What is the Honey Packing Industry?
The honey industry includes three groups: production, importing, and packing. Honey packing is the process of packaging honey into containers to be sold either commercially or for retail.
Honey sold for retail is packaged in small containers like jars or bottles, while commercially-sold honey is packaged in large drums for storage or export. Packaging choices are one of the most important aspects of selling honey because all honey looks–with some color variations–the same from the outside. Retailers sell honey in a variety of containers such as glass jars, squeezable jugs, or plastic tubs in order to attract consumers.
Large honey packing companies have automatic packing and labeling equipment, and their honey is usually distributed and sold in a specific area. Some honey producers do the packing themselves (producer-packers), and they must compete with these bigger companies. Many packing companies have their own brand, and they use warehouse space to hold their equipment.
Economic Impacts of Honey Packing
The honey industry is an important part of agriculture in the United States. The U.S. also imports honey for consumers in addition to the honey already harvested from commercial hives in all 50 states. In 2017, honey production, import, and packing in the United States raked in $4.7 billion. According to the University of California Agricultural Issues Center, “Of this, $318 million were from sales of honey from beekeepers to honey packers, $57 million were services provided by honey importers, about $1.6 billion were from sales of honey packers and the rest were sales from 6 associated industries.”
Honey Packaging for Sale
Honey packed to sell on the retail market must be of high quality, neatly packaged in an appealing container, and labeled. Packing honey is a meticulous process because many precautions are in place to ensure the quality of the honey. For example, honey should be stored in a dry place at 70°F for optimal quality. Packaged honey should be as similar as possible to the honey sealed in the cell by the bee. In addition, the container and label must be pleasing to the eye to attract attention from consumers.
On the other hand, honey for industrial consumption such as restaurants, bakeries, honey candy, and honey butter producers is kept in cans or drums that can hold anywhere from 5 gallons to 55 gallons.
Liquid honey is most commonly packed in glass containers, but it can also be packed in tin, plastic, or paper containers. Plastic containers are becoming more popular because they can be made in a variety of shapes and sizes, and the 12 oz container makes an ideal table honey-dispenser. There should not be any air bubbles or foreign particles in honey containers, and the exterior of the container should be clean of any honey residue. In addition, if honey comes from a floral source, like orange blossom, it should be noted on the label. Honey from floral sources tends to granulate slowly, so it is important that the packaging can aid in combating it.