Pro Secrets: How to Make Money Selling Honey

WEBVTT

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in a world brimming with complexity few creatures

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embody harmony like the honeybee with tireless

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precision she dances from bloom to bloom each

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motion guided by millennia upon millennia of

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instinct each act in service to the whole and

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then There are the beekeepers, watchful stewards

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of this ancient symbiosis. Part agriscientist,

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part poet, they move along their hives with the

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efficiency of mow, levy and curly, tending to

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the bees' needs as best they can comprehend,

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and with the infrequency of a waterfall in the

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Sahara, sometimes running off flapping and flailing

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like a penguin on a hot sidewalk. This is their

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journey. Welcome, welcome to Be Love Beekeeping

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presented by our great friends and partners in

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beekeeping, Man Lake. Most hobby and sideline

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beekeepers would like to make some money on products

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from their hives. Whether for you it's a side

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hustle, a whole new full -time business, or maybe

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you're one of us stuck with a little too much

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honey and wax, learning how to make money on

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those products is important, but it's not always

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easy. So today's guest, she just happens to be

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a pro at making money selling honey. We will

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discuss everything from logos and branding to

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pricing, selling, distribution. So if you're

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looking to make a profit on your small honey

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business, this is absolutely the episode for

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you. But first, let's take a minute to go inside

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the hive, this feature presented by Primal Bee.

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If you've kept bees for any amount of time, you've

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opened a hive and found comb where it absolutely

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just doesn't seem to belong. Between frames,

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on the inner cover, gluing boxes together, beekeepers

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call it burr comb and it can drive us crazy.

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But the bees, they're not being difficult, they're

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problem solving. Bees have a very specific sense

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of space, roughly 3 eighths of an inch. Any gap

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smaller than that? gets sealed with propolis.

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Any get bigger gets filled with comb. They can't

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help it. It's hardwired into their DNA. So when

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your frames sit a little too far apart or your

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boxes don't stack perfectly flush, your bees

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see a construction project. But here's the interesting

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part. If you notice heavy propolis and burr comb

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concentrated near the top of the hive, around

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the lid, along the upper edges of frames, your

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bees may be doing something more than just filling

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gaps. They might be trying to seal up drafts

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and manage heat loss. They're insulating from

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the inside because the outside isn't cutting

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it. Pay attention to where your bees are building.

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They're often telling you something about the

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hive that you haven't even noticed yet. Next

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time on Inside the Hive, we'll talk about Varroa

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mites and why some colonies handle them so much

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better than others. I'd like to welcome our very

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special guest today, Danielle Brooks, coming

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to us from Florida in the United States. Good

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morning, Danielle. Good morning, Eric. Thank

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you so much for having me on and hello to anybody

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who is watching or listening. It's a great day

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to be here. And you were asking a few minutes

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ago before we got started what it's like here.

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And I can tell you our beekeeping season hasn't

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started yet. We're mid -March of 2026 now, in

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case people are listening later. But yours doesn't

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really ever end. So what is winter like? for

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you there. Is it full on beekeeping or is it

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scaled back a ways? It's definitely scaled back

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a lot. I mean, I don't think it ever really stops

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in Florida. A lot of the beekeepers that I work

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with actually getting their bees back from almonds

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in California right now. And so they're kind

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of doing hive maintenance checks and whatnot.

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But yeah, it's definitely a slower season. The

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queen does slow her production down a lot. However,

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it's warm year round here. So bees are constantly

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out foraging and gathering things and we're just

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on the cusp of that spring honey flow so we're

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getting really excited to see what's going to

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happen this year. We don't really ever get a

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traditional winter here in Florida. A lot of

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the beekeepers that I am presently working with

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are just now getting their bees back from almond

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pollination. So they're going through those hives,

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doing those routine maintenance checks. But right

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now, we're kind of on the cusp of that spring

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honey flow. Nothing has like popped off yet.

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We're, you know, we're antsy, getting excited

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to see what the season is going to bring. But

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yeah, we don't really get traditional winters

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here in Florida, which is kind of nice. Super

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nice. you don't know how easy you have it, but

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that brings some other pests too. So some of

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it balances out. We're going to be talking all

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about your business here shortly. I want to hear

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a little bit about your beekeeping first. You've

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been at this for what about 10 years and how

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many hives do you have? It kind of fluctuates

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like most beekeepers. I generally do not keep

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more, like I keep about six to ten hives, so

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I'm still very much backyard beekeeper. I don't

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personally want to scale more than that. It's

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a lot and I enjoy beekeeping. I love it, but

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I don't want that to be what I am doing every

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single day. So for all of the honey that you

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sell, do your bees create all of it or are you

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buying some from other people as well? No, so

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my industry term would be honey packer. I am

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not a big fish in that pond by any means, but

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when I first started the honey truck, I was backyard

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beekeeping. I would do a host to hive program

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where I put bees in people's backyards and would

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start selling the honey based on the community

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that I harvested it from. it just kind of exploded.

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And anybody who is in business will tell you,

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you're either making bees or you're making honey.

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And as one person trying to do all of it, it

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became very unmanageable very quickly. And also

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during that time, I started having kids and was

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a part time stay at home mom. And that is not

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super conducive to, I've got a swarm of bees

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in my backyard. And I'm like, I'm... trying to

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get my child down for a nap. I can't just leave

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and come and do those things. And so I pivoted

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and have partnered with a few beekeepers who

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are commercial beekeepers here in Florida. And

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so at Honey Truck, we've always been very transparent

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about where our honey comes from. If I'm not

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the beekeeper who's producing it, I know who

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is. I know what beekeeping practices they're

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using. And so I do generally talk about that

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when I talk about our honey. HoneyTruck supports

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the greater ag community. And I have really enjoyed

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watching those relationships grow over the years.

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Well, I think this is going to be great to give

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some hope, especially for people that are just

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kind of hobbyist beekeepers, but also want to

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make some money at it. because that is not an

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easy thing to do. But there also are so many

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different ways to make money on beekeeping. You've

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already mentioned a few. Selling bees, selling

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honey, we've had people on the show talk about

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making mead and wax products. But let's talk

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about your business and people are going to learn

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something from this. I'm sure, because you sound

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like, I didn't even ask about your education,

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but when we were talking the other day, you sound

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like you have an MBA in marketing or something,

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whether you do or not. I would give you one because

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you know it, it seems like. Well, thank you.

