Honey is one of the healthiest ingredients out there, which is the primary reason many people like to use honey in place of sugar. In fact, sugar has coined its name as a healthier alternative to various sweeteners, including white sugar. However, there are different types of honey out there, and honeycomb is one of the most preferred ways of using honey because it’s considered purer. On the other hand, these purity and health benefits come at a cost, which is why it has become an expensive form of honey. So, read the article below and read through!
Why Is Honeycomb So Expensive?
Honeycomb is the same as comb honey, and it is considered more expensive as compared to jar honey or liquid honey because the production costs are pretty high. In addition, there are various reasons behind the high price, such as one-time usage of beeswax, additional labor costs for extraction, higher packaging costs, processing of the honey, and costs associated with importing honeycomb. Now that we have shared the common reasons behind a higher price, let’s talk about them in detail.
1. Labor Costs
To begin with, honeycomb cannot be harvested with the conventional mechanical efficiency of the centrifugal extractors. These extractors tend to be expensive and start from $150, even for the basic machines. On the other hand, if you opt for heavy-duty and commercial-scale extractors, the costs will be increased even more. At this point, one might be wondering why investing in such expensive extractors is important.
So, to illustrate, it is important to extract an attractive and neatly cut comb of honey. For instance, the bees are likely to connect various frames and build wax in different directions. Similarly, some honeycombs could be too thick for packaging, which is why they have to be cut to ensure they are processed for packaging. Moreover, there are beekeeping supplies needed for reducing or eliminating the cutting process, which makes sure the comb is ready for packaging.
However, these supplies can lead to higher costs, and the labor will need to be procured for installing these supplies in the beehive. All these factors create the need for labor, leading to high costs.
2. Packaging Costs
As we are talking about honeycombs, one needs to remember that marketing is one of the most important parts of the honey business. One of the most important parts of marketing is creating visually appealing packaging, and such attractive packaging comes at a high cost. In the majority of cases, honeycomb is presented in transparent plastic boxes that allow examination of the entire comb, such as capping, the color of honey, and the color of the comb.
In simpler words, the honeycomb packaging needs to be visually appealing without compromising on the overall protection of the honey. Sourcing such packaging can be extremely expensive for the brands, which reflects in the final price. As laymen, we might not understand the importance of the right packaging, but we need to remember that honeycomb with broken chunks won’t look appealing, so sellers have no choice but to account for these packaging costs in the final pricing.
3. Demand & Supply
When it comes down to the expensive price tag of honeycomb, one needs to consider the economic forces of demand and supply because they can directly influence the honey’s prices. To begin with, the supply issues are evident – the imported products have become a significant part of the honey market, and the majority of imported honey is liquid honey. However, importing honeycombs can be pretty expensive, especially when you have to preserve the appearance of the honey.
The second issue is with the demand because the sales of raw honey are increasing at the processed honey’s expense – the growth rate is over 32%. You might not know this already, but honeycomb is the purest form of honey, and the higher demand for raw honey is one of the driving forces behind the upscaling prices.
The bottom line is that the honeycomb has a high per-unit cost at a retail level as compared to liquid honey, and the factors mentioned in the article are meant to provide a clear idea. So, if you want to enjoy pure honey, this is the price that you’ve to pay.