Commercial Only: Whats a word worth?

[Bron]

Just a little bug bear of mine and something I’d like to get a bit chatty about. Why are we allowing the use of phrase “low quality honey” to describe non-Manuka honey.

We don’t produce low quality honey, we produce high quality honey, just the non-Manuka which provides low value return.
Let’s not allow our product to be devalued.

In a world that is pushing back against “fake honey”, we need to trumpet our high quality, tasty honey to honey connoisseurs.

 

[Morporks]

You properly have to look at the people using the term and work out what they are trying to achieve. Maybe its make their product sound better

 

[Mummzie]

totally agree- its marketing 101 and brand protection to get rid of it.
To stamp out the use of the phrase, options have to be available as an alternative, and preferably not ones that refer to manuka.
so......
Bush Honey?
Native Flora honey?
"Varietal name" honey
Nectar of "xxx" honey
Premium grade honey

 

[yesbut]

Yes, like Manuka Magic, Mahoe Nectar, Forgettable Flax, Clover Collage, Rata Rubbish,, Kamahi Tar, etc...possibilities are endless..

 

[Maggie]

Yes, like Manuka Magic, Mahoe Nectar, Forgettable Flax, Clover Collage, Rata Rubbish,, Kamahi Tar, etc...possibilities are endless..

Ellesmere Noxious Weeds Honey (anything that flowers in the Selwyn River bed that ECan insist on spraying and some of it's beautiful in honey). Willow, lotus, borage, clovers just to name a few!

 

[Bron]

Ecan needs to read the labels better!

 

[Scientia Sit Potentia]

Just a little bug bear of mine and something I’d like to get a bit chatty about. Why are we allowing the use of phrase “low quality honey” to describe non-Manuka honey.

We don’t produce low quality honey, we produce high quality honey, just the non-Manuka which provides low value return.
Let’s not allow our product to be devalued.

In a world that is pushing back against “fake honey”, we need to trumpet our high quality, tasty honey to honey connoisseurs.

I totally agree. 'Low Quality Honey' or 'Low Grade Honey' as terms to describe non Manuka are simply the vocabulary of the ignorant.

 

[yesbut]

Not if if you thinking in $$ terms starting at $xxkg

 

[tommy dave]

Not if if you thinking in $$ terms starting at $xxkg

high quality honey at a high price vs high quality honey at a low price?

i've explained to at least a couple of acquaintances that there is no sugar adulteration in any honey that you can buy in nz, that it's all nz produced (even the cheapest or with the least beautiful packaging and labeling), that there is a lot of variety in taste, that it's likely that all nz honeys have similar health properties when eaten, that honeys variously labelled "bush blend" or similar are among my favourites, and that my honey that I gave them and they like would likely be one of three varieties depending on where it came from "urban multi-floral", "pohutukawa", "pasture-bush blend"

generally a few responses:
1 - my favourite tasting honey is actually pretty cheap at the supermarket now on special...
2 - why would i pay extra for manuka?
3 - but surely you can figure out what the honey you jar up actually comes from, mostly, like test it or something?

 

[Bron]

I was actually trying to have a serious conversation about a serious misconception.

Honey producers do exactly that, bulk package and sell honey that bees have gathered from floral sources.

Some floral sources have been afforded a premium price. I’m not trying to devalue that. I appreciate the hard work the has gone into the branding, marketing etc. It would be nice to see the producer get a little bigger slice of the pie, but we have become price takers, which suits the buyers.

This should not however make our other honey blends or native monos to be described by the buyers of lower quality because they haven’t had the marketing and research of the “premium“ product.

Me thinks that they actually want whats stored in all those sheds out there, but just don’t want to pay a fair price for it.

I’d appreciate less flippant comments from those with no skin in the game. This has been posted to the commercial beekeepers section intentionally.

 

[Grant]

I’d appreciate less flippant comments from those with no skin in the game. This has been posted to the commercial beekeepers section intentionally.

I've moved it to the peer to peer commercial forum to aid your discussion. This forum only allows other commercials to reply.

 

[Bron]

I've moved it to the peer to peer commercial forum to aid your discussion. This forum only allows other commercials to reply.

Thank you

 

[John B]

Honey used to be just honey. Different varieties and types, absolutely but just honey.
Everyone knew it was pure and 100% honey et cetera.
Calling honey names like true honey, purity, hundred percent pure et cetera implies that other brands aren't pure or 100% or even true honey and is misleading and disingenuous.
Raw, no added sugar, produced using organic principles are also terms used to make someone's honey look better than everybody else's and make everyone else's honey look like it's cooked, full of sugar and full of chemicals none of which is true.
Comb, liquid, creamed, colour, UMF, mono floral, multi floral even organic are descriptions and I have no problem with them but I do have a real problem with marketing bumf that pushes one brand by denigrating others..
All this misleading advertising has an effect in the real world. I have lost count of the number of discussions I've had with customers over whether my comb honey is really raw, how can I be sure it's raw and why is it only half the price of the true, hundred percent, pure, raw and unprocessed honey they brought last week.
Call me old-fashioned but I can't see why having a few bees legs and wings in a jar of honey makes it worth more.

