Just about every time I buy local honey either the beekeeper or the vendor come up with the darnedest things...
I've had beekeepers and vendors comment about sweetness:
Either a honey is really good in their opinion because it's sweet, or it's good because it's not sweet and therefore more healthy. Really any level of sweetness can be argued in their favor unless it's average sweetness. I once asked a beekeeper what he meant when he said his honey is less sweet and therefore good for people with diabetes and he claimed that his honey was 18% sugars only. I was shocked and asked if he said "eighteen" or "eighty" (hey, maybe I heard wrong) and he confirmed that it's 18, less than 20. I said that it was impossible and he was genuinely offended.
I've had beekeepers and vendors comment about their honey's health and healing abilities:
While I do believe that honey can help you get better in some situations, I wouldn't sell it as something verging on the medicinal. But I get it, lots of people are attracted by that. What really bothers me is when they say that their honey is superior than other beekeeper's honey because theirs is better at beating the common cold. It reached a point where I was talking to a vendor and he basically had a honey varietal for each type of ailment: this is good for the cold, this is good to settle the stomache, this is good for allergies... Really, how the hell can you know this? And how do you know that yours is better at curing colds than the competitions? And surely the one which does not make your colds better (according to you) also makes your colds better to some extent, especially since it seems so healthy for other stuff?
The more I talk to vendors the more baffled and shocked I become. Perhaps I act like I don't know much about honey and they try these selling techniques on me. It has gotten to the point where I get offended that they treat me and other customers like total idiots and I'm a bit fed up of feeling like I'm talking to a shady used car salesperson most times I try buying honey.
Have any of you guys out there had any similar experiences? Can any beekeepers make sense of this? Does it really boost your sales that much that you're ready to go so low? Or do these people sincerely believe what they're telling me? Or am I wrong at least some of these times?
I've had beekeepers and vendors comment about sweetness:
Either a honey is really good in their opinion because it's sweet, or it's good because it's not sweet and therefore more healthy. Really any level of sweetness can be argued in their favor unless it's average sweetness. I once asked a beekeeper what he meant when he said his honey is less sweet and therefore good for people with diabetes and he claimed that his honey was 18% sugars only. I was shocked and asked if he said "eighteen" or "eighty" (hey, maybe I heard wrong) and he confirmed that it's 18, less than 20. I said that it was impossible and he was genuinely offended.
I've had beekeepers and vendors comment about their honey's health and healing abilities:
While I do believe that honey can help you get better in some situations, I wouldn't sell it as something verging on the medicinal. But I get it, lots of people are attracted by that. What really bothers me is when they say that their honey is superior than other beekeeper's honey because theirs is better at beating the common cold. It reached a point where I was talking to a vendor and he basically had a honey varietal for each type of ailment: this is good for the cold, this is good to settle the stomache, this is good for allergies... Really, how the hell can you know this? And how do you know that yours is better at curing colds than the competitions? And surely the one which does not make your colds better (according to you) also makes your colds better to some extent, especially since it seems so healthy for other stuff?
The more I talk to vendors the more baffled and shocked I become. Perhaps I act like I don't know much about honey and they try these selling techniques on me. It has gotten to the point where I get offended that they treat me and other customers like total idiots and I'm a bit fed up of feeling like I'm talking to a shady used car salesperson most times I try buying honey.
Have any of you guys out there had any similar experiences? Can any beekeepers make sense of this? Does it really boost your sales that much that you're ready to go so low? Or do these people sincerely believe what they're telling me? Or am I wrong at least some of these times?
Last edited: