June Newsletter: Our Grand Opening at The Bazzar , Letters to the Queen, CSA Bulk Honey, Free Delivery
Hello Everyone, Jess here!
What a whirlwind May was. We were delayed in opening the store at the new location because the bees were so large. We had to split them to avoid swarming. Bees are like hermit crabs: They will look for a larger home when they have outgrown their home. Bees, however, will eat as much honey as possible, and a percentage will fly off and look for a new home.
Rather than losing our bees and honey, we opted for a 'split.' The splits from the hives were sent to Anna Maria, Lido Beach, and Siesta Beach to make the most of the summer palm tree honey. These splits will raise new queens and grow as big as the hive they were split from. This meticulous process, for which we appreciate your patience, delayed our grand opening and promotion.
Despite the delay, our grand opening was a resounding success! In their unique way, the bees added a touch of nature's beauty to the celebration. We had live music and delicious food, and we even gave away free jars of honey to those who came dressed as honey bees or in black and yellow. Alma's honey bee talks were a hit, and the honey goodie bags and samplings were a treat for everyone. We were especially thrilled to see so many children eager to learn about honey and bees. The support from our regulars, who visited the new location during and after the event, was truly heartwarming. Moments like these remind us of the strong community we've built together.
Still in Transition:
We are still in transition, and we appreciate your patience. We are currently facing a challenge with Google's location recognition. On Google, it incorrectly states that we are 'permanently closed.' We have been in contact with Google and have provided all the necessary information to prove that we are still in business and have a new location. We are hopeful that the latest video we submitted of our new space will satisfy Google's requirements and resolve this issue.
Summer "Letters to the Queen" hive sponsorship program.
After Hurricane Ian, we opted to freeze our wholesale accounts and ration honey sold. We decided to do this to maintain quality and avoid liability from purchasing out-of-state honey, as many Florida honey operations did. The income lost from this decision would have gone to new boxes and equipment. Well, we pushed the woodware as far as possible, and now it is time to get new boxes and equipment for the bees. As Alma would say, "If we take care of the bees, they will take care of us."
The new equipment is a significant investment. Each hive set-up will cost $250, which doesn't include labor costs. To offset the costs, we decided to take the advice of one of our regular customers and offer the "Letters to the Queen" a hive sponsorship program!
With it being summer, many families may be looking for creative ways to keep their kids engaged in reading and writing skills. A fun idea our team came up with is letters to the queen. A family can sponsor a hive for $25 a month, become pin pals with the 'queen bee' of a particular hive, and correspond and receive monthly updates on how the hive is progressing from the 'queen bee' herself! The queen bee will seal each letter with her gold beeswax stamp. Every three months, you will receive a jar of honey from the hive you are sponsoring or a honey bee gift if there is no harvest at that time. Let us know in the notes section at check out the child's address, name and grade level so the queen can write accordingly. This program is not just about supporting us but about becoming a part of our beekeeping family.
Option two is a full hive sponsorship of $250, for which you can choose the name of the hive. You will have the option of us painting the hive or if you would like to pick up the bee boxes and paint/decorate them yourself.
We will provide instructions on the type of paint and where to paint. You can opt for: "Letters with Queen."
or
If you want us to send you a quarterly update on the hive for its first season, At the time of the first harvest, we will send you a 1/2 gallon of honey and other gifts you can share with your friends.
FYI: Jars of honey from your sponsored hive make a great holiday gift!
Sign up for "Letters to the Queen" or Hive Sponsorship via the link below.
Honey CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)
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."
So what is a CSA: Communtiy Supported Agiculture?
At its core, a CSA is a way for consumers to buy local food directly from a farmer. Of course, people have been getting produce from local farmers for as long as there have been farms. The CSA's innovation is the way 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 (aka a "membership" or a "subscription"), often well before the growing season. In return, members receive a CSA bag or box of the seasonal harvest throughout that particular farming season, which they may or may not be able to customize. 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 or online delivery service.
Sarasota Honey Company started conservatively by adding 20 hives to start our CSA Honey Program. We decided to offer our CSA shares in the following options: 1-gallon EZ Pour BPH Free plastic containers
or
1/2-gallon glass containers as we find that the brunt of our customers prefer glass over plastic.
Each share is one 1/2 gallon glass jar which holds 5-6lbs
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
or
Each gallon holds 11-12 lbs
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
or
5-gallon bucket $475 (50lbs) ($9.50 per 16oz), which you can distribute as you see fit. 5-gallon bph free food grade bucket.$16 extra for a bucket with honey pouring spout.
To sign up for the CSA program, please email alma@sarasotahoney.com with "CSA" in the subject line or click on 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.
Free Honey Deliveries to Zip Codes 324234, 34243,34235:
With hours being limited at our new location and fewer farmers market options, we are offering free delivery through the summer months. We will start this delivery option in the following zip codes: 34234, 34243, and 34235. If you live in these zip codes, you will need to place a $22 minimum order via our website by the first Friday of the month, and we will deliver the following Thursday. If you would like to receive a reminder of your order deadline, please send us your name and zip code to alma@sarasotahoney.com with "zipcode delivery" in the subject line or text message 941.726.8755 your name, email, and zip. Once we see the delivery option running smoothly, we will add more zip codes to the schedule. So even if you are not in the zip codes above, you can still sign up for when we DO add your zip code to the delivery program, and we can send you a notification.
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