I want to start a sponsor a hive program where you can sponsor a hive and I will order a package for you or do a split in the persons name and I would like to have a honey share sort of thing along with it.
But the last years and looks like this year there isn't going to be any honey in my local.
What do yall think and how much would you charge I would sell it as a way for people to help the environment and food supply but they don't have to do any of the work just give me the cash.
Don't know if I will actually be able to sell it but I think it would be a cool addition to the website.
I was thinking around 250 at least oh and there would be a time limit on any honey or what ever they receive like say x number of pounds for 2 years or y number for 3.
I would have to find a way to add shipping into the equation. Maybe get some label printers and print individuals names on their honey jars.
Like this honey came from the hive Sue Smith Sponsored.
So tell me what do you think how much would I have to charge to make sure it doesn't cost me and maybe makes me a little for my effort.
Well, $250 would buy 50 lbs of honey at $5/lb.
$250 would get you a package and the hive basics. That hive could generate anywhere from 0 to 150lbs of honey depending on your location, climate and weather.
If you can provide some information on what your climate is going to be like, rainfall, drought conditions, etc, for the next two years, I can probably tell you better what it will look like. :-D
But you'd be able to provide them with about 2 gallons of honey a year for two years at that rate, plus potentially have even more extra for you to sell.
Or you could just sell a "share" and that would be 4 or 5 gallons (or 16 or 18 quarts) for that price and just use what hives you have.
But then again I don't think that my bees help the environment or the food supply any more than getting a goat or a cow (ok, less so, honey is a sweetener, not a meal), so I'd never be able to sell this that way. I could sell it as a share of awesome local honey that beats the pants of anything purchased in the grocery store, but not as some kind of altruistic environmental penance. :evil:
Rick
Quote from: Scadsobees on June 08, 2011, 05:22:41 PM
But then again I don't think that my bees help the environment or the food supply any more than getting a goat or a cow (ok, less so, honey is a sweetener, not a meal), so I'd never be able to sell this that way. I could sell it as a share of awesome local honey that beats the pants of anything purchased in the grocery store, but not as some kind of altruistic environmental penance. :evil:
Agreed. But consider researching models used by CSAs. Buyers, motivated partly by the desire for tasty local food and partly by the wish to support local farming even if it is more expensive, put in cash at the beginning of the year and are rewarded with x shares of the crops that are available. If a particular crop fails, then the farmer substitutes what they do have. You might have more luck by doing it as a yearly subscription, rather than "sponsor a hive". That also allows you to pool honey. If a particular hive has a bad year, a sponsor would get nothing. But a subscriber to your community-supported apiary could get x share of whatever smaller amount does get produced.
But what if your sponsored hive dies first year before a honey harvest?
Yeah these are the things I have been weighing in my head over if I should offer this and remember last year I starved out hives it was so dry here in my location. The Mississippi delta doesn't seem to get rain without hurricanes and nothing has been normal here sense Katrina. I mean it has been a blessing with all the tornadoes missing us knock on wood, but the price has been no rain at all. If I was in any other area I would most likely have already offered the service.
top & bottom 5.00
Bodies & honey super 14.00
Frames 45.00
production hive + 200.00 or 100.00 For package / nuc
--------- -------
Total 264.00 164.00
I end up with a production hive short 5 frames and a nuc to stock the sponsored hive oh hive to add 20 for queen.
My problem keeps coming to the honey I would have to put the hives on the in-laws land to get honey and that is 60 miles to the west of here over toward Bud's but still not close to Bud.
Yeah, don't forget to count your own time in and value it as well as other work you could be doing.
+ advertising, marketing, bottling, and shipping.