Developing a Mail Order Trade for Honey 



SEI.UNG twe;nty thousand pounds of honey at three cents above 



THE MARKET PRICE. 



The first year that my brother and myself produced honey in 

 Northern Michigan we sold it to bottlers and consumers at 8}i cents 

 a pound. This was about two cents above the market price. The 

 advance was secured because the raspberry honey was something of a 

 novelty, of superior quality, and was extensively advertised. 



The next year a short crop, combined with a general upward 

 tendency in the price of most commodities, enabled us to sell our crop 

 of honey to the same class of customers at an advance to lo cents a 

 pound. 



FINDING THE RIGHT CUSTOMERS THE FIRST STEP. 



In 1908 there was a fair if not a bountiful crop of honey, and 

 many bottlers who really preferred our honey found it impossible to 

 pay 10 cents a pound for it. Honey nearly or quite as good could be 

 bought at from six to seven cents per pound. We advertised our honey 

 at ten cents, but orders were few and small ; and we were not long in 

 deciding that some change must be made. Either the price must be 

 lowered or a diflrerent class of customers secured. Once a man has 

 tasted the joys of ten cents a pound, they are relinquished with reluc- 

 tance; besides, we felt sure there were men (actual consumers) to 

 whom the honey would be cheap at ten cents : but the difficulty was in 

 finding such men who would buy in large quantities. Heretofore our 

 advertising had been confined to the bee-journals; but we now decided 

 to venture into a new field, such as might be reached by advertising 

 in the Saturday Evening Post. When the cost is nearly $4.00 a line, 

 the stor}' must be exceedingly short, and the whole effort was aimed 

 at inducing the reader to send for a sample of honey. Here is the 

 advertisement that cost us nearly $25.00 for one insertion in that paper. 



HONEY gathered from the blossoms of the wild red 

 raspberry, in Northern Michigan, has a raspberry flavor; 

 shipped in tin cans, securely boxed, at ten cents a pound. 

 Particulars and a generous sample by mail, ten cents. 



W. Z. HUTCHINSON, Flint, Mich. 



