In a message dated 7/25/00 2:20:21 AM, [log in to unmask] writes:

<< I love the idea of a certain floral source outselling some packers blend
of foreign
honey. >>

   What about "sale blocking" of other local beekeepers?
   When I approach farm stand operators who already have bought somebody
else's local honey, the response I have gotten so far is, " Oh, we already
sell local honey." The mentality of these folks seems to be all local honey
is the same so it's redundant to carry more than one brand. It's not the
same. Some sell unheated, unfiltered, the bees work different floral
varieties, different beekeepers sell for different prices, etc. The product
that has been handled and designed to be sold for $5 a jar is selling to a
different customer than the product that is selling for $3 a jar, even if
both are local honey.
   I propose that farm stand operators need to be better educated that honey
is the "wine" of agricultural products, and as such, different fields and
different "wineries" will produce products with diverse appeal and value.
   If I had not been networking prior to harvest season to develop some farm
stand accounts, I would be out of luck now. I have no qualms about putting my
honey up on the shelf next to somebody else's local honey. And the
alternative to that is much worse. Because there are far more beekeepers than
farmstands, many will be locked out of the farm stands, thereby further
discouraging growth and interest in beekeeping, which eventually harms me as
a beekeeper when beekeeping supply manufacturers raise their costs because
they are selling to a smaller number of customers, or worse yet, the
manufacturers go out of business.
   Another problem the farm stand operators seemed to have was that they had
already bought the other person's honey wholesale, so they didn't want to
undercut that investment by buying more honey wholesale. I offered to sell to
one guy on consignment (leave 10 jars, and collect my price after he sells
them). He wouldn't go for it, probably because he didn't want to get stuck
holding the other guy's local honey at the end of the season.
   I also propose that farm stands should start selling honey on consignment
only, so that the operator doesn't have to worry about getting stuck holding
unsold product. That's not going to sit well with beekeeps who want their
money now, but in the long run it will be better for beekeeping to make these
markets more open to all.