We buy honey
This page contains information for honey producers about selling honey to Mesimestari.
We only buy honey produced in Finland.
We buy honey from both large and small producers. In addition to regular honey, we also buy organic honey. We are also happy to accept smaller batches of honey. Instructions and honey quality requirements have been drawn up for honey suppliers, which you can find by scrolling down this page.
Delivery of honey
You can deliver honey on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. or you can use our affordable transport service, in which case it is enough to pack the containers on the pallets according to the instructions. More detailed delivery instructions can be found below.
Delivery instructions
Honey can be delivered immediately after harvesting, before or after crystallization. Smaller batches are usually delivered by the beekeeper himself. For larger batches, it is possible to arrange transportation. Honey can also be delivered later in winter and spring, if the beekeeper has a suitable storage space and it fits better with the schedule.
Packaged honey should be stored indoors, protected from rain and sun. If it is possible to move and load forklift pallets in your premises, the barrels should be placed on the official EUR pallets, two barrels per pallet and in opposite corners so that when looking at the pallet from either end, the nearest barrel is in the left corner. If there are barrels of different heights, it would be advisable to always put two barrels of the same height on the same pallet. If the collar has to be tightened with a nut, this tightening part must always be downwards, i.e. it must not protrude higher than the edge of the cover.
It is good to store plastic containers in one layer before crystallisation. When stacked on top of each other, the bottom of the top one bulges downwards, and after crystallization the bottom is round and wobbles on the platform, causing danger in warehouse work. If you have to stack the containers immediately after spinning, it is good to put e.g. a plywood board between the layers for the time of crystallisation.
Plastic containers:
As a rule, honey must be packed in Mesimestari’s official 28 kg containers. Our official containers are approved for food use and are also suitable for supplying honey. They are easy to handle and stack. They also have a very tight and reusable cover. The lids must be tight and intact, because the containers are not emptied immediately, but they may have to wait for several months to be emptied and the honey can absorb moisture from the air. As a rule, the producer brings the honey to Mesimestari himself. At Mesimestari, the containers are lifted onto the EUR pallet and the whole is weighed, after which the producer’s name and date are marked on the pallet/containers. A receipt protocol is also made for the import, in which the information is recorded.
When the containers are emptied in time, the empty containers are weighed with the same pallet and thus the net weight of the honey is obtained. The empty containers are washed, dried and further labeled with the customer’s name. For the time being, nothing is charged for the washing of official recipients. Washing of other dishes is charged €1.50/piece. If non-official containers have been used for delivery, the customer can pick up the containers or they can be delivered back to the customer’s account via travel service. When using official honey containers, clean containers are already included when the honey is delivered. In most cases, the job is done in one visit along with other transactions. Please note that the emptying order is not the settlement order.
Barrels:
Bigger honey producers often put the honey in barrels. The barrel must be completely openable and a disposable, strong and food-safe barrel bag must always be used in it.
The barrel bag is placed inside a clean and dry barrel in such a way that its edges are folded outside the barrel and tightened to it during filling with a cloth intended for moving nests. The barrel is filled to about 10-5 cm and a piece of plastic slightly larger than the mouth of the barrel is placed on top of the barrel. You can cut several main plastic pieces from a barrel bag. After that, put the cover in place and tighten it with a strap. If the barrels are brought or picked up on pallets, the pallets must definitely be official euro pallets, so that they can withstand storage in the pallet shelf. Two barrels / euro pallet.
We can pick up large batches from the producer ourselves according to the agreement. It is also possible to pick up smaller lots from the same area in connection with other honey pickup. Ask more by e-mail info@honeypaw.fi.
Honey transport service
Delivering honey can be troublesome and time-consuming. For this need, Mesimestari offers a moderately priced honey transport service. The transport service is usually the most profitable option for the producer in terms of money and time, and it can be used by both private individuals and companies. The producer packs the honey on pallets ready for transport, and when the pallet is ready to be picked up, we take care of the rest.
The price of the transport service for one pallet is 99-199 euros (incl. VAT) and additional pallets increase the price slightly. The final price is affected by the amount of honey and the distance to our place of business. The price of the transport service can be deducted directly from the amount billed for the honey, so the supplier does not have to pay for the transport separately. Ask for more information or order transport info@honeypaw.fi
Packaging instructions for honey transport
The honey containers are loaded onto a euro pallet, the dimensions of which are 120×80 cm. A wider FIN pallet can also be used, but it slightly increases the price of transport. The most common honey container in use is a 28 kg container, which can be packed in 16 units on a euro pallet. 22 of the previously used metal-handled 28 kg buckets fit on the pallet. In the pictures below, you can see instructions for placing the dishes.
Tänne kuvat saavien asettelusta lavalle
For example, plastic wrap must be wrapped around the containers so that they stay in a stack on the pallet. You can find a film suitable for the purpose in our online store. It’s important that the containers stay in place the whole way, so it’s better to pack a little too much than too little. Containers must not extend over the edges of the pallet.
The pallet must be picked up in such a place that the driver can easily get it on board with the pump cart.
The return or exchange of empty containers is carried out according to the supplier’s wishes. Empty containers can be sent with Matkahuolto or Kaukokiito. You can also come later to pick them up yourself.
You can ask for more information about the transport service and packing by sending an email to us.
Quality requirements
We only buy honey produced in Finland. Honey must meet the requirements of Finnish law and regulations. It is forbidden to use antibiotics and prohibited acaricides in the production.
Mesimestari monitors the residues with regular tests and the beekeeper is responsible for the honey he/she produces. Thymol, oxalic acid and formic acid are allowed when used according to instructions.
The humidity must be below 18%. Wetter batches must be marked and mentioned when bringing. 19-20% humidity may be accepted in exceptional cases.
Larger wax crumbs must have been removed from the honey. It’s not worth sifting too carefully, because at Mesimestari all batches are sieved anyway. With this practice, we ensure that the keepers do not have to heat the honey due to straining. Any kind of heating and keeping warm reduces the enzymes in honey. If there is a sufficiently large clarifying container where the honey can clarify (the waxes rise to the surface), the honey can be transferred to transport containers without straining.
Deviating batches, such as Buckwheat honey, must be slurried separately. Buckwheat is a good special honey, which, however, even in small amounts, makes the honey taste very different compared to normal Finnish wildflower honey and causes uncertainty in customers. We recommend selling buckwheat honey separately as a special product.
The price of honey
The price of honey is affected by the annual harvest and the prevailing storage situation. In bad harvest seasons, the price of honey has traditionally risen slightly, and in good seasons it has correspondingly fallen. The price of honey for the harvest season will be determined in October, when it is known what kind of harvest season is behind.
Ownership
Ownership of the unpaid amount of delivered honey remains with the producer until the purchase amount has been paid.
Payment schedule
The settlement price is carried out as the sale progresses, depending on the market and inventory situation. The received honey containers are emptied according to the current need, after which the net weight of the honey is determined. The exact settlement time cannot therefore be determined in advance.