By Tim Hiatt
A group of industry leaders, the American Honey Producers Association, American Beekeeping Federation, California State Beekeepers Association, and (of course) North Dakota Beekeepers Association, have been meeting since early this year on a possible plan to improve the price of American honey. These four groups are willing to contribute funds to start a national advertising campaign to encourage consumers to buy American honey instead of generic or imported honey. Representatives of all four groups met in Fargo during the July Tri-State convention to finalize details in order to select an advertising company to prepare and implement the campaign. The general idea is to promote American honey and to certify that we, as producers, are certified sources for American honey.
The details of both aspects of this program haven't been decided. A competitive bid/presentation process will be judged by a committee of the four industry groups to select the best campaign to increase consumer awareness and consumption of our highest-quality, domestically produced honey. Once the national campaign begins, the need for funds to operate the effort will become greater. These four organizations have committed funds to the initial startup. Once an attractive campaign has been chosen, a board of directors will oversee the advertising efforts. A seat on the board will be reserved for organizations which contribute to the effort.
Low honey prices have long been an accepted reality for us. With this effort, we have a chance to drive consumer sentiment toward the quality and health benefits of our best honey in the world. If this effort results in what we hope for, a strong, creative advertising effort to increase awareness and consumption of US honey, we will be asking for donations to further fund the work. We will keep you posted.