Eric asks:
> Is that "trashing"?

Eric always puts his mind in gear before his mouth. Not all people do!

If all people would think and then respond to consumers questions then we
would not be discussing the problem. Among my interests I do the largest
Farmers market in the six state area. The three stalls I run were first
opened in 1926 and have been open every Saturday in season ever since. I
have discussed the issue were are discussing with my help.

I do not want to hear  a "rant" saying all the things Eric talked about.
First the subject distracts from the wonderful day the customer is having at
the market, covers subjects the consumer knows little about (in most cases)
and puts the image of pure honey in a bad light. We greet each person and
smile often. If you are having a bad day people catch the vibes. If I see
bad vibes I tell the person to take a break and cool off. I would rather be
short handed than lose a customer over rude treatment.

The fact is that honey is in a three year watch by the FDA and thousands of
bottles of store shelf honey have been picked up by the FDA and the supply
of honey in the U.S. IS safe to eat. Maybe not what some perfectionists want
to eat but still safe by FDA standards.

My employees know if I hear a "rant" about honey or another beekeepers honey
I am upset. All the honey I sell at the market is local from my own hives.
The honey has not been heated but is allowed to filter by gravity through
nylon. I won the blue ribbon at the Missouri State Fair in both top classes
with my Clover honey in 2005.

I do pressure filter some bakery honey and do no processing of and use heat
in the process of honey I sell in 55 gallon drums.

If a customer asks about the honey at the market (only retail other than
farm we do)we explain the way we produce & process the honey. End of story.
Help quickly uses my standard answer to questions. If a beekeeping question
then they are referred to me and we move the customer away from the front of
the stand blocking sales and disrupting business. If I am not at the market
then they give the customer a business card and  they can contact me (which
is not an easy task in the busy season).

If a customer asks about the rumors about honey being imported, blended and
all the things Eric talked about we answer honestly *each question*. We do
not "rant' about every possible problem. We never bad mouth the other
beekeepers honey. Beekeepers are a small group and if you say bad things
about people or their honey they will find out !

What is the goal of doing a "rant" on honey with each pound jar you sell
about all the possible things which could or could not be in honey? If you
are trying to inform then start with a small part of the issue and say that
honey from China has been found to contain chloramphenical about a year ago
and was pulled from shelves in the UK.. Some honey in the U.S. and Canada
was found to contain the antibiotic and was destroyed. You are giving honest
correct information which they can easily verify.

I sell the most honey at the market partly because we have got an excellent
product , always are polite, we use Mr. & Mrs., try to learn our customers
names and if a customer has a problem I will make the problem right. If they
walk 10 feet from the stand and drop the jar and the jar breaks they get
another jar! We always thank out customers for their business.

I admit I have quietly answered consumers questions on the subjects Eric
posted but I do not use as a way to increase sales.

My two cents worth!

Bob

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