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Actually, for those who are watching and listening,

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I have taken zero classes in marketing. I did

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go to school for a communications degree. I had

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great aspirations of being a broadcast journalist.

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I was very into news. I loved that world. And

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I started doing it and realized very quickly

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that I didn't enjoy it. So from my timeline,

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that was a soul crushing reality to come to that

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a goal that I had been working for most of my

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life was not something that I wanted to do so

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I did pivot I became a full -time family photographer

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and had grown a fairly successful business doing

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that and I I just one day was like, you know

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what? I'm going to get a beehive. That seems

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very exciting to me. And my husband said, hey,

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maybe you should find somebody who has bees that

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would let you go into their hives so that you

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don't freak out when you bring home 40 ,000 stinging

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insects to our yard. So I did that. And I said,

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you know what? This is a fear that I can overcome.

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I'm going to do this thing. And it was really

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fun. And I had people asking, hey, can we buy

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honey from you? And I just had a moment where

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I was like, this is my golden ticket. This is

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what I want to do. I'm far more passionate about

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this than I am about bees. And I had a friend

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that I went to church with, and I knew that she

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did design work. And I said, hey, I'll trade

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you. I'll do several family sessions for you

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over the course of a year if you could create

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a brand identity for me. And that is important.

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I do understand. I have very basic knowledge

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of that. But I knew that I didn't need a logo.

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I needed a brand identity. And she was very pivotal

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in helping to create that. time. I only had a

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limited amount of honey that I could sell and

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I didn't want a brick and mortar. I wanted something

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cool. And I thought, what about getting an antique

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vehicle? And I didn't want just any antique truck.

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I wanted something that was weird. You know,

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like, let's be honest, being a beekeeper is weird.

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You're probably a little bit odd in your personality.

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I mean, I'm just saying every beekeeper I've

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met is a little weird and lovable because I identify

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as weird and lovable. So I say that with love

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and care but like I needed something quirky and

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Ford had an Econoline which is honestly kind

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of the reject of the Ford company. You sit directly

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next to the motor you're the first person to

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arrive at the scene of an accident if you're

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involved in one it's not a safe vehicle to drive

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but as soon as I saw I was like this is it this

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is this is the truck that I need to sell my honey

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out of. Emily, who is my designer, I was going

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to paint the truck yellow because it just made

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sense. Bees and honey and yellow. And she was

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like, no, keep it red. I'm going to work with

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it. And I'm so glad that I did because it's integral

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to our identity now. By the way, listeners, go

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to honeytruck .com and you can see the truck.

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There's two trucks now and they may be weird

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and quirky. I think they're super cool. I think

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so, too. I did learn how to drive a manual on

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those vehicles. We found the first one, Kennedy,

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just so that people know I love anything space.

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And John F. Kennedy Jr. was the person who created

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the space program. And our first Econoline is

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in 1963, which was the year that he was assassinated.

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And our second truck, Glenda, is named after

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John Glenn, who orbited the Earth in 1962. And

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she is also a 1962... to vehicle. Sweet. Okay.

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Tell us the difference between a logo and a brand

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identity. Great question. When I first started

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Honey Truck, I had a friend who could do logos

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and it was great. You know, like I've got to

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put it on a jar and identified our company, but

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a brand identity is everything from the colors

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that you use, the font that you use, the style

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in which you produce things. When you look at

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honey truck, there is very clearly a theme that

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goes with it. When you look at honey truck, you

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see the color red. You can very quickly identify

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that we are a 60s era kind of decor, a vibe.

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Everything that's wrapped up into a honey jar

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tells you that there's integrity behind it. I'm

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very transparent about where our honey comes

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from. It's important to me that people understand

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where their food comes from, that they are educated

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on the importance of honey bees. We do a lot

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of outreach and talking about honey and why crystallization

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is a good thing, what that means for your honey.

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You would be surprised at the amount of information

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that people don't know about bees and so that's

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what we're really passionate about and talking

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with people. So in your experience what are the

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two questions that people, when they first find

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out you're a beekeeper, what are the two questions

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they ask you? My husband likes to, when we're

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at networking things, he's an attorney. So he'll

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say, oh, I'm a lawyer, but my wife's the beekeeper.

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And that just suddenly starts a whole conversation

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with people like, oh, how many times have you

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been stung? And do you say a lot, a lot of times?

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I do wear a suit. I fully suit up. I don't like

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being stung. That's not enjoyable for me. I have...

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a few mentors who are amazing at beekeeping and

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will just be able to do it without any sort of

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protective equipment. And that's not me, but

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I get asked that and I get asked how many bees

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are in a beehive, any sorts of questions that

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are that way about beekeeping. I was just going

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to say the number one, I get asked do you get

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stung and number two, do you sell your honey?

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So you got 50 % right. The questions are a little

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bit different when I'm at the farmers market,

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especially when I'm there with the truck. The

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question I get asked the most of the truck is,

00:14:11.309 --> 00:14:14.549
does it drive? Do I know how to drive it? And

00:14:14.549 --> 00:14:19.029
sadly, do I own the truck? OK, so we've talked

00:14:19.029 --> 00:14:21.610
about brand identity. I want to talk about somebody

00:14:21.610 --> 00:14:25.269
that's brand new at this. Let's say you're a

00:14:25.269 --> 00:14:29.090
hobby beekeeper or working to being a sideliner

00:14:29.090 --> 00:14:31.669
and you really haven't done much as far as selling

00:14:31.669 --> 00:14:35.230
any of your products. And you're thinking, this

00:14:35.230 --> 00:14:38.850
summer, oh my gosh, I've got so much honey around

00:14:38.850 --> 00:14:40.909
here. I need to go to the farmer's market. I

00:14:40.909 --> 00:14:43.850
need to figure out how to do that. Where would

00:14:43.850 --> 00:14:46.850
you say people should start as far as branding

00:14:46.850 --> 00:14:49.990
and even location? Is a farmer's market a good

00:14:49.990 --> 00:14:53.330
place? So this is something that I kind of went

00:14:53.330 --> 00:14:55.990
into backwards. Like I said, I partnered with

00:14:55.990 --> 00:15:00.399
my friend and she created the identity and I

00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:02.799
didn't really consider who my target audience

