Selling Honey for the Holidays: 2026 Prices, Gift Jars, and Your State's Rules

The supers are off, the honey is in buckets, and the bees are settling in for winter. For a lot of beekeepers that means one more job before the season is truly over: selling the harvest. The stretch from Thanksgiving (November 26 this year) through December is the best selling window of the year. People are buying gifts, hosting, and baking, and a jar of local honey with your name on it is an easy present.

Here is how to price it, package it, and stay on the right side of your state's rules.

What beekeepers are charging in 2026

Start with real numbers, not a guess. Bee Culture magazine surveys beekeepers across the country every month. Averaged over its January–April 2026 reports, this is what beekeepers charged customers directly:

• ½ lb jar: $7.31 (works out to $14.62 a pound)
• 12 oz jar: $9.20 ($12.27 a pound)
• 1 lb jar: $12.35
• 2 lb jar: $20.74 ($10.37 a pound)
• 5 lb jar: $38.30 ($7.66 a pound)
• 1 lb creamed honey: $14.70
• 1 lb cut comb: $16.95

Two things stand out. First, a 1 lb jar averaged $12.35, up from $11.71 across 2025, and individual beekeepers charged anywhere from $6 to $25. Second, small jars earn more per pound: a ½ lb jar brings about 18% more per ounce than a 1 lb jar, because the glass, lid, and label cost almost the same. Small jars are exactly what holiday shoppers buy for stocking stuffers, teacher gifts, and party favors.

Prices are rising, too. USDA's March 2026 Honey report found the price producers received for honey jumped 27% in 2025, to $3.05 a pound across all sales. That figure includes honey sold in bulk drums, so it is far below a jar price, but the direction is clear: if you haven't raised your prices in a few years, you are probably charging too little.

To get a starting price for your own state, jar size, and honey, run it through our free honey pricing calculator. It can also give you a printable price sheet for every jar size.

Pricing gift jars and bundles

Holiday buyers are buying a present, not a pantry staple, and they pay for presentation. A few approaches that work:

• Lead with small jars. Put 4 oz and 8 oz jars at the front of the table. They make easy gifts at an easy price, and they carry your best price per ounce.
• Sell creamed honey and comb. Creamed honey averaged about 19% more than liquid honey in the Bee Culture surveys, and cut comb more than a third more. If you have spare capped frames, a few boxes of comb sell themselves at a holiday market.
• Make a sampler. Three small jars from different harvests (spring, summer, fall, or different bloom sources) in a simple box is a gift people buy in multiples. Price it at a bit less than the three jars separately, not far less.
• Bundle, don't discount. "Three jars for the price of two and a half" moves more honey than marking single jars down, and it doesn't train buyers to wait for a sale.
• Dress it for the season. A ribbon, a kraft tag, or a holiday label costs cents and is often the difference between a jar someone buys for themselves and a jar they buy as a gift.

Our calculator's "Direct / Gift Jars" option adds about 10% for gift presentation. That is our estimate, not a survey figure, so test it at your own market and see what moves.

Selling to shops, and selling in bulk

The holidays are also when gift shops, coffee shops, and farm stores want local products. Know the trade-off before you say yes. In the Bee Culture surveys, beekeepers selling 1 lb jars to stores by the case got about $8.06 a jar, roughly two-thirds of the direct price. Bulk is lower again: a 60 lb pail averaged about $4.29 a pound, and drums sold to packers about $2.77.

Store sales can still be worth it. They move volume, they put your name in front of new customers, and you aren't standing at a market table in December. Just price them as wholesale, and keep your retail price the same everywhere so you don't undercut the shop.

Check your state's rules before you sell

Every state treats honey a little differently. Some exempt small beekeepers from food licensing, some cap how much you can sell, and most expect a proper label. Before your first market, check:

• Whether you need a license or registration to sell. Many states exempt honey from your own hives, but not all, and the exemption can change if you add flavors or infusions.
• Where you can sell. Some exemptions cover farmers markets and direct sales but not selling to stores.
• What the label needs. At a minimum, expect the word "honey," the net weight, and your name and address. Some states add specific wording.

We keep a "Selling Honey" section, with a link to the official source, on each of our state beekeeping law pages. All 50 were checked against official state sources in October 2026, so start there and follow the link to your state's agency for the final word.

Shipping honey as gifts

If customers want to send honey to family, a few practical tips:

• Glass breaks. Use plastic jars or wrap glass well, and tape lids closed.
• Expect crystallization. Cold weather speeds it up, so add a small note that crystallized honey is still good and softens in warm water. It saves you complaint emails in January.
• Charge for shipping separately, so your jar price stays the same online and in person.

Use the slow season to get ready for next year

Once the holiday rush is over, look back at what sold. Which jar sizes went first? Did creamed honey or comb outsell liquid? Did the store account pay off? Those answers make next year's harvest plan. Our honey yield calculator can help you estimate what next season's hives might produce.

And if buyers keep asking where to find you after the markets close, list your honey free in our local honey directory, so they can find you year-round.

Happy holidays, and good selling.