How to Price Your Honey

Pricing honey is surprisingly emotional for many beekeepers. You've put in the work — the hive inspections, the mite treatments, the extracting and bottling — and now you're staring at a jar wondering, "What's this actually worth?"

The answer: more than you think. Local raw honey is a premium product, and you should price it like one. This guide will help you find the sweet spot between fair compensation and market acceptance.

Stop Underselling Yourself

Let's address the elephant in the room: too many hobby beekeepers price their honey way too low.

Common justifications for cheap prices:

• "I just want to cover my costs"
• "It's a hobby, not a business"
• "I don't want to seem greedy"
• "I have plenty — I just want it gone"

Here's why these are problematic:

Your honey isn't competing with the $6 bear at Walmart. That product is often imported, blended, ultrafiltered, and sometimes adulterated. Yours is local, raw, traceable, and real. Different product, different price.

Current Market Rates (2025)

Honey prices vary by region, but here's what local raw honey typically sells for in the United States:

These are starting points. Your specific pricing should account for your costs, your market, and what comparable local honey sells for.

How to Research Your Local Market

• Visit farmers markets and note what honey vendors charge
• Check local health food stores and co-ops
• Search Facebook Marketplace for "local honey" in your area
• Ask at your local beekeeping club — members are usually happy to share

If you find your area has no baseline, that's actually good news — you get to help set it. Start at the higher end of national averages.

Calculate Your True Costs

Before setting prices, understand what it actually costs you to produce a jar of honey:

Direct Costs (Per Jar)

Indirect Costs (Amortized)

Spread these across your annual production:

• Equipment: Extractor, uncapping tools, buckets, strainers
• Hive maintenance: Frames, foundation, woodenware replacement
• Treatments: Mite treatments, feed, medications
• Bee purchases: If you bought packages, nucs, or queens
• Market fees: Farmers market booth costs, if applicable

The Hardest Cost: Your Time

This is where most beekeepers shortchange themselves. Consider all the time involved:

• Hive inspections and management
• Extraction day (easily 4-8 hours)
• Bottling, labeling, inventory
• Selling time (farmers markets, deliveries)

What's your time worth? Even at a modest $15/hour, those hours add up fast.

Pricing by Jar Size

Most beekeepers offer multiple sizes. Here's how to price them logically:

The Volume Discount Principle

Larger jars should cost less per ounce than smaller ones. Why? Packaging costs are proportionally lower, and you want to incentivize customers to buy more.

Notice the smallest size has the highest per-ounce price. This is intentional — small jars cost nearly as much to package as large ones, and they're often impulse purchases or gifts where customers are less price-sensitive.

Varietal & Specialty Premiums

Not all honey is created equal, and your pricing can reflect that.

Varietal Honey Premiums

If you can identify your honey's source (confirmed by timing, location, taste, and color), charge more for it:

• Wildflower / Mixed: Baseline price
• Clover: +10-15% (popular, recognizable)
• Orange blossom: +15-25% (distinctive, sought-after)
• Buckwheat: +20-30% (dark, strong flavor, rarer)
• Sourwood: +30-50% (Appalachian specialty, commands premium)
• Tupelo: +50-100% (very rare, famous)

Comb Honey

Cut comb or section comb sells at significant premiums — typically $18-30 per pound. The bees did extra work building that wax, and customers love the novelty.

Creamed Honey

If you make creamed honey, you can charge 15-25% more. It requires extra processing and has perceived added value.

Wholesale vs. Retail Pricing

If you sell to stores or restaurants, you'll sell at wholesale prices — typically 50-60% of retail.

Is wholesale worth it? It depends. You make less per jar, but you sell volume with less effort (no market days, no individual customer interactions). For many beekeepers, a mix of both works best.

Common Pricing Mistakes

• Matching the cheapest seller. Don't race to the bottom. Compete on quality and story, not price.
• Pricing based on what you'd pay. Your personal price sensitivity doesn't reflect your market. Test higher prices — you might be surprised.
• Forgetting hidden costs. Gas to farmers markets, credit card processing fees (typically 2.5-3%), spoilage, samples — these add up.
• Inconsistent pricing. Charge the same price at the market, online, and to friends. Word gets around if someone got a deal.
• Not raising prices. Costs go up every year. Review your pricing annually and adjust as needed.
• Overthinking it. Pick a price, try it, see how it goes. You can always adjust.