00:15:02.799 --> 00:15:06.919
was at the time and kind of had to do some, you

00:15:06.919 --> 00:15:09.480
know, homework on the back end for that to discover

00:15:09.480 --> 00:15:11.759
who that is. But my biggest thing, if I could

00:15:11.759 --> 00:15:15.100
go back, would be to tell people, identify who

00:15:15.100 --> 00:15:17.820
you want to sell your honey to. I admit a pet

00:15:17.820 --> 00:15:20.879
peeve of mine is that it seems all beehives are

00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:24.460
white. Yeah, boring old white. And just when

00:15:24.460 --> 00:15:27.639
I get a pet peeve, Man Lake comes to the rescue

00:15:27.639 --> 00:15:30.860
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00:15:34.620 --> 00:15:37.639
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00:15:41.379 --> 00:15:45.120
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00:15:49.620 --> 00:15:54.100
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00:15:54.100 --> 00:15:58.320
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00:15:58.320 --> 00:16:01.580
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00:16:01.580 --> 00:16:06.320
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00:16:06.320 --> 00:16:09.679
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00:16:09.679 --> 00:16:13.340
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00:16:13.340 --> 00:16:17.820
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00:16:17.820 --> 00:16:22.240
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00:16:22.240 --> 00:16:26.840
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00:16:26.840 --> 00:16:31.529
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00:16:31.529 --> 00:16:35.250
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00:16:35.250 --> 00:16:38.509
small entrances. Millions of years of evolution

00:16:38.509 --> 00:16:41.870
went into that preference. Primal Bee built a

00:16:41.870 --> 00:16:45.429
hive that actually respects that. Insulated walls,

00:16:45.870 --> 00:16:48.590
thoughtful design, built around how bees want

00:16:48.590 --> 00:16:52.049
to live. I added one to my apiary last fall.

00:16:52.399 --> 00:16:55.960
with I admit it was a small late summer swarm

00:16:55.960 --> 00:16:58.059
that I didn't think had a chance to make it through

00:16:58.059 --> 00:17:01.559
winter. But this spring, I got to tell you, they

00:17:01.559 --> 00:17:04.559
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00:17:04.559 --> 00:17:07.460
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00:17:14.900 --> 00:17:26.279
beelove and use discount code There's at least

00:17:26.279 --> 00:17:28.640
four or five other beekeepers who sell honey

00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:31.960
here in St. Augustine, and I don't ever view

00:17:31.960 --> 00:17:35.059
those people as my direct competition, primarily

00:17:35.059 --> 00:17:37.500
because they're not going after my target audience.

00:17:37.700 --> 00:17:42.019
My target audience is a woman in her late to

00:17:42.019 --> 00:17:45.650
late 30s or older. She has expendable income.

00:17:45.930 --> 00:17:49.210
She read things like food and wine garden and

00:17:49.210 --> 00:17:52.990
gun Southern living she shops at places like

00:17:52.990 --> 00:17:56.650
William Sonoma and so knowing that ahead of time

00:17:57.599 --> 00:17:59.880
determines where I'm putting my honey. We've

00:17:59.880 --> 00:18:02.519
talked earlier, I could sell honey to a beekeeper.

00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:05.900
I love talking about honey. I'm great at selling

00:18:05.900 --> 00:18:09.200
honey, but it does me no good if I sell honey

00:18:09.200 --> 00:18:12.160
to a business owner and they can't get that honey

00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:14.400
off their shelf. And what I'm talking about is

00:18:14.400 --> 00:18:17.759
when you see a jar of honey truck honey and it's

00:18:17.759 --> 00:18:19.539
at, I don't know, let's say a gas station and

00:18:19.539 --> 00:18:22.180
you're like, why am I paying $12 for this nine

00:18:22.180 --> 00:18:25.180
ounce jar of honey? You know, like that doesn't...

00:18:25.210 --> 00:18:28.029
That doesn't mesh, but you walk into a boutique

00:18:28.029 --> 00:18:30.369
store in downtown St. Augustine and you say,

00:18:30.829 --> 00:18:32.990
wow, look at this beautiful jar of honey. And

00:18:32.990 --> 00:18:35.170
it's a mom who's traveling and she goes, oh,

00:18:35.170 --> 00:18:36.890
I need to get a gift for my friend. And this

00:18:36.890 --> 00:18:38.789
is perfect because everybody loves honey. And

00:18:38.789 --> 00:18:41.029
this will look so great on her counter. That's

00:18:41.029 --> 00:18:43.069
my target audience. And that's the person who's

00:18:43.069 --> 00:18:45.559
going to put that honey in their basket. And

00:18:45.559 --> 00:18:47.859
that business is going to call me in a few weeks

00:18:47.859 --> 00:18:51.019
and say, hey, I need to reorder. So if you were

00:18:51.019 --> 00:18:53.579
just starting out, I would really stop and consider

00:18:53.579 --> 00:18:57.519
who's your target audience. And hint, the answer

00:18:57.519 --> 00:19:00.359
is not everybody. Not everybody is your target

00:19:00.359 --> 00:19:03.640
audience. And that's OK. Because once you know

00:19:03.640 --> 00:19:06.599
who they are, you can market towards them and

00:19:06.599 --> 00:19:09.960
make sure that you are directly in front of them

00:19:09.960 --> 00:19:13.630
and where you need to be. By the way, this truly

00:19:13.630 --> 00:19:17.309
is marketing 101 here. Well, good to know, good

00:19:17.309 --> 00:19:19.009
to know. I've spent my career in marketing and

00:19:19.009 --> 00:19:21.890
advertising, so good job. You started in the

00:19:21.890 --> 00:19:25.710
right place. And you don't have to adopt the

00:19:25.710 --> 00:19:29.509
same target audience that Danielle has. If you

00:19:29.509 --> 00:19:31.950
just want to sell a whole bunch of quantity,

00:19:32.289 --> 00:19:36.410
cheap or for whatever reason, you know, for food

00:19:36.410 --> 00:19:38.990
for cows or something, you're looking at a whole

00:19:38.990 --> 00:19:42.039
different target. Danielle, I think, is saying,

00:19:42.440 --> 00:19:45.200
hey, I want to be able to get a good price for

00:19:45.200 --> 00:19:48.359
my honey. And so it's going to take this kind

00:19:48.359 --> 00:19:50.660
of a target. Correct. It's going to take people

00:19:50.660 --> 00:19:54.339
that can afford it and can appreciate the quality.

