Large beekeepers can not turn a
profit if they limit their market to their local
community. Beekeepers who have several colonies must be
able to sell their product at larger grocery stores and
supermarkets if they want to remain financially solvent.
In order for beekeepers to sell their honey to a larger
market their packaging must meet certain USDA standards.
The first thing beekeepers have to decide is what kind
of container they want to use to hold their honey. The
standard size of containers used to sell honey are
measured in pounds. The typical amount of honey offered
to the customers can be as small an amount as a half
pound or as large as five pounds of honey. Some stores
perfect to sell honey that is measured in gallons, these
stores offer their customers the option of purchasing a
container of honey as small as a half pint or as large
as one gallon. If, as a beekeeper, you are attracted to
novelty containers you can choose from a variety of fun
containers such as skeps, bears, and plastic squeeze
bottles.
Once you have settled on the perfect bottle for your
honey you have to design an equally perfect label.
Before you start designing a label for your honey check
with your state government, most states have several
laws and requirements about how labels appear on
products. Make sure that the word honey is written in
bold letters across the label. The word should stand out
and really catch the casual shopper's eye. Most graphic
designers recommend that the honey should run parallel
with the container's base. Do not authorize a label if
the design does not incorporate your name (or your
farm's name) and your address. If you use a packing or
distribution company their name and address must also be
included on the label. The final thing that needs to be
clearly printed on the label is the net weight of the
honey. If the honey you are marketing weighs between one
to four pounds then the weight has to be written in both
pounds and ounces. The print size used to show the net
weight is not random, the font size is determined by the
size and shape of the container.
If you are a beekeeper who harvests your honey more then
once a season you might be able to write what flavor of
honey you are selling. You might have honey that is
flavored with clover, alfalfa, or apple blossoms.
Labels that have words such as unfiltered, natural, raw,
and areanic refer to honey that has not been processed.
Beekeepers who have USDA (United States Department of
Agriculture) grades printed on the label have passed a
set of USDA grade standards. Honey that has a USDA grade
of A has passed the exacting government standards. Honey
that has a USDA grade of D has passed only a bare
minimum of standards. The USDA grades honey based on the
amount of moisture in the honey, clarity, flavor
quality, and defects.