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Date: | Fri, 5 Apr 1996 19:54:14 GMT |
Content-Type: | text/plain |
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Mark D Egloff asked how beekeepers on the list sell, distribute, or oth=
erwise
market their honey crops.
Hi Mark,
I am but a small scale hobbyist beekeeper [6 hives] but my best customer =
is the
largest chemical company in the UK!
In order to demonstrate committment to the environment and to involve the=
local
communities, many of ICI's factories have made over peripheral land withi=
n their
boundaries as ecological study areas. A factory local to me has such an =
area
and to increase interest for local schools who visit the ecological reser=
ve, I
manage two hives on it; the factory is in a rural setting, processes no =
agressive
chemicals and is within a security fence.
My colonies do extremely well and the company BUY! honey produced in them=
to
give to visiting VIPs who have an environmental interest to reinforce the=
ir 'green
credentials' - and very effective it is too; my honey has gone to Japan, =
India,
Israel, USA, Korea and many European countries too.
I appreciate that this situation is not one that many beekeepers will be =
able to
repeat but the lesson for me is that niche markets can be profitable and =
reliable,
perhaps this may point a way for others.
In this case the sale of my honey is very dependant on the perceived pur=
ity of
the product, mercifully Scotland is still Varroa free and I have run colo=
nies for
several years without needing to administer medication of any kind, I hop=
e that I
can continue for many more but recent threads on BEE L re treatments whic=
h
minimise the likelyhood of chemical contamination are of great interest =
to me.
Here in the UK we are witnessing in a forcible way, what happens when pub=
lic
trust is lost in a food product - with the banning of British beef in man=
y countries
because of the BSE/CJ disease scares.
Geoff Allison
Dalbeattie, Scotland
Email [log in to unmask]
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