Sarasota Honey Company
Our CSA Story
What is a CSA
Sarasota Honey Company started conservatively by adding 20 hives to start our CSA Honey Program.
Bulk Honey CSA Options:
1
1/2 gallon glass jar shares (holds 5-6lbs of honey)
1-2 shares: $14 per 1lb
3-4 shares: $13.50 per 1lb
5-6 shares: $12.50 per 1lb
7-9 shares: $11.50 per 1lb
Ten plus shares:$10.50 per 1lb
2
EZ Pour 1-Gallon Plastic Container (holds 10-11lbs of honey)
1-2 gallon in EZ Pour BPH Free Plasic Container $13 per lb
3-4 gallons in EZ Pour BPH Free Plasic Container $12 per lb
5-8 gallons in EZ Pour BPH Free Plasic Container $11 per lb
9-12 gallons in EZ Pour BPH Free Plasic Container $10 per lb
3
5 Gallon Bucket (50- 60 lbs.)
5-gallon bucket at $9.50 per lb, which you can distribute as you see fit. 5-gallon bph free food grade bucket.$16 extra for a bucket with honey pouring spout.
Almost on a weekly basis, we are asked for honey in bulk. We received a customer call asking about bulk honey while visiting a farmer friend. We explained to our friend how we have this request but have not moved forward with bulk honey sales because of the risk involved with bulk sales. We don't feed our bees; all our honey is made of flower nectar. The honey sold in large containers is often from bees fed sugar-water/corn syrup water. This is how these beekeepers can ensure enough "honey" to fulfill bulk sales and stay in business. Sarasota Honey Company refuses to take on these practices as they are reflected in the taste of the honey and its nutritional value. We are at the mercy of Mother Nature, so production can be limited. Most people associate bulk with lower cost. We could be out of business if we sold all our honey in bulk. More ver, the upfront costs of equipment, labor, setting up locations, and time to make more hives to make less money. Although we would love to offer honey bulk, it just doesn't feel like a good business move.
While explaining all of this to our farmer friend, he stood there gently kicking at a patch of dried grass, looking down as he kicked, saying, "Uh-hum, uh-hum," then "Are ya done bellyaching? Cuz I got your solution. It's quite simple, really". His response quickly got Alma's attention, "What?!" she asked with great anticipation.
"Do a CSA. This way, you know exactly what the bulk honey demands are, and you have the upfront income from the customer to cover the equipment cost to meet that demand. You just add the livestock (bees) ya need to your operation. Win-win. The customers get the honey in bulk; you are not taking on the financial risk. Your current stock is for the current operation. The SA stock is just for the CSA. See, problem solved. You can pick up your mouth from the ground now...ya may catch a fly or one of those lovebug things!" Alma laughed, bringing her hand to her cheek, saying, "OMG, why didn't I think about that?" With a side-eye look, he joked, "See what happens when you stop working harder than your bees and take some time to visit friends and come hug some baby goats and pick tomatoes."
Community-supported agriculture (CSA) is an innovation in that it distributes risk and reward among the entire community, including the farmer.
Here's how it generally works. A farm offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Interested consumers purchase a share, often well before the growing season. In return, members receive a CSA bag or box of the seasonal harves. Some CSAs offer different box sizes to accommodate varying family sizes or individual needs. The customer then picks up their box at a given time and place, either directly from the farm or at community locations.
The farm business's benefit is that it already has an idea of demand and the upfront income to meet it. It doesn't need to take out risky loans to maintain, repair, and replace equipment and facilities. The customer benefits from getting produce directly from a local farm, which makes it super-fresh and often tastier and healthier than anything you can find in the supermarket.
How to Sign up:
To sign up for the CSA program, please email alma@sarasotahoney.com with "CSA" in the subject line or click the Contact Us button on this website.
In your message, please include your name and phone number, how many shares you would like, and instructions on how often you would want your shares. If you are unsure, we ask that you give us ten days' notice as to which location you would like to pick up your bulk honey. Pickup can be at our new location at the Bazzar
or any of our farmers' markets.
Example: Let's say you decide to order ten shares (10- 1/2 gallon jars). You don't have to pick them up all at once. You can let us know that you will want one share a month for ten months on the first Saturday at the Bazaar.
Once we receive all your information, we will invoice you. You can pay in person, online, or by mailed check.