smitch wrote:

> . I will not leave =
> the house to go sell honey for less than $5.50 a lb. and I raised it =
> this year from $5.25. I go to my markets and there are people waiting to =
> see me. I now have the label in one town as the Honey Man. ...I just Know
> and now realize I have a very good =
> product that you cannot get in Sams or Walmart or from China and I will =
> not try to Compete. .....Please......You are providing something so =
> wonderful to our society. The Customers will pay for it.......Educate =
> them. Sell them more than just a jar of honey. Sell them your knowledge =
> and confidence.

 Hi Scott and all,
 The message was put very well. Beekeepers need to educate the public.  We do
well in Seattle ,covering 5 markets a week. My price is $ 5 /lb. the last 4
years.What works for me is very simple. Don't heat or filter the honey.Have
more than one type of honey to taist and buy.Have pictures of the areas that
you collect your honey from each year.Let them know what you do to get the
honey to market. Your problems with mites , bears,  or the weather, is added
information that makes them understand more of what beekeepers deal with
everyday.The public will respond and your sales will come in every week.
 The honey in stores is a very good tool for selling your honey.Your product
should blow the doors off of the honey from China. I get 10 to 20 times a
market," we can't buy that honey in stores anymore, after we have been using
your honey."
 Any beekeeper can sell there product directly to the public.You don't have to
be big. We need to have many small beekeepers all over , selling there honey
at farmers markets.The public will get educated about honey , beekeeping  and
the importers and large packers will have to eat a lot of honey.It is very
simple , bring the best product to the market place at a fair price and you
win.
 Good Luck
Roy Nettlebeck
Tahuya River Apiaries
Tahuya Wa. US