I helped a friend for two seasons getting him started in bee keeping. This year he has three hives and we are estimating 300 lbs. of honey to harvest. He doesn't have the time to extract due to his job commitments. He has offered to sell the honey to me. I could use some extra honey as I have run out every year so far. I sell honey for $6.00 @ lb. retail. How much should I offer him for this honey? I have to remove the supers and haul them home and then extract the honey and use my own bottles and labels. All I am asking is what is a fair price for both of us?
How much should I pay for 300 lbs. of honey
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
I pay $2.50 - $3 per pound in 5 gallon buckets, extracted, filtered ready to bottle. Since he has very little invested in this crop and everything he gets is pure profit, I would think $1 per pound would be more than reasonable. I would be happy to get $300 for doing next to nothing. Or share crop and let him keep 3-5 gallons to do with as he pleases, sell, eat, give away, etc. I assume since he wanted hives he wanted honey.
Joined
·
24,666 Posts
I sell 5 gallon buckets of honey for $2.50/lb, $150.00/bucket unstrained. I pay a friend to extract my honey. I deliever it to him, he extracts it and puts it in 5 gallon buckets for me for 25 cents per lb. Another friend wants to take honey off of one of my yards, extract it himself and buy the honey from me.
At $2.50/lb, had I taken the honey off and paid to have it extracted I figured that my friend is saving me 25 cents extracting fee per pound and time and trouble taking it off of the hives. So I said, "How does $2.10 per pound sound?", and my friend said, "Sounds good to me."
So, from here $2.00 or $2.10/lb seems reasonable.
The size of the crop always looks bigger when it is on the hive(s). Don't do any math until it is in buckets and has been weighed. Unless you just want to guess at how much honey is actually in each bucket which is fine and takes the trouble of weighing out of the process. In other words, you probably don't actually have 300 lbs of extracted honey. So don't be disappointed.
Joined
·
24,666 Posts
Right you are Jim. Business between friends is tricky. The "buyer" may wish to put the ball in his friends court and ask him what he wants? Keeping in mind what the buyer may want. You could each put your numbers down on slips of paper and exchange them having agreed before hand that if they don't match a compromise will be negotiated.
Being the seller, I figured out what I thought was fair and was prepared to go either up or down according to my buyer friend. We have done this before and cpl yrs ago. It works out between mature adults.
Being the seller, I figured out what I thought was fair and was prepared to go either up or down according to my buyer friend. We have done this before and cpl yrs ago. It works out between mature adults.
Joined
·
2,282 Posts
locally about +/- 2.50 to 2.75 in a 5 gallon bucket or close to 2.00 in a barrel less an extracting fee comes out to something around 1.50 per pound or so. if a lot of extra work or trucking is involved adjust down some. if he is helping and a real close friend adjust up a little. 300 lbs. is half a barrel or 5 buckets, if you need it maybe 1.75, the best deal is fair for both. marks idea is good and his numbers are real ,he posted while I was typing and distracted by a large grandchildren invasion. .
Joined
·
24,666 Posts
$190.00 divided by 60lbs of honey equals $3.16/lb minus the cost of taking it off the hives minus the cost of extracting equals about $2.75 or maybe $2.65/lb.
Joined
·
6,767 Posts
Here is the most current printed information that I know of and it reflects the honey market back in June before any northern new crop was produced. This is what trailer load lots were selling for at the time, smaller lots of specialty or local honey usually sell for a bit more.
http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/fvmhoney.pdf
I think in the $1.50 would be on the low end and 2.00 would be on the high end of what I would be willing to pay my friend if I had to do this. There is a guy on the craigslist that extract supers for $10 a super. that is $.33 a pound if it weight 30lbs and then you have to remember that you have the time to take it off and every thing. Are you paying him on a flat rate or on weight when you are done extracting. I think you should ask him how much he want and see where you two come out on this.
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
