How to Sell Honey from Home in the UK: The Complete Guide

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Beekeeping and honey production go hand in hand — and for most hobbyist beekeepers, selling surplus honey is a natural way to offset the cost of keeping hives. The good news is that selling honey from home in the UK is straightforward, legal, and genuinely profitable when done properly.

This guide covers the rules, the setup, the labelling, the pricing, and how to find buyers without spending anything on advertising.

The rules: what you need to know

Honey sold commercially in the UK is governed by the Honey (England) Regulations 2015 (with equivalent legislation in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). The key points for small-scale producers:

• You must register as a food business with your local council — free and takes 20 minutes
• Your honey must be labelled correctly under UK honey regulations
• You cannot add water, sugar or any other substance to honey sold as pure honey
• Honey must not be heated above 40°C if you want to describe it as raw
• There is no minimum hive number, no licence, and no inspection required before you start selling

It's also worth registering your hives with BeeBase — the National Bee Unit's hive registration system. It's free, helps with disease monitoring, and looks professional if buyers ask about your beekeeping practice.

Equipment you'll need for extraction and bottling

Extraction

If you're selling honey regularly, a proper extractor makes the process significantly faster and cleaner than crush and strain methods.

• 2-frame manual honey extractor — suitable for hobbyist beekeepers with up to 5-6 hives. Spins frames to extract honey without destroying comb.
• Double sieve honey strainer — removes wax particles and debris after extraction. Stainless steel is easiest to clean and food safe.
• Honey settling tank (ripener) — allows air bubbles and remaining wax to rise to the surface before bottling. Produces cleaner, clearer honey.

• 227g hexagonal honey jars (bulk) — the standard farm stall honey jar. Hexagonal glass looks premium and photographs beautifully. Buy in cases of 24 or more to keep the cost per jar low.
• 454g glass honey jars (bulk) — for buyers who want more. The larger jar is better value per gram for regular customers and encourages repeat purchases.
• Honey gate valve — attaches to a settling tank and makes filling jars cleanly and quickly much easier. Prevents drips and mess.

Labelling your honey correctly

Honey labelling in the UK is more specific than most food products. Under the Honey Regulations, your label must include:

Note: unlike jam, honey does not require an ingredients list — honey is a single ingredient product. However, if your honey is a blend of UK and non-UK honey, both origins must be declared.

For label production, the same options as jam apply — kraft round labels on the lid and waterproof rectangular labels on the body of the jar look the most professional and hold up well if jars are stored in cool or damp conditions.

How to price your honey

Local artisan honey commands a significant premium over supermarket honey — and rightly so. Your honey is fresher, single-origin, and produced by someone the buyer can actually meet. Don't price against supermarket own-brand; price against farmers market and deli equivalents.

How to find buyers

Honesty box at the gate

Honey is one of the best honesty box products — long shelf life, no refrigeration, high perceived value, and buyers love taking home a jar from a local beekeeper. A simple sign saying "Local honey — £7 per jar" draws passing drivers effectively. Read our honesty box setup guide →

Online directory listing

A listing on The Farm Stall puts your honey in front of buyers searching for local artisan honey in your area. Add photos of your jars, your hives if you're comfortable, and a description of where your bees forage — buyers love that story.

Local farm shops and delis

Many farm shops are actively looking for local honey suppliers — it's a product with strong margins and genuine local appeal that buyers specifically seek out. Approach your nearest farm shop with a sample jar and your labelling in order. Expect to sell at wholesale (typically 40-50% of retail) but the volume can be worthwhile.

Farmers markets

Honey sells extremely well at farmers markets — it's compact, giftable, and buyers at markets are specifically looking for artisan local products. The story of local beekeeping is easy to tell on a stall and builds instant trust.

How much can you make selling honey?

A healthy UK hive typically produces 10-30kg of surplus honey per season depending on the forage available and the summer weather. Taking a conservative 15kg per hive at £8 per 227g jar:

• 15kg per hive = approximately 66 jars of 227g
• 66 jars × £8 = £528 per hive per season
• 5 hives = £2,640 per season before costs

Equipment, jars and labels cost roughly £1-2 per jar once you have extraction equipment. The margins on honey are significantly better than most farm produce — and unlike vegetables, honey doesn't spoil if it doesn't sell immediately.