Keeping bees is an excellent hobby for many people. It creates a few byproducts that can bring profit: beeswax and honey. Of the two, honey is the one that has more demand. Considered as a great addition to any diet, this sweet treat can sell for a reasonable price. If you want to go beyond filling a few bottles for yourself and friends, here are a few tips:
Make Sure that It Is Legal
The first thing that you should do is to confirm that you can sell your honey. Honey is a regulated product, and there are a few requirements when it comes to selling them properly. For one, if you get 75 percent of your honey from your hives, then you don’t need a license to operate. If you do get honey from other people’s colonies, there is a registration process before you set up as a food processor.
Besides that, you will need to label your honey correctly. The FDA is pretty strict about this, and it is better to avoid their wrath. A proper label must have your name, the address of the business, the name of the food product, and the weight and volume of the ingredients. You should note if your product is home-produced.
Start Thing About Packaging
There will be some competition around your area, so you need to make sure that your packaging pops. The usual bottles are a favorite, but you can also choose to package the honey in squeeze bottles for convenience. Besides the container, you should do something about the label. Marking it with dry facts from the FDA is not going to cut it. You’ll want to have a picture or two of flowers and bees. You can even throw in a snappy brand name. The key is to catch people’s eyes as they look for something to buy.
Start Marketing
Another part of beating the competition is to create a good reputation. You might want to go to the local farmer’s markets to hawk your wares. Give out free samples to your neighbors and to some prominent people to spark your word-of-mouth marketing. Depending on your target, you might want to advertise in the local paper and ask around for local groceries that are willing to store your product.
Get Some Equipment
Filling bottles is very time-consuming. If you are bottling more than 50 bottles at a time, then you need to contact a filling machine manufacturer. Bottling honey by hand is a waste of time when you could be taking care of your hives or promoting your product. With an automated filler, you can do several days work in a few hours. Do some careful budgeting since these machines can be expensive.
Selling high-quality honey can be very profitable. You need to be able to meet the demand adequately. The tips above can be a big help in doing that. Becoming competitive in the honey industry can be the next step to turning your hobby into an actual livelihood.