Doorstep honey sales

[beeser]

Are the doorstep sales allowed by law in your country?
Are the small beekeepers satisfied with the production and sales that way?
Possible to live with honey production?

Are there many honey buyers/distributors and what are the prices they offer?

[gavin]

1. Yes. We must have the right kind of label, and we must be producing to a good standard of food handling - we can be inspected for that by an official from local government. But as long as we meet these conditions we can sell at the doorstep, at workplaces, at shows and festivals, or in local shops.

2. Beekeepers usually can find a market for their honey. People appreciate locally-produced honey. However we have had several wet summers and the honey crop for many has been low. In parts of the west of Scotland production was better.

3. Yes. There are 7 or 8 bee farmers operating in Scotland with colony numbers of about 1000 or more. Most of them employ additional help in the summer and make their living from honey production.

4. Yes, there is at least one large-scale trader and some smaller ones. I don't know what prices they offer, but they are a lot less than the prices small-scale producers get for their jars of honey.

[Neils]

Are the doorstep sales allowed by law in your country?

As far as I am aware...

Are the small beekeepers satisfied with the production and sales that way?

I think it is far more common for beekeepers with a reasonable surplus over and above what they might sell/give to friends and family to foster a relationship with a local shop to sell the honey through, certainly in the city.

Possible to live with honey production?

You can, but most of us on this forum are hobbyist beekeepers.

Are there many honey buyers/distributors and what are the prices they offer?

No idea, most of us will probably never produce enough honey to interest a buyer/distributor.

[Bumble]

Are the doorstep sales allowed by law in your country?

Yes, some hobby beekeepers sell their honey from their home by putting a notice outside their house. Labelling regulations are more relaxed if the buyer buys honey directly from the beekeeper.

Are the small beekeepers satisfied with the production and sales that way?

Mostly, but some also sell honey where they have their day job, or at car boot sales. Breaking even by recovering equipment, treatment, fuel and sugar costs is a bonus.

Possible to live with honey production?

You need a lot of hives to do that. Some local-to-us beekeepers supplement their income by going to New Zealand during the British winter, where they either run their own business or are employed by "big" beekeepers.

Are there many honey buyers/distributors and what are the prices they offer?

I know of one local beekeeper sells his jarred and labelled honey at between £2 - £2.50 per pound "wholesale" to retail outlets.