Honey is one of the sweetest natural substances in existence, and you may use it to sweeten your tea, coffee, or biscuits. Although you may not think much of its value, honey is an incredibly popular substance. In fact, it continues to grow in popularity as people learn more about honey’s many benefits and uses. Believe it or not, many people will pay top dollar for high-quality, raw honey, especially if it’s from their local area. Whether you keep bees as a hobby or to support the bee population, you should know how to get started selling your honey for profit.
Decide on Your Bottles
One of the first steps toward selling your fresh honey is deciding on the packaging or bottling. Honey comes in many containers, and you should choose something unique for you and your small business. With that said, you should decide whether you want to sell your honey in glass containers or plastic bottles. Follow along to learn more about the most popular honey packaging options.
Glass Containers
Glass containers are a common choice for many honey brands because glass is a substance that doesn’t spoil. Although glass isn’t the only option, it may hold up and last the longest. Take a look at the potential pros and cons of selling in glass containers or bottles.
- Pros
- Glass looks classy
- Clear glass makes the product’s natural color appealing
- Glass is a food-safe material with no additional chemicals
- It’s easy to reuse and recycle
- Cons
- Glass is breakable
- It may be more expensive
Plastic Bottles
Plastic bottles are another popular choice when it comes to bottling honey, but it’s not always the best choice. You’ve probably seen the little plastic bear bottles full of honey on the grocery store shelves, and you don’t have to follow the crowd. Consider the pros and cons of selling honey in plastic bottles or containers.
- Pros
- Plastic is durable and sturdy
- You can squeeze plastic bottles
- It’s lightweight, making it easier to carry bulk honey
- Plastic is often cheaper than glass
- Cons
- Plastic looks less classy and original
- It absorbs odors and flavors, making it difficult to reuse
Your Personalized Label
Just as choosing the best bottles is crucial for your honey-selling business, you may also make a creative label. Whether or not you have a business name or logo, you can create unique and authentic labels to mark your honey jars and bottles. Explore the few important elements to have on your honey bottles.
- The food. Obviously, you must put the word “honey” on your bottles. If it contains any additives, you should display that information to ensure your buyers know what they’re getting. In many cases, people want raw, natural, or organic honey; be sure to put those terms on your labels if they’re true.
- Honey weight. You should put the weight of the honey, not including the container, to ensure your customers get exactly what they expect from your business.
- Your contact details. Provide your name or business title, address, email address, telephone number, and website URL so that people can purchase from you again in the future.
Pricing Your Honey
Pricing your honey fairly is one of the most challenging aspects of selling it for profit. You most likely want to make a decent profit for your efforts, but you also don’t want to set the price so high that people don’t want to buy from you. With that said, you should consider pricing your products within the common range of other beekeepers. Typically, beekeepers sell their honey anywhere from $3–8 per pound.
Selling Honey in Bulk
Selling your honey independently can become a bigger job than you may want. Fortunately, you may have the opportunity to become a commercial processor for a larger sales company. With that said, you would have instructions to follow regarding your honey and the process, but you wouldn’t have to spend time selling it to consumers by the individual bottle. Instead, you’d sell most of your product to a large honey retailer.
Where To Sell Local Honey
When it comes to selling local honey, you have several options to set up a shop. Believe it or not, raw honey often sells itself. Rather than talking people into purchasing your product, you may have people begging for more. Raw honey is always in high demand, especially if you sell it in your local community. Explore the best places to sell your honey.
- A county fair booth
- Farmers market
- Your website
- Any local festivals
Marketing Strategies
Now that you know how to set yourself up for a successful start in the honey business, you should also know some marketing strategies to get the word out about your decadent bee products. Although you should have an official website for customers to buy from you directly, you can also create social media pages with links to your website, special deals, and information about your business. Interestingly, people who aren’t actively searching for honey to buy may see these posts and buy some anyway.
Lastly, you can spread the word by mouth. Once someone has a good experience with your business and honey, they’ll be much more likely to speak highly about your business to people in their lives. As your name spreads around town, you’ll have more and more people seeking after your honey.
Other Bee Products To Sell
Aside from your delicious honey, you may also be able to add a few other bee products to your online store to sell for profit. Consider the possibility of selling more than just honey from the beehive.
Beeswax
Beeswax is another valuable substance that beekeepers can collect and sell to consumers. You can sell it as pure beeswax or make it into marketable products like candles, lotions, soaps, or lip balms.
Propolis
Bees use propolis to seal gaps and cracks in their hives or to disinfect the area. However, it’s also a popular substance humans may consume to supplement their overall health and immunity.
Bee Pollen
Bee pollen is another popular health supplement for humans, and it may help reduce seasonal allergies in local people. Believe it or not, bee pollen may be more valuable than honey.
Now that you know how to get started selling your honey for profit, you may feel more excited about pursuing beekeeping. Consider purchasing queen honeybees for sale if you want to create your own colony as a hobby or extra income method. Whether you do this for fun or to make a living, you won’t regret supporting the bee population and making money for yourself simultaneously.
