On 12/31/2012 12:57 PM, David neel wrote:
> Why use limit yourself by using the term local, which really has no set definition in terms of honey?

There are 3 types of folks who buy my honey:
1) Those who don't know much of anything: they are surprised to learn 
that bees don't "create" honey in the same sort of way that chickens 
create eggs; they don't know that floral nectar is the basis of honey, 
and that just like there are different types of jelly, there are 
different types of honey
2) Those who think they know what they are buying: They've heard from 
the healthy eating/natural remedies crowd that "local honey cures 
allergies", and "local honey means within 30 miles of where you live." 
They don't understand that floral source, not physical location, is the 
key factor for any purported benefit, and here in central NC the floral 
mixes are similar throughout a very wide region.
3) Those who actually understand what they are buying: They appreciate 
"artisanal" honey separated by floral source, but rarely do I get (or 
bother to get) honey that is truly identifiable by source since our 
surplus honey flow is intense but short and is strongly dominated by 
tulip poplar.

I don't sell much to group #1 because they can get their honey fix 
cheaper at WalMart.

Group #2 are by far the majority who seek me out. The "natural remedies" 
crowd has already done my marketing for me. All I have to do is repeat 
their own buzz-words on my label, and I do: "Raw local honey". But I 
don't LIMIT myself to the term "local" -- I also throw in terms like 
"spring blossom".

I don't sell much honey --- this is all supposed to be fun for me, not 
work --- so others may have a different customer mix and a different set 
of buzz-words that their market looks for. But the main point is that 
I'm just one little guy who may be able to educate a few dozen people. 
Why bother when I can give people what they think they want?  After all, 
the customer is always right (even when they're not). Or even better, 
why can't I do both --- educate them a little AND assure them that they 
are getting the "local honey" they are looking for?

Along these same lines, the NC State Beekeepers Association recently 
initiated a "certified grown in NC" sticker program to help beekeepers 
take better advantage of the market's desire for "local honey".

Randall Austin
hobbyist/bee enthusiast in North Carolina

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