00:19:55.180 --> 00:19:59.059
And therefore, now comes your design and packaging.

00:19:59.680 --> 00:20:01.859
Does it look cheap or does it look upper end?

00:20:02.409 --> 00:20:05.490
Correct. And so there's nothing wrong with selling

00:20:05.490 --> 00:20:08.890
your honey in a plastic teddy bear. That absolutely

00:20:08.890 --> 00:20:11.529
markets to a target audience. If you want to

00:20:11.529 --> 00:20:13.990
sit at a farmer's market, which by the way, the

00:20:13.990 --> 00:20:16.410
honey truck is at a farmer's market, it kind

00:20:16.410 --> 00:20:18.730
of depends on the farmer's market in your location.

00:20:18.970 --> 00:20:21.390
Is it considered a farmer's market or is it a

00:20:21.390 --> 00:20:23.049
flea market? You know, like I can tell you right

00:20:23.049 --> 00:20:24.930
now, honey truck would not be at a flea market.

00:20:25.109 --> 00:20:27.170
There's nothing wrong with flea markets, but

00:20:27.170 --> 00:20:30.650
that's not my target audience. And so I also,

00:20:30.650 --> 00:20:33.930
you know, you said sell cheap honey. Let's all

00:20:33.930 --> 00:20:36.730
raise the bar when it comes to selling our honey.

00:20:36.890 --> 00:20:38.710
You know, like I talk to beekeepers all the time

00:20:38.710 --> 00:20:41.609
and they undervalue the resource that they're

00:20:41.609 --> 00:20:47.119
selling. You spend all year working towards Harvest

00:20:47.119 --> 00:20:50.180
season and then we're just gonna sell it for

00:20:50.180 --> 00:20:52.420
pennies on the dollar like nose take a step back

00:20:52.420 --> 00:20:54.220
How much does that jar cost you? How much did

00:20:54.220 --> 00:20:56.759
that lid cost you? How much did that label cost

00:20:56.759 --> 00:20:58.940
you if you put it on there? how much are you

00:20:58.940 --> 00:21:00.859
paying yourself per hour and figure out what

00:21:00.859 --> 00:21:04.180
it is per case and factor it into the cost of

00:21:04.180 --> 00:21:07.220
your honey because you deserve to get paid and

00:21:07.220 --> 00:21:09.500
Take it with a grain of salt because I did not

00:21:09.500 --> 00:21:12.319
pay myself when I started out You know like we've

00:21:12.319 --> 00:21:14.180
all been there where you're just like oh, it's

00:21:14.180 --> 00:21:18.220
okay. It's fine, but Start pricing your honey

00:21:18.220 --> 00:21:20.880
the way it should be priced early on because

00:21:20.880 --> 00:21:23.920
that sets the standard for moving forward You

00:21:23.920 --> 00:21:27.039
know like it it kind of sucks to tell your Clients.

00:21:27.039 --> 00:21:29.640
Oh, hey, I had to raise the jar by the jar price

00:21:29.640 --> 00:21:32.140
by five dollars because whoopsies. I was way

00:21:32.140 --> 00:21:35.400
undervalued I could not agree more. Thank you.

00:21:35.420 --> 00:21:38.299
You are so preaching to the choir here I have

00:21:38.299 --> 00:21:42.180
been to farmers markets not me selling but me

00:21:42.180 --> 00:21:45.750
wandering around I'll run into a beekeeper and

00:21:45.750 --> 00:21:50.250
I will see a pint glass jar of honey with a nice

00:21:50.250 --> 00:21:57.269
label on it priced at $9 .99 or $11. I just nicely

00:21:57.269 --> 00:22:01.589
pull them aside and say stop it put $20 on that

00:22:01.589 --> 00:22:04.809
or something so that you're getting paid because

00:22:04.809 --> 00:22:08.789
the more people undervalue their product the

00:22:08.789 --> 00:22:11.009
more everybody else feels like they have to.

00:22:11.170 --> 00:22:14.319
I've had some people A couple people, when I

00:22:14.319 --> 00:22:16.880
told them that, they said, well, but over there

00:22:16.880 --> 00:22:19.319
at the other end, there's another beekeeper selling

00:22:19.319 --> 00:22:22.759
theirs for $10. So how can I sell mine for $15

00:22:22.759 --> 00:22:26.519
or $20? Listen, we as beekeepers need to be a

00:22:26.519 --> 00:22:28.319
lot less offended when people ask us questions

00:22:28.319 --> 00:22:32.140
because the number one question that I also,

00:22:32.279 --> 00:22:34.619
not number one, but a frequent question that

00:22:34.619 --> 00:22:37.769
I'm asked is, why is your honey so expensive?

00:22:37.869 --> 00:22:40.549
And I say, that's a great question, because guess

00:22:40.549 --> 00:22:42.230
what? That gives me an open door to talk about

00:22:42.230 --> 00:22:45.049
how great my honey is and all of the certifications

00:22:45.049 --> 00:22:47.410
that I hold. Great question. I'm so glad you

00:22:47.410 --> 00:22:50.369
asked. Well, for starters, honey truck is regulated

00:22:50.369 --> 00:22:52.250
by the State Department, which means that we're

00:22:52.250 --> 00:22:54.509
subject to annual inspections that we have to

00:22:54.509 --> 00:23:02.730
pass. We're regulated by FDACs. And so we bottle

00:23:02.730 --> 00:23:05.869
our honey in a food grade facility. Secondly,

00:23:06.730 --> 00:23:08.690
our honey is labeled. Look at this beautiful

00:23:08.690 --> 00:23:11.049
label. There is a lot of information that goes

00:23:11.049 --> 00:23:13.069
into this jar of honey. It tells you nutrition

00:23:13.069 --> 00:23:16.049
facts, tells you where it was bottled, it tells

00:23:16.049 --> 00:23:17.930
you about the business, it tells you everything.

