Marketing Your Honey

You did it! Your bees have fulfilled their end of the bargain—you have honey! Now what? I’ll apologize in advance here. The first steps to mention on this topic are bottling requirements and regulations. Lucky for you, all I’m going to do is hit the highlights and leave the rest to your own research. Being that each state has its own laws and regulations, it would be impossible for me to cover it all here. But so you are aware of what they are, there are five areas of jurisdiction:

• Food Manufacturers License: Each state will have different guidelines for this license. A quick Google search will tell you what you need to know.
• FDA Food Facility Registration: Small-scale honey producers wouldn’t normally fall under this requirement, but to verify, here’s the link.
• FDA food labeling laws (apply to all of us): Here is the labeling guide.
• Local health department guidelines: Check with your local health department.
• Homeowners association or deed restrictions: These don’t apply to everyone, but if they do, it’s better to know in advance if there are restrictions in place.

OK, now that’s out of the way. To me, one of the most enjoyable parts of beekeeping is the presentation of our honey!

Over the years I’ve seen some very creative containers and labeling. How far you take it is truly limited only by your imagination and budget. One point often overlooked in the equation is market identification. Knowing who you are marketing to is the most important factor in making decisions on containers and labels, so keep that in mind.

Containers and bottles

For beekeepers selling in small volumes to friends and family, let cost and functionality be your guide. As I mentioned, knowing your market is key. Selling honey at a farmers market in a pretty Muth jar might not be money well spent. You would more likely hit your target buyer with a Mason jar or typical squeeze honey bottle. When purchasing your containers, take into consideration how many you can realistically use. Quantity pricing is good for most products, and honey containers are no exception. But keep in mind—they almost never ship free, so picking them up is your most affordable option.

Basic labeling

Most honey producers (big or small) utilize peel-and-stick labels for their containers. Shopping for labels can be rather daunting. From our experience I can tell you that buying a large quantity definitely saves money. Having said that, I wouldn’t buy more than I could use in a year or so simply because the size of your containers or label design may change. Here’s a good place to start:

• Avery: Print your own sheets or design online and they will print them for you (including ink, $0.55 each to print your own, $0.50 each if they print them for you if you buy 250+).
• Vista Print: Roll ($0.68 each for 250), sheet pricing ($0.72 each for 200), or single sticker ($0.76 each for 200).
• UPrinting: Cut-to-size, another term for “single sticker” ($0.19 each for 250) or roll ($0.77 each for 250).

All of these quotes are approximations. It’s important to restate that quantity really matters. We pay $0.07 each for 2,000 stickers from UPrinting. Yes, that’s a lot of stickers, but we sell a fair amount of honey.

Attributes to consider when ordering

• Washable (glossy doesn't always mean washable, but it shows well)
• Sized to fit more than one size container, leaving the weight open (example: net wt/g _____)
• Removable (for those of us who need do-overs in applying)
• Clear labels are hard to read

Building a great label

• Promote unique forage flavors (e.g., clover, mesquite, etc.)
• Develop your own logo (product branding): This can be free. Utilize AI programs or programs you already have like Canva or Adobe.
• Use a catchphrase (e.g., “Best honey in town”)
• Use terms that garner attention (e.g., local, raw, etc.)
• Phone number (not required but very important so customers can call to reorder!)
• Keep it simple! Too many words or too much going on takes away from what your goal is—to stand out from the rest so it will sell!

Marketing your honey

When it comes to marketing your product, nothing matters more than focusing on your target buyer.

Small- to medium-scale producers

A lot of us fall into this category. Here are some tips that can help get your honey sold:

• Always keep honey with you! What’s the old saying? “You can’t sell from an empty wagon!”
• Use social media to advertise (Facebook, Instagram). Start your own page with your “honey name” (e.g., Chari’s Honey Company). Keep it current and post often!
• Make it known to your friends and family that you have honey for sale; after all, they are your best customers and best advertisers!
• Let family members sell it for you! Let’s face it—we give a lot of honey away to our families. Why not get them to sell some to return the favor?
• Sell at farmer's markets and town festivals. Only participate if you are the only honey producer selling. More than one will reduce sales for you and the other vendor. It becomes a pricing war in which no one makes money.
• Make your honey customers feel special. We order free (+ shipping) brochures from Honey.com and give them to each new customer. They will love it and will tell a friend. The very best kind of free advertising is word of mouth!
• Get a Google listing. I love that we are “Googleable”! It also gives you the opportunity to post pictures on the listing, your address, and most importantly, good reviews!
• Create a website. This may sound intimidating, but it’s a lot simpler and cheaper than you realize. For example, a GoDaddy domain costs around $43 per year. Couple that with a simple website (Wix, for example, is $17 a month). That’s an incredible price for the benefit of having a website. With the tutorial videos now available, anyone with minimal computer skills can use the templates they offer and end up with a simple final product that looks professional.

Providing simple inexpensive extras can go a long way in standing out among the competition. Adding a honey straw or dipper along with these brochures can make it even better!

Offer a trial size and hit the streets! Depending on your state’s laws, you may be able to sell in stores. Walk in, introduce yourself, and hand them the trial size to taste and fall in love with your honey! You won’t be surprised to hear that your local hardware stores, plant stands, coffee trucks, tea parlors, smoothie bars, and other places are selling local beekeepers’ honey. Often the small mom-and-pop businesses are the best to approach, but don’t limit yourself to just them. The bigger stores might be interested as well.

Family or customers making an unsolicited post on social media about your honey is great for business!

2 oz Ideal trial size

Pricing your honey

There’s no real way to “honey coat” this. Price your honey to sell and to reflect what your market will bear. Plus, you need to factor in the cost of doing business and the cost of containers along with the labels you attach to the jar. Also ask around and shop around. You have a special product, so price it accordingly without pricing yourself out of a sale.

If I leave you with anything from this article, I hope it’s this: choose your “happy place” in this industry. Biting off more than you can chew (or sell) can be costly. Focus on your target buyers; cater to them and always produce a product you would buy. And most importantly, have fun!