>But, isn't blended honey mostly an excuse to use cheap rank honey, heated
to drive off some of the awful flavor, then blended with something more
palatable to make it less of a rank product.

Common packer method.

>I'm not hung up on blended honey being honey from multiple beekeepers, all
of a high grade...

Most large beekeeper honey would have to be considered blended if not from a
single known  source as the honey is extracted and pumped into a large tank.
Most U.S. honey is sold in bulk by the source most of the honey is thought
to be or simply called "wildflower".

>It would seem to me that honey marked Unblended or Single Source meaning
one apiary could be seen as a good thing and go for a premium.

Color enters the picture with packers. Lighter brings a premium price and
buckwheat is a bakers grade. I am not saying Buckwheat or heartsease honey
is not a good honey (some people love both) but packers will not buy because
of the amount of water white needed to blend out the flavor (and smell of
heartsease or smartweed)!

>I grew up with BillyBee brand in Canada.  Today it seems largely
Argentinian with some Canadian mixed in.

Argentine honey (not all) is very dark (almost a rust color) and with an off
flavor in my opinion. The standard packer blend is 8 barrels of dark
Argentine to 2 barrels of water white. In my opinion a hell of a waste of
water white honey but makes packers money (and moves the darker honey for
the Argentine beekeepers).

>They got caught with Nitrofurans in their honey, and they lost complete
credibility in my eyes.

That was last year ! Now they and China are back with clean honey. Hence the
drop in packer prices!

 The hard truth ( like it or not) is over half the honey sold in stores in
the U.S. is from foreign sources. U.S. beekeepers are not interested in
producing honey to compete with foreign prices in bulk. If not for
pollination, selling retail and packing and selling under the beekeepers own
label most beekeepers would have got out of beekeeping (myself included as
the business would not be sustainable).

What ever business one chooses you can not survive when the product you make
sells for less than it costs to produce.

>Ok.  Ok.  I'll calm down and play nice.

Scream! Take it out on the wife & kids! Makes no difference. The sooner you
realize the truth about the way the market is then you can understand the
market and look for a niche market such as my friend George Imirie suggests!

The heck with what honey sells for in the stores (unless you sell in
stores)!

The sideline beekeeper  must figure his/her cost an price accordingly! I
strongly suggest the hobby beekeeper support the large beekeeper and at
least price at store levels. Selling a jar of honey at half the store price
only confuses the customer and hurts the beekeeping industry. You have got a
quality product and price as such!

Sincerely,
Bob Harrison

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