00:23:18.450 --> 00:23:21.829
It's got a metal lid enclosure. It is in a glass

00:23:21.829 --> 00:23:25.369
jar. It has a safety seal so that my clients

00:23:25.369 --> 00:23:27.430
don't just walk up and pop the lids and start

00:23:27.430 --> 00:23:30.029
smelling or tasting honey. There's a lot of things

00:23:30.029 --> 00:23:33.509
that go into that. Also, I have liability insurance.

00:23:33.609 --> 00:23:35.829
So if you come to the truck and you trip and

00:23:35.829 --> 00:23:39.329
fall, I have to pay for liability insurance somehow.

00:23:39.549 --> 00:23:43.880
Like that is why that jar of honey is so much

00:23:43.880 --> 00:23:46.000
more expensive than the jar down the street.

00:23:46.339 --> 00:23:49.240
Can that person tell you that they bottled that

00:23:49.240 --> 00:23:52.299
in a commercial kitchen? Or are they bottling

00:23:52.299 --> 00:23:55.019
it in their kitchen? Again, nothing wrong with

00:23:55.019 --> 00:23:57.799
that. That is exactly where I started out. But

00:23:57.799 --> 00:24:01.480
if you're asking me comparatively myself to,

00:24:01.480 --> 00:24:04.880
you know, John's Bees down the road, this is

00:24:04.880 --> 00:24:08.700
what sets Honey Truck apart. This is why my honey

00:24:08.700 --> 00:24:11.420
is that much more expensive. And figure out what

00:24:11.420 --> 00:24:16.309
your story is. because it might be, wow my bees

00:24:16.309 --> 00:24:20.529
are kept off in the middle of nowhere which means

00:24:20.529 --> 00:24:25.289
it's organic or whatever it is. Like where I

00:24:25.289 --> 00:24:28.230
am, our fall honey is completely different than

00:24:28.230 --> 00:24:31.109
our spring honey kind of tastes like everybody

00:24:31.109 --> 00:24:34.970
else's honey. Our fall honey is incredible because

00:24:34.970 --> 00:24:41.130
our bees are foraging on mint and sage and sunflowers.

00:24:41.240 --> 00:24:43.680
To me, it's the best honey in the world, and

00:24:43.680 --> 00:24:45.720
I don't mind telling people that. You're going

00:24:45.720 --> 00:24:47.960
to pay more because this is the world's best

00:24:47.960 --> 00:24:51.339
honey. Put it on your pizza. Mix it with cheese.

00:24:51.720 --> 00:24:54.880
I mean, pair it with cheese. Find out how you

00:24:54.880 --> 00:24:58.460
love to use this and give them suggestions. The

00:24:58.460 --> 00:25:01.359
next time you're doing a charcuterie board, put

00:25:01.359 --> 00:25:04.859
this with such and such and such and such. And

00:25:04.859 --> 00:25:07.460
all of a sudden they're going, oh, that is worth

00:25:07.460 --> 00:25:11.460
paying more for. OK, let's move on. Let's talk

00:25:11.460 --> 00:25:14.640
about wholesale, because you wholesale too. Tell

00:25:14.640 --> 00:25:17.960
us about that market. As we talked about earlier,

00:25:18.119 --> 00:25:22.019
part of my wholesale strategy is identifying

00:25:22.019 --> 00:25:25.839
businesses that are already marketing to my target

00:25:25.839 --> 00:25:30.119
audience. So when I make a cold call, I generally

00:25:30.119 --> 00:25:33.680
will go online, Google specifically, and I will

00:25:33.680 --> 00:25:37.400
search specific businesses, gift shops, butcher

00:25:37.400 --> 00:25:41.289
shops, anything in this area. And then I will

00:25:41.289 --> 00:25:43.430
click on their Google listing and I'll look at

00:25:43.430 --> 00:25:45.369
the photos of their shop. I'll look at the reviews

00:25:45.369 --> 00:25:47.930
people are saying. And I immediately know, yes,

00:25:48.269 --> 00:25:50.490
this is my target audience. I know they're shopping

00:25:50.490 --> 00:25:52.670
here. So I will pick up the phone and I will

00:25:52.670 --> 00:25:54.390
say, hey, my name is Danielle. Do you have a

00:25:54.390 --> 00:25:56.650
moment to talk? I'm a beekeeper. I sell honey.

00:25:57.679 --> 00:25:59.859
And generally, that's enough to get my foot in

00:25:59.859 --> 00:26:02.279
the door. If it's not a convenient time to talk,

00:26:02.420 --> 00:26:04.099
I always try and get the contact information

00:26:04.099 --> 00:26:06.279
of somebody that I can talk to at a later time.

00:26:06.740 --> 00:26:09.880
And then I try and schedule a pop -in. Hey, I

00:26:09.880 --> 00:26:12.900
want to get samples directly in your hands. When

00:26:12.900 --> 00:26:14.640
would be a good time to stop by? Because these

00:26:14.640 --> 00:26:17.500
people are busy, so. Stopping by unannounced

00:26:17.500 --> 00:26:20.240
to do a sales call is kind of inconvenient for

00:26:20.240 --> 00:26:23.799
them and can be an annoyance. And I want that

00:26:23.799 --> 00:26:25.880
business to know that when you partner with Honey

00:26:25.880 --> 00:26:28.140
Truck, we're going to take care of you. You don't

00:26:28.140 --> 00:26:30.220
have to worry about us as a wholesale partner.

