One of the most important factors in marketing honey is what to place on the honey label. Clearly, the goal of any product labeling is to capture the attention of potential customers through creative design. If you sell your honey at farmer’s markets, or some other local store, you must abide by state laws. The particular information for your state can likely be found at the website for their Department of Agriculture.
I once designed a label which I found out later could not legally be sold at a farmer’s market or store, so I did my homework to see what was required in my state of Maryland. There are “cottage food laws” that anyone can google for their particular state. Here are my state’s requirements:
- The label must be clearly and legibly labeled with the name of honey being prominent; if floral source is known, you can list, i.e. Clover, otherwise you may state wildflower
- The net weight, minus packaging, must be in both ounces and grams and located in the lower third of the label
- The full name, address, and telephone number should be on front, at least 1/16 of an inch high
Optional items include:
- Directions of reconstituting of crystallized honey
- Warning that children under 2 should not have honey
- Pure, raw, and natural designation
Honey label design
All the online beekeeping companies sell labels that you can customize with your particular information for a reasonable fee. As an alternative, printing companies will incorporate your artwork or you can get an artist to design one professionally, like G’s Bees.
For my label, I used a pollination poster watercolor that I had designed as the basis of my label. I just need to add my name, address, and weight on the label with the next printing.
For further information on the requirements of your honey labels, see the links below:
6 Comments
I ADORE the Fat Bottomed Girl honey label. So sorry it doesn’t meet standards.
Yes, I just had to include that one!
I think you meant children under 2 not 12. Just wanted to clarify for everyone. Good information. Enjoyed the article!
Did you mean children under 12 months?
Yes, thanks for catching that!
[…] Among the most significant decisions a beekeeper who would like to market their honey crop is the best way to put on their honey tag. Appealing to some customer and stick out from other honey products, the tag should capture excellent attention. Additionally, there’s limited space to communicate your honey advantages to a customer. […] The article Designing Honey Labels appeared on Maintaining Backyard Bees…. Read More […]