollar a bottle and he said he did not need the money. So you might just ask around instead of paying the price for a spot at the market anyway. Also he offered his land for a few of my hives, he has pumpkin, cotton, okra, cantelope, alfalfa, watermelon so may do you some real good at the farmers market.. just my 2 cents


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## Nabber86

I dont understand why anyone would sell at a farmer's market when you can just set up a road-side stand. I put up signs, a canopy, and set the jars on a table. It's a good way to spend a nice September day. 

Craigslist work wonders too.


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## nater37

Nabber86 said:


> I dont understand why anyone would sell at a farmer's market when you can just set up a road-side stand. I put up signs, a canopy, and set the jars on a table. It's a good way to spend a nice September day.
> 
> Craigslist work wonders too.


I guess works fine if you are retired or just old. But if you have a business to run or kids to chase, sitting on the side of road just not a priority.


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## Acebird

Many road side stands are unmanned. Just a lockbox to put cash in. You have a product that doesn't spoil too quickly so what is your panic?


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## SpringGreen

Hokie Bee Daddy said:


> I had 500 pounds to sell this year and my wife took a picture and put it on her facebook page. It's been moving steadily since.
> 
> View attachment 13379


That's what I did, and it was all gone within 36 hours, with people begging for more. Too bad mine is all gone...otherwise I'd put up another photo around the holidays and market it as easy and unique Christmas gifts.


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## Nabber86

nater37 said:


> I guess works fine if you are retired or just old. But if you have a business to run or kids to chase, sitting on the side of road just not a priority.


Yeah but either way you do it, if you have 1600 pounds of honey is going to take some time away from your family.


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## mac

Nabber86 said:


> Yeah but either way you do it, if you have 1600 pounds of honey is going to take some time away from your family.


 I thought that's why people started beekeeping


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## jredburn

Subscribe to Bee Culture. It has average retail and wholesale prices for various regions every month. That will give you a price guide. 
After that, the name of the game is "HUSTLE"


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## Lburou

keqwow said:


> I've got 1600 lbs of honey so far this year, and I go to the "Marketing" section of this forum and there are only 10 threads in the entire forum.


keqwow, go to your 'Settings', then 'General Settings', then, 'Default Thread Age Cut Off'. When you get there, adjust the cutoff date (make it longer) for the threads displayed in your browser. HTH


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## Mbeck

Find a kid that needs a little direction, a little cash and set him/her up in business. I'm sure there are things you could teach, wisdom to share it might be a great opportunity for a kid in your area. You buy the supplies bottles, labels maybe a tent etc. They bottle and sell keeping $1.00 per bottle. Once the right kid sees a couple $75.00 afternoons you won't be able to make enough honey.

* The math doesn't work if you have to support the kid in every other way (he's your son). Trust me on this!


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## Acebird

Mbeck said:


> You buy the supplies bottles, labels maybe a tent etc. They bottle and sell keeping $1.00 per bottle. Once the right kid sees a couple $75.00 afternoons you won't be able to make enough honey.


You might also be in serious trouble if the kid is not your own.


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## BeeGora

The quick and easy thing to do would be to sell it to meaderys or distillers who make honey liqueor. They'll buy it by the barrel. We have several of those around here that used to only use local honey but now have to buy from out-of-state because the demand is so high for their product. It also makes it harder to buy local honey around here.


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## fieldsofnaturalhoney

UHHH, do you really not know what to do with 1,600 lbs of honey :lpf:


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## My-smokepole

A couple of things that I have done. A Magnetic sign that I put on the back of my work van. [ have lost two in two years] :-( I Keep a little bit of honey in my vehicles. So when I get ask it is sold. I do a festival that they pay me show up. And talk about beekeeping. This is in a farming area of the festival. This year I brought a observation hive. Last year a died out that was in a tree. I feel a phone # is important! Craig list face book. Talk to people. I am just a sideliner but selling at lease 3000 lb year
David


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## Eaglerock

I sell my honey @ 8.95 8oz glass jars ....10 to 17.95 1 lb glass jars ...... 15.95 to 21.95 for 2 lb glass jars and so on. Price is depending on what kind of honey and how much of that kind I have.
I also carry 3 lb, 4 lb, 5 lb glass jars and 1 gallon, 2 gallon and 5 gallon pails.

Also have comb honey. 16.95 Last year it was selling at 48 dollars a pound online so I took mine to 24.95... this year It will be 14.95 to 16.95.


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## jwhiteker

Bottle that stuff and get to work. Once your name and reputation are out there, word spreads like wildfire. I would die to have 1200 lbs. of honey. My 2 hives made 76 lbs. this season and I was sold out within 15 days. No advertisement at all. $8/lb. All of my friends and family knew I was getting into beekeeping and after months of bugging me for honey, I finally had a harvest. Most people bought one bottle and came running back for 3-6 more. I will admit, I was mostly lucky with the weather this year here in KS. We had tons of wildflower blooms and super sweet honey. I'm telling you, once you do a bit of networking, your sales will surely take off. Take the time to do some good labeling with a high quality logo, very clean bottles, and a good attitude and you will go far. In case you're wondering... yes, I am expanding my operation next year. lol


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## Mommyofthree

Since this is my first year I have no honey to sell but I think if I had I would have sold several bottles just from word of mouth. My kids are natural sellers and tell everyone how awesome backyard honey is and they too could have sold many bottles of honey that I don't have. Craft fairs, Garage sales, table or sign out by the road. Just like when I had excess eggs they either get sold or made into something. 

The benefit of selling wholesale is you don't have to do the extra work of selling. You also don't have the extra $ in bottles. But the benefit of selling it yourself is higher profit, ownership in the honey and the smiles of satisfied customers.


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## Eaglerock

You weren't charging enough .... JW Try 10 next year... to help cover your costs and the beekeeping business.


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