00:26:30.660 --> 00:26:35.000
We do things professionally. We pride ourselves

00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:37.519
on the systems that we've set up when it comes

00:26:37.519 --> 00:26:40.380
to wholesale. And having that brand already established

00:26:40.380 --> 00:26:43.430
really, really helps. It does. And like you and

00:26:43.430 --> 00:26:45.430
I talked about, you know, what's your cost of

00:26:45.430 --> 00:26:47.690
honey? A lot of people don't consider that when

00:26:47.690 --> 00:26:49.170
they price their honey. They say, oh, I'm just

00:26:49.170 --> 00:26:51.470
selling it at the farmers market, which is exactly

00:26:51.470 --> 00:26:54.769
how I started out until a local coffee shop came

00:26:54.769 --> 00:26:56.990
to me and she said, hey, we would love to sell

00:26:56.990 --> 00:27:00.029
your honey in our store. Now where I'm at in

00:27:00.029 --> 00:27:03.049
Florida, I no longer fell under cottage food

00:27:03.049 --> 00:27:05.990
law. I had to go through commercial licensing

00:27:05.990 --> 00:27:08.970
and I didn't have the facility that I have now.

00:27:09.109 --> 00:27:12.619
So what that looks like for me, meant going to

00:27:12.619 --> 00:27:15.720
a local bakery, Crème de la Coco. They were incredibly

00:27:15.720 --> 00:27:19.059
generous and they are closed on Sundays and Mondays.

00:27:19.059 --> 00:27:21.480
And I asked them if I could go in when they're

00:27:21.480 --> 00:27:23.960
closed to use their kitchen to bottle my honey

00:27:23.960 --> 00:27:26.240
to be able to sell over somebody's counter. It

00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:28.200
was great. It was a great partnership and that

00:27:28.200 --> 00:27:31.440
opened up a lot of doors for me and can be a

00:27:31.440 --> 00:27:33.140
good way for you to get your foot in the door

00:27:33.140 --> 00:27:34.400
if you're listening to this and you're like,

00:27:34.400 --> 00:27:36.740
I can't afford a kitchen. Like go to the businesses

00:27:36.740 --> 00:27:39.099
that you know that are closed that have commercial

00:27:39.099 --> 00:27:42.200
kitchens and see if you can. bottle your honey

00:27:42.200 --> 00:27:44.579
there. But that being said, you know, like you

00:27:44.579 --> 00:27:47.559
have to consider if you wholesale your product

00:27:47.559 --> 00:27:51.059
and you're only selling it for $10 a jar, if

00:27:51.059 --> 00:27:56.240
at the end, the end consumer is paying $10, traditionally,

00:27:57.660 --> 00:28:00.819
your wholesale client is paying you five. So

00:28:00.819 --> 00:28:03.240
how much are you realistically making out of

00:28:03.240 --> 00:28:06.119
that $5? I mean, I can tell you right now, because

00:28:06.119 --> 00:28:09.859
you're not buying your jars in bulk. From a glass

00:28:09.859 --> 00:28:12.160
manufacturer, you're either working with a distributor

00:28:12.160 --> 00:28:14.160
or somebody else. You're paying a premium for

00:28:14.160 --> 00:28:16.400
that bottle. You're going to pay premium for

00:28:16.400 --> 00:28:18.500
that lid. You're going to pay premium for that

00:28:18.500 --> 00:28:21.619
label. And all of that's going to eat away. And

00:28:21.619 --> 00:28:24.279
suddenly you realize, oh crap, I can't sell this

00:28:24.279 --> 00:28:26.700
jar of honey wholesale for $5 because I'm only

00:28:26.700 --> 00:28:29.480
making 20 cents a jar. How often should people

00:28:29.480 --> 00:28:32.819
take a step back and look at their little business

00:28:32.819 --> 00:28:36.200
and say, here's where I'm making money. Here's

00:28:36.200 --> 00:28:39.619
where I'm not making money. and let's figure

00:28:39.619 --> 00:28:42.619
this whole thing out. Let's fix it. Probably

00:28:42.619 --> 00:28:46.519
do that multiple times a year. My biggest time

00:28:46.519 --> 00:28:49.240
that I do that is traditionally in January for

00:28:49.240 --> 00:28:51.539
my business. That's when I'm the slowest. It's

00:28:51.539 --> 00:28:55.599
after the holiday Christmas season and I will

00:28:55.599 --> 00:28:58.480
sit back and run all of the numbers. How much

00:28:58.480 --> 00:29:01.839
of every item did I sell? What were my lowest

00:29:01.839 --> 00:29:05.500
performing items? Do I like them? Because I'm

00:29:05.500 --> 00:29:06.940
the business owner. I'm the one that's got to

00:29:06.940 --> 00:29:09.019
do all the work. I'm the one that's got to, you

00:29:09.019 --> 00:29:11.079
know, rep the brand, so to speak. And so if I

00:29:11.079 --> 00:29:13.220
don't like that product and it's not worth my

00:29:13.220 --> 00:29:15.720
hassle trying to reorder it every year, it's

00:29:15.720 --> 00:29:17.779
off if it's not making me money. You know, like

00:29:17.779 --> 00:29:19.440
at the end of the day, this is a business that

00:29:19.440 --> 00:29:22.180
it has to operate like a business. And so I think

00:29:22.180 --> 00:29:26.700
analyzing your numbers on a regular basis, I'm

00:29:26.700 --> 00:29:30.200
the world. is changing at such a rapid rate right

00:29:30.200 --> 00:29:32.279
now. If you don't know what you're paying for

00:29:32.279 --> 00:29:34.160
your materials, you're going to sink your ship.

00:29:34.579 --> 00:29:36.859
So you have to be able to know your numbers like

00:29:36.859 --> 00:29:39.460
the back of your hand before you walk into a

00:29:39.460 --> 00:29:41.839
negotiation on a wholesale price, especially

00:29:41.839 --> 00:29:44.539
for a grocery store that's got 10 locations.

00:29:45.220 --> 00:29:47.099
Publix has never been the dream of Honey Truck,

00:29:47.119 --> 00:29:49.759
but if I were to work with a Williams Sonoma

00:29:49.759 --> 00:29:52.180
that has multiple locations all over the United

00:29:52.180 --> 00:29:55.059
States, need to know what my numbers are going

00:29:55.059 --> 00:29:57.079
into that negotiation or else I'm gonna shoot

00:29:57.079 --> 00:29:59.099
myself in the foot saying oh crap I should have

00:29:59.099 --> 00:30:02.319
charged more Because I'm losing money on this

00:30:02.319 --> 00:30:04.980
deal, you know, like I can't express the importance

00:30:04.980 --> 00:30:08.140
enough for people to Understand what their margins

00:30:08.140 --> 00:30:12.279
are and on each product Correct. It does vary

00:30:12.279 --> 00:30:15.460
so many beekeepers feel like they have to sell

00:30:15.460 --> 00:30:20.180
honey and lip balm and some kind of lotion and

00:30:21.980 --> 00:30:24.339
Do you have to sell everything to make money?

