BBKA Forum

Well Patrick,I've thought about cut comb before and last year actually put a dummied down super with a single foundationless frame to see what would happen.
Behold! - a beautiful drawn comb appeared and they began to fill and cap it
I thought it best to leave it well alone while they worked on it so my inner blithering idiot only viewed the top of the seams.
In the week it took for my inner over-excited child to work out how the hell to package it without expenditure...



Adding insult to injury,I assume it was her drones that were trapped in there and scoffed the lot.
Needless to say that particular qx was weighed in and now possibly reimported within a Chinese lawnmower

I've heard cut comb has limited appeal to the Great Unwashed as they don't know what to do with it innit?

Fortunately uuup North they are mainly well washed. and appreciate the finer points of food production
Nearly out of last years cut comb at £7 a pop for an approx 5-6 oz block.
Selling well are whole frames at £40 a pop (down to last one)....mind the packaging isn't cheap but worth it just for the interest it creates on the stall.
Currently honey sales are through the roof, each market seems to get better and better.
A good time to be in the honey selling business; although in unfortunate times.

Lovely packaging, but you will certainly end up with an injury claim when they chomp a splinter of pine into their gums innit.

That does indeed look classy Nigel.

Thornes also supply some nice clear plastic cartons. Designed by a mate of mine and which won him a prize at the National one year. A considerable improvement on the grim old flimsy margarine tub style containers with lids that constantly tried to pop off.

I think honey in the comb is the business. Shame it’s fallen into obscurity down here, rather like buying whole fish on bone.

Patrick wrote: ↑

04 Mar 2021, 16:47

Thornes also supply some nice clear plastic cartons. Designed by a mate of mine and which won him a prize at the National one year. A considerable improvement on the grim old flimsy margarine tub style containers with lids that constantly tried to pop off.

They are indeed what I use for my cut comb. I notice the later ones are now slightly smaller than the originals so the cut comb cutter bits fit them. Originally they were quite huge and you had to cut by hand.

It's quite fortunate that many beekeepers don't sell cut comb as this makes it something connoisseurs seek out. And when they find you sell cut comb they come back and back, time and time again.
It's not as good a seller as runny or soft set in terms of volume but more than makes up for it in ease of preparation and profit margin.

P.S. I'm assuming it's alright to talk about making a profit from beekeeping, as many associations seem to frown upon such crass things as monetary gain from our hobby.

Alfred wrote: ↑

04 Mar 2021, 13:39

Lovely packaging, but you will certainly end up with an injury claim when they chomp a splinter of pine into their gums innit.

Should that ever happen I'm sure it will test the BBKA insurance policy small print

NigelP wrote:
P.S. I'm assuming it's alright to talk about making a profit from beekeeping, as many associations seem to frown upon such crass things as monetary gain from our hobby.

Oh if you must Nigel. Making a heroic slight loss is just, well.... more British, surely?

[quote="Patrick"

Oh if you must Nigel. Making a heroic slight loss is just, well.... more British, surely? [/quote]

But make sure you apologise too

"Currently honey sales are through the roof, each market seems to get better and better."
I agree that sales are up and honey yield was down last year. In fact I have run out for the first time. I wonder if sales have increased due to people either buying locally; or they think that honey will help with Covid or they realise that imported honey "of the EU and non EU countries" could quite possibly be half honey and half rice syrup that's come from China via India or something like that.

For whatever reason Adam, it is booming at the moment. Whether this continues once costa-del-sol holidays reappear is an unknown. I shall enjoy it while it lasts.
Have channel 5 filming Thirsk Farmers market on Sunday where Peter Wright (Yorkshire vet) is going to shop for them. Already had to give them permission to film me....
Fame /money/ won't turn my head /huge grin/