$1 an oz how do ya do that?

[TheBuzz]

I imagine the wholesale cost is lower but I suppose if you have a market you can command this price?

http://www.blackbirdballard.com/Ball...tle_18597.html

[Rader Sidetrack]

Its clear that Blackbird is a retailer, not the producer. Here's the producer's web site:
http://www.ballardbeecompany.com/Bal...ney_Sales.html

Retailers are free to price their products however they choose. But just because a jar has a "retail price" does not mean that there are significant numbers of transactions at that price.

[jmgi]

The packaging to me isn't very attractive, kind of looks like a bottle of something you would see in a laboratory. Price is another thing. John

[Daniel Y]

Marketing is an extremely complex subject. That is probably why you can get things like college degrees and people are paid their entire careers just to manage it. It is also an in exact science. Meaning they can see how it works but cannot predict it very well or even know why it works the way it does.

So what does it have to say about $1 an oz or higher honey and why people will pay that. Basically what is known is that they will. And the higher the price, if you are doing the right things, is better.

A real case of what goes on in the brain of a person that selects honey that is priced 4 times what it is really worth is not that the honey is worth 4 times as much. It is that they are. And it is important to understand this when marketing to this customer.

SO get this picture.

A Caribbean sunset with a super model figured woman lounging on a rock wearing a top fashion bikini covered in a silk shawl. laying back while her muscle bond sex slave man drips honey on her lips. and that honey is yours. And she is worth every drop.
It is like $1000 a bottle wine.

I sell pens and I once showed my top of the line most expensive pen to a person. It was priced at $700. they asked me if I mad anything they would be interested in. I asked what they woudl be interested in and they said anything over $2500. This person would literally be embarrassed to pull out a pen to sign something that was not unmistakable worth over 2 grand. I told him no but I could get him something. He eventually bought a mammoth ivory pen enlayed with ebony and Opal. It was costume made with the materials selected specifically for his pen. where the opal came from. the exact piece of Ivory etc all had connections to him and his life story. It was a very easy story to tell as he pulled the pen from his pocket and had his 20 seconds to point out his obvious importance in owning such an instrument.

So that is just one example of how the human and buying actually work.

What made the pet rock such a hit. Truth is nobody really knows. But you had to have one. and it had to be authentic. and that is probably where it lies. I have an authentic. Authentic rock? No Authentic Pet Rock. It is like a source of pride to have paid money for a stupid rock. But it works.

[JRG13]

I think that was the whole point of the bottles and labels. Seems like they may be doing something right or maybe $$ isn't an issue.

[TheBuzz]

The more u make it a luxury with higher perceived higher the better then I suppose?

[lazy shooter]

That bottle makes me think there is a label on the other side that states: WalMart Pharmacy, Take twice a day with meals.

[Edcrosbys]

That bottle makes me think there is a label on the other side that states: WalMart Pharmacy, Take twice a day with meals.

Maybe there's a huge "allergy following" in that area and that's what they are going for? Either way, it's distinctive!

[JRG13]

Still, to price ur honey that high seems kind of full or yourself.

[lazy shooter]

I worked for a major oil field service company was subjected to several negotiating schools. The first thing taught was that the price of anything is determined by what someone is willing to pay for it. I don't plan on selling any honey, so it doesn't matter to me. I would like to bottle a couple of hundred bottles of honey to give to my friends. I'm 73 and the bees are fun thing for me. For you beekeepers that want to make a profit, sell it for what the market will bear. In hard times, no one is going to come take care of you.

[BeeCurious]

I sell a very small amount of honey. Most is sold within view of the hives at a farm stand. The area is an expensve housing market, and everything else is pricey too. Non treating or heating my honey is a plus. Some of my honey has sold for $10 per pound, but most has gone for $12. Or, $1.00 per liquid ounce ...

[EastSideBuzz]

If you can command 23 bucks a jar good for you. You only need to sell 1/3 of what I do to make the same money. How about those gas stations that sell gas a buck higher then everyone else around. Market demand driven.

[sqkcrk]

Raw? Unfiltered? Uh-huh.

They are helping to raise the average retail price. That's a good thing.

[Mbeck]

A rising tide lifts all ships!

Thank goodness it's not $1.00 per # people might use that as a reference point.

[sqkcrk]

Yes, Mbeck, that's right, but if I can get my honey on the same shelf I believe I could make a living at a lower price.

[Roland]

A buck an ounce is normal at the farmer's markets in Urban areas.

Crazy Roland

[Mbeck]

Yes, Mbeck, that's right, but if I can get my honey on the same shelf I believe I could make a living at a lower price.

Yes, you maybe able to offer a better value, but if others are having success at higher prices do you maintain your "make a living price" or consider raising them? I would be tempted to split the difference if I felt my product offered a similar value and I could effectively communicate that value.

I'm not suggesting a huge jump without a different strategy but I could foresee a senecio where local and smaller producers/bottlers benefit from a spike in popularity of boutique,premium or higher end bottled honey.

All speculation on my part no great amount of experience.
Pricing is a important difficult decision to make and one that you might not often know if you made correctly.
Thoughts?

[sqkcrk]

Actually, were I wanting to sell more honey and had a jar and label of similar quality, but different in style, and I had a chance of getting my honey on the shelf, I would wholesale my product at the same whole sale price as the other guy, not less.

I have some RAW Honey at one of the stores I sell to and I made the mistake of pricing it lower than what I wrote above. Profit loss.

[lazy shooter]

Honey is a great commodity. It is a natural food, and there are more and more people searching for natural or organic foods. If one considers the demand and the current inflation of most food items, a buck an ounce doesn't sound bad.

[Rader Sidetrack]

Here is another example:

http://beeraw.com/raw-honey-collecti...-honey-71.html



$14 for 10.5 oz of honey. That is $1.33 per ounce. This came to my attention via a banner ad on Beesource. What a great site to use market expensive honey!

You folks that want to know how to get this price just need to follow Zeke's example!

Meet Zeke Freeman

Growing up on his family’s farm in Northwestern Pennsylvania, Zeke Freeman gained an appreciation for homegrown fruits and vegetables and the rich heritage of artisanal food production. As an adult, he turned his passion for preparing food for family and friends into a full-time pursuit of the culinary arts.
In 1989, Freeman enrolled in the University of Montana’s School of Food Management & Culinary Arts, and after earning his degree, he relocated to France to continue his education at the Hotel School of Grenoble. While in France, he worked under the direction of Alain Ducasse, a highly acclaimed chef known for his unique interpretation of Mediterranean cuisine.
Following two years in France working with and learning from accomplished international chefs, Freeman moved back to the United States and began working as a buyer for Dean & Deluca in New York City. In his pursuit of fine foods for the upscale retailer, Freeman discovered Beehive Bee Products, Inc., whose founder, Ann Becker, was interested in selling singlefloral varietal honeys.
Working as an advisor, Freeman repackaged Beehive’s honeys in clear, retro-inspired glass jars, earning recognition in Metropolitan Home’s Top 100. In 2005, Freeman acquired majority ownership of Beehive Bee Products, in partnership with Sam Yocum, a photographer and designer. Freeman and Yocum re-launched the company under its current name: Bee Raw Honey.
​http://beeraw.com/meet-zeke-freeman