00:30:25.299 --> 00:30:27.680
No, that's what makes every business different.

00:30:27.940 --> 00:30:31.460
Honey truck very much sells honey. I love honey

00:30:31.460 --> 00:30:34.920
and we're kind of known now for our infused honeys,

00:30:34.940 --> 00:30:37.259
which I love. You know, I tell people we don't

00:30:37.259 --> 00:30:39.279
we don't use essential oils or anything. We're

00:30:39.279 --> 00:30:42.380
using dried ingredients. We try and keep it not

00:30:42.380 --> 00:30:45.759
try. We do keep it as raw and natural as possible.

00:30:45.980 --> 00:30:47.859
And so we do a data. I'm looking over now at

00:30:47.859 --> 00:30:50.900
our We do a daddle honey where we dry our daddles.

00:30:51.539 --> 00:30:53.380
We crush them up. We throw it in the honey. We

00:30:53.380 --> 00:30:55.700
have a lavender honey. We use dried lavender

00:30:55.700 --> 00:31:00.029
leaves. We do have a bourbon honey. People love

00:31:00.029 --> 00:31:04.170
it. It's a great product, but those jars are

00:31:04.170 --> 00:31:07.130
different jars, meaning they're different sizes.

00:31:07.509 --> 00:31:09.049
There's a different amount of honey that goes

00:31:09.049 --> 00:31:11.329
into every single one of those. The label itself

00:31:11.329 --> 00:31:14.289
is a different size. To distinguish our bourbon

00:31:14.289 --> 00:31:17.809
from our daddle, the bourbon label is a slightly

00:31:17.809 --> 00:31:20.309
metallic, non -see -through label, so I do know

00:31:20.309 --> 00:31:22.849
that I pay more of a premium for that label versus

00:31:22.849 --> 00:31:26.009
the clear label that is on the French square

00:31:26.009 --> 00:31:29.700
jar. So it really is important to know the numbers

00:31:29.700 --> 00:31:31.519
on everything. I have an Excel spreadsheet that

00:31:31.519 --> 00:31:34.339
I could pull up right now and say, this is as

00:31:34.339 --> 00:31:36.420
of, you know, three months ago when I ran all

00:31:36.420 --> 00:31:39.539
of my numbers, my bare minimum, it cost me X

00:31:39.539 --> 00:31:42.980
to make these products. So on your infused honeys,

00:31:43.119 --> 00:31:46.759
which are the big sellers? I'm in St. Augustine

00:31:46.759 --> 00:31:50.539
and we are known for the Dattle Pepper. And so

00:31:50.539 --> 00:31:52.960
I would say that the Dattle is probably one of

00:31:52.960 --> 00:31:57.740
our more popular products. And then very closely

00:31:57.740 --> 00:32:01.059
second or if not eclipsing it now is probably

00:32:01.059 --> 00:32:04.180
our bourbon honey. People love putting it on

00:32:04.180 --> 00:32:07.279
ice cream, mixing it into a simple syrup, putting

00:32:07.279 --> 00:32:10.299
it in a cocktail. putting it over some ribs.

00:32:11.019 --> 00:32:13.519
And then seasonally, we release a holiday honey

00:32:13.519 --> 00:32:17.539
every year, which has cinnamon, clove, orange

00:32:17.539 --> 00:32:20.299
peel, just an array of different spices that

00:32:20.299 --> 00:32:23.079
we put into the holiday mix. I like to say it's

00:32:23.079 --> 00:32:24.839
like Florida Christmas. It's like sunshine in

00:32:24.839 --> 00:32:27.240
a bottle. We sell that from the last weekend

00:32:27.240 --> 00:32:30.099
of September through the end of the year in port

00:32:30.099 --> 00:32:32.640
until we sell out. Obviously, the goal is to

00:32:32.640 --> 00:32:34.400
sell out every single year. It's not something

00:32:34.400 --> 00:32:37.059
that people get year round. I even have friends

00:32:37.059 --> 00:32:38.960
who will text me and be like, hey, I know you

00:32:38.960 --> 00:32:40.359
say you're sold out of holiday honey, but do

00:32:40.359 --> 00:32:43.640
you have a jar for me? And I'm like, no, no,

00:32:43.799 --> 00:32:46.640
it's it's all gone. But I would say seasonally

00:32:46.640 --> 00:32:48.680
speaking, that one is probably our most popular.

00:32:49.119 --> 00:32:51.359
The fact that it sells all the way out. People

00:32:51.359 --> 00:32:54.099
want it all the much more, don't they? So do

00:32:54.099 --> 00:32:56.079
you find if you were to pull up your spreadsheet

00:32:56.079 --> 00:32:59.220
that you have a bigger profit margin on infused

00:32:59.220 --> 00:33:02.829
honeys than regular plain honey? Honestly, The

00:33:02.829 --> 00:33:05.490
greatest margins I have on things have everything

00:33:05.490 --> 00:33:07.710
to do with the bottles that they're going in.

00:33:07.930 --> 00:33:09.690
The size of the bottle, the type of the bottle.

00:33:10.029 --> 00:33:12.869
When I first started, most things, if you go

00:33:12.869 --> 00:33:16.069
to the sauce aisle, everything's in round jars.

00:33:16.670 --> 00:33:18.849
And I never stopped to consider why is it in

00:33:18.849 --> 00:33:21.809
a round jar. And that's because all manufacturing

00:33:21.809 --> 00:33:25.269
equipment, the predominant amount of it is designed

00:33:25.269 --> 00:33:29.200
to run round jars. So to go back in time when

00:33:29.200 --> 00:33:31.799
I'm at creme de la coco bottling my honey out

00:33:31.799 --> 00:33:34.160
of a five gallon bucket with a spigot going like

00:33:34.160 --> 00:33:38.380
this over and over again I could not bottle honey

00:33:38.380 --> 00:33:42.140
enough honey to maintain my accounts in the amount

00:33:42.140 --> 00:33:46.079
of time that I had at that business so what that

00:33:46.079 --> 00:33:49.579
told me was I needed to bottle honey faster so

00:33:49.579 --> 00:33:53.920
I went to ABF the ABF conference and there was

00:33:53.920 --> 00:33:57.259
a rep from Lega beekeeping supply over in Italy.