 

[southbee]

I certainly don't want our crop referred to as low grade, we're not in a serious Manuka producing area and the buyers know that and I have never had one use the term low grade or similar to buy our honey, at least not to my face. But I'd be angry if one would.
You could be quite right @Bron and there's starting to be some demand for all that honey sitting in sheds, but at what price. So us beekeepers shouldn't put up with degrading the product with a name. Honey is still just honey, the different sources only provide different flavour and there's a demand for all the different flavours out there.

 

[southbee]

Honey used to be just honey. Different varieties and types, absolutely but just honey.
Everyone knew it was pure and 100% honey et cetera.
Calling honey names like true honey, purity, hundred percent pure et cetera implies that other brands aren't pure or 100% or even true honey and is misleading and disingenuous.
Raw, no added sugar, produced using organic principles are also terms used to make someone's honey look better than everybody else's and make everyone else's honey look like it's cooked, full of sugar and full of chemicals none of which is true.
Comb, liquid, creamed, colour, UMF, mono floral, multi floral even organic are descriptions and I have no problem with them but I do have a real problem with marketing bumf that pushes one brand by denigrating others..
All this misleading advertising has an effect in the real world. I have lost count of the number of discussions I've had with customers over whether my comb honey is really raw, how can I be sure it's raw and why is it only half the price of the true, hundred percent, pure, raw and unprocessed honey they brought last week.
Call me old-fashioned but I can't see why having a few bees legs and wings in a jar of honey makes it worth more.

We retail some of our crop, some 'Creamed' and some 'Raw'. The term 'raw' came about to show simply that it's not creamed and we sell it cheaper than the creamed. I have heaps of people asking me why it's cheaper as other 'Raw' honey is more expensive and with that must be better, purer, healthier? I explain every time that it's easier for me to produce, hence it costs me less to produce so I pass that on to the customer. Anything else I'd consider a rip off, as it's not healthier or purer. Funny the comments you get for your comb honey, how you can be sure if it's pure....

 

[Alastair]

Here's a rant about one of the most rude people I have come across in this business. She flagged me down on the side of the road and said she would like to have some bees on the property.

Looked like an OK site but I didn't have any spare hives so told her I'll just put 4 hives there for now and see how it goes, which I did. Also gave her 6 500g jars of honey. "Is it manuka" she asked? No, I said, it has manuka in it but not enough to be pure, it is called multi flora. She didn't look pleased, I told her I will put some more hives there when available and at that time will give her some more honey.

A few weeks later I get a super aggro phone call from her. She said she has been waiting for more honey, and I have not delivered. Also, she doesn't want the "low grade honey", she wants "the good stuff". She was so rude and aggressive it was obvious all respect had gone, so I told her I would remove the bees, which I did a few days later. I then texted her and said I had taken them but just for good will, I would drop her some more honey, but she replied with a text which was also rude and aggressive, and said she didn't want any honey from me.

Stupid person.

I get some great comments from people who get my multi flora bush blend and myself, I find it a delicious honey, I don't much eat any other honey types. But to some people, anything other than manuka is rubbish.

 

[Bron]

I’m not a honey eater, more of a taster. I wouldn’t have it on toast, or in a sandwich. I love to taste thou. Different yards and areas can be taste wise so very different tasting, also from year to year. I like to buy other peoples honey from other places, just wish I could buy it in small quantities. Taster pots.

I offered a nice man living in the “lifestyle” village a couple of houses up from mum a jar of honey once as he’d been very kind to mum. He said he preferred his supermarket clover. You don’t know, what you don’t know till you provide an opportunity for an alternative.

I enjoy talking honey with honey enthusiasts as they really taste and enjoy the difference. I don’t do it much as we don’t really sell in jars. I’m no great fan of Manuka, the taste is overwhelming, as is the smell if you’ve ever extracted honey day after day. I like subtle favours rather than ones that hit the back of your throat and nose like a sledge hammer.

Farmers markets & other markets provide alternatives for the honey freak, which is great. Honey education one wooden stick at a time.

In the 10 or so years I’ve been selling bulk honey I’ve only ever had one honey buyer ask me what it tastes like, and trust me I’ve talked to a number over the years.

 

[Alastair]

I didn't used to like manuka when I was young, and at that time I was working in the far North, making a lot of manuka, but it waa regarded as an el cheapo honey back then.

But the taste has grown on me, quite like it now.

Honey on toast? Well to me that's the best way to eat it but you need a full flavoured honey not clover. Hot toast with melted butter and a lick of a good bush honey, not much to beat that.