On Thu, 20 Dec 2007 09:32:04 -0600, Bob Harrison <[log in to unmask]> wrote:


>THE LOWEST PRICE HONEY ON THE SHELF SELLS THE MOST JARS.
>
>
>Many buyers simply scan the shelf and grab the lowest price bottle in the
>size they want. I spent a couple days once in a store watching and then
>asking buyers why they made their purchase. I found a different scenario in
>health food stores so I concentrated on selling honey in health food stores
>where my "local' label would help sell my product. I still do retail sales
>in stores but not on the scale i did at one time.
>
 

What I notice is many US beeks are stuck in the mindset that they have to sell in plastic and "look" 
like the big packers. BIG mistake. You can't compete with someone who has an automated packing 
line and is packing honey they bought as a commodity at the lowest price. 

Add a story or image about your operation on the label and sell a superior product in glass at a 
price you can make money at. its not that hard really. 

if anything i see the future looking bright for those who follow the simple guidelines i noted. 
people want the real McCoy and will pay extra for it. sure there are bottom feeders in every 
market shopping on price. let them go to Sam's Club they are not your customer.

IMO there are so few beeks around that there is room for everyone on the shelf - the latest "fad" is 
buying local and all US beeks could be capitalizing on that. 

My point earlier about US migratory feedlot honey being lumped with imported is that a growing 
movement of people want an ethically produced product and shun imports. I 'm afraid that  US 
produced commodity honey does not have much of an image to sell their product on when people 
are starting to hear more and more the facts about migratory beekeeping. Even if its not true that 
CCD is a migratory created problem the PERCEPTION is growing that it is a human caused problem 
which is driven by greed and BIg AG. What romance is there in buying a squeeze container of say 
Souix Bee if you believe it contains imported honey or is honey produced by US feedlot beeks who 
are portrayed as pushing their bees?  

What baffles me is why there is not a bigger push to get (COOL) Country of Origin Labeling 
implemented on honey. IMO this is one of the key policy issues that could be changed by our 
government  that would benefit the current state of US beekeeping and should have been part of 
the recent Farm Bill. 

I do appreciate that many large bee operations must do pollination to survive. I think we can do 
better then SURVIVE but some practices need to change.  We can argue all we want about what 
sustainable means etc. Who would offer though that migratory beekeeping IS sustainable? The 
situation appears to be getting worse every year and the after affects are spilling over into the 
non-migratory segment..... this is not rocket science folks.

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