00:33:57.700 --> 00:34:01.480
And they had a beautiful bottling machine and

00:34:01.480 --> 00:34:03.680
it had the table that went around and it put

00:34:03.680 --> 00:34:06.460
honey in and it was it was amazing. And I fell

00:34:06.460 --> 00:34:10.119
in love. And even then I didn't have the money

00:34:10.119 --> 00:34:12.420
needed to purchase the equipment. So I actually

00:34:12.420 --> 00:34:15.300
asked my parents for the money. I borrowed money

00:34:15.300 --> 00:34:18.159
and which I did pay back, by the way. But I bought

00:34:18.159 --> 00:34:20.960
my bottler and I was able to be more efficient

00:34:20.960 --> 00:34:22.760
with the time that I had in that commercial kitchen.

00:34:23.019 --> 00:34:27.099
And that decision changed the entire trajectory

00:34:27.099 --> 00:34:30.059
of Honey Truck. Rather than going through somebody

00:34:30.059 --> 00:34:32.340
who could white label my honey, meaning I'm going

00:34:32.340 --> 00:34:34.880
to another business that's going to put honey

00:34:34.880 --> 00:34:38.059
in jars and labels and lids for me, I'm now doing

00:34:38.059 --> 00:34:42.639
that myself. And so over time I've become, I've

00:34:42.639 --> 00:34:45.199
added more and more equipment. All that to say,

00:34:45.840 --> 00:34:48.099
that equipment is designed to run round jars

00:34:48.099 --> 00:34:51.380
and I picked a French square jar, which does

00:34:51.380 --> 00:34:54.150
not play nicely with any of that equipment. So

00:34:54.150 --> 00:34:57.949
I have spent countless years, blood, sweat, and

00:34:57.949 --> 00:35:01.090
tears trying to get the equipment to work with

00:35:01.090 --> 00:35:04.030
my jars, which I do now. It all works and it's

00:35:04.030 --> 00:35:06.989
working super great. But consider that when you

00:35:06.989 --> 00:35:08.909
are trying to scale your business and you're

00:35:08.909 --> 00:35:11.269
trying, if you are considering manufacturing,

00:35:11.389 --> 00:35:13.289
it's a strong word for putting honey in a bottle,

00:35:13.369 --> 00:35:16.269
but consider those things before you make your

00:35:16.269 --> 00:35:18.530
final choices on your jars and whatnot. You could

00:35:18.530 --> 00:35:21.309
switch jars if you had to, but you don't have

00:35:21.309 --> 00:35:25.329
to. So you get to stick out. I've made my bed

00:35:25.329 --> 00:35:28.329
with the French square jar. I'm now married to

00:35:28.329 --> 00:35:31.010
it. And I do think, going back to brand identity,

00:35:31.210 --> 00:35:34.030
I do think that it is important to the ethos

00:35:34.030 --> 00:35:37.110
of honey trick. I've spent countless years watching

00:35:37.110 --> 00:35:39.309
people, sitting in a farmer's market, watching

00:35:39.309 --> 00:35:42.590
people interact with my honey. As soon as they

00:35:42.590 --> 00:35:45.750
pick up a jar, it fits nicely in their hands.

00:35:45.849 --> 00:35:48.710
They like that it's glass. As soon as they pick

00:35:48.710 --> 00:35:51.309
it up, they don't put it down. So when I'm working

00:35:51.309 --> 00:35:53.650
a farmer's market, my goal is to get a jar of

00:35:53.650 --> 00:35:55.949
honey into that consumer's hands because I know

00:35:55.949 --> 00:35:57.309
they're not going to put it down. They're going

00:35:57.309 --> 00:35:59.389
to want to buy it, and that's going to generate

00:35:59.389 --> 00:36:03.690
a sale. And so for me, I hang my hat, so to speak,

00:36:03.829 --> 00:36:06.389
on the French square jar. It's part of our identity

00:36:06.389 --> 00:36:08.369
as the honey truck. I love it. We're learning

00:36:08.369 --> 00:36:14.139
a lot here. Thanks again for joining us on Be

00:36:14.139 --> 00:36:17.699
Love Beekeeping presented by Man Lake. Next week

00:36:17.699 --> 00:36:20.019
we'll wrap up our conversation with Danielle

00:36:20.019 --> 00:36:23.219
and learn even more about making money with honey.

00:36:23.480 --> 00:36:26.539
Plus we're gonna enjoy her wild and crazy beekeeping

00:36:26.539 --> 00:36:29.820
story. And another big thank you goes to Vita

00:36:29.820 --> 00:36:33.059
Bee Health for their support. Vita's Varroa Control

00:36:33.059 --> 00:36:36.760
range of products includes Epistan, Epigard and

00:36:36.760 --> 00:36:41.599
now Varroxan. Extended Release Oxalic Acid Strips.

00:36:41.739 --> 00:36:44.380
Hey, thank you so much guys. And if you haven't

00:36:44.380 --> 00:36:47.119
yet, please subscribe to and follow the show.

00:36:47.360 --> 00:36:49.679
Tell your friends about it. Click on over to

00:36:49.679 --> 00:36:52.179
Be Love Beekeeping dot com to sign up for our

00:36:52.179 --> 00:36:55.239
newsletter. If you have a guest suggestion or

00:36:55.239 --> 00:36:57.460
topic you'd like discussed on the show, shoot

00:36:57.460 --> 00:37:00.699
me an email. Eric at Be Love Beekeeping dot com.

00:37:00.960 --> 00:37:03.519
And remember, if you're not just in it for the

00:37:03.519 --> 00:37:06.019
honey or the money, you're in it for the love.

00:37:06.239 --> 00:37:07.199
See you next week.