Greg Hankins asks:

> Thanks for the input. What price are your wholesale customers getting at
> retail? Under $3.00?
I've seen it re-sold anywhere from $3 to $4.50 or higher.  I have to agree with
the comments made earlier that my customer's price is their business although I
too have suggested to some that they might sell more if they marked up less.  I
imagine I'd sell more if I sold cheaper but less than $2.25 and I don't feel
I've been compensated for my efforts.  If other producers are willing to sell
for less I guess they don't value their time as much as I do mine.

> Are you in upstate NY? Is comb honey pretty common there?
I'm in the Saratoga region (considered mid state for those close to the
Canadian border, considered upstate to those close to New York City).  I would
not say comb honey is "common" in these parts, it's still a specialty product.
I don't know of many other producers close by, except for the owners of Ross
Rounds, Inc. and Betterbee, Inc.  It's tough carving out a niche when you're
surrounded by the big boys!  My area is a tourist area and also relatively
close (2 1/2 hours) to NYC, so there is a market for comb.  There's also a good
supply.

> down here in NC the preferred pack is a chunk of comb in a pint
> that is then filled with extracted.
This too is a specialty item, one I've never produced.  To me, chunk honey as
you described is a much more daunting production task than comb.  What do you
get for you chunk?  I think both products should bring a better price for the
producer than they do.  But then you run up against what the consumer is
willing to pay.  I used to be shocked by the prices at arts and crafts shows
when I'd look at stained glass booths.  I wondered how they'd DARE to ask such
a high price!  So I took a few classes and learned how to do stained glass.
Now I'm shocked at what low wages the artisans pay themselves.  Unfortunately
the consuming public has not an appreciation of what it takes to produce the
product.  Everyone knows that you just put out an empty box this week and take
the filled, packaged and labeles combs off next week, right? ;-)

Aaron Morris - thinking I pay myself terrible wages!