Reply to Open question to bikers/hikers

I would like feedback of all kinds on this topic. I currently sell honey from my own bees. This year I am adding Honey Sticks. I make them myself and think that bikers/hikers would have an interest in such a product. They would be 10 sticks (1 tsp each)in a double sided quart size plastic bag (one side for trash). I'm not sure where I would locate this product so that the Katy Trail patrons could easily find them. Any comments on whether anyone would be interested? How much would you pay for such an item? I am not a commercial business, just sending out feelers as to whether this is a viable endeavor. Thanks.

Ask restaurants and c-stores on or close to the trail to carry them... you sell them to the business owner who resells for whatever they decide or they agree to collect the money and you pay them an after-market percentage. I would recommend if you sell goods and services... you file for and obtain a business license and review sanitation/food handeling requirements with your local health department to ensure food safety. You may have a clean and sanitary process... but unpasteurized (and even pasteurized) honey can grow bacteria if not handled properly... you won't have control over it after you pass it on. just some thoughts... good luck! sounds yummy and a great idea!

My son and I rode RAGBRAI just last week, where we passed a honey vendor every day. I believe they were selling honey sticks at 4 or 5 sticks for a dollar, plus they were selling the little bear-shaped honey containers for $5. They also had flavored honey - about a dozen different flavors. I bought a container of lemon honey, which is truly awesome.

Of course at RAGBRAI, the roadside honey stand had 10,000+ cyclists passing it every day. You'll have considerably less traffic on the Katy Trail, so it would probably not be worth your time to have your own trail-side stand.

I would second Sarah's suggestion of talking to restaurants and stores. Additionally, look for farm stands or farmers markets that might carry your product. If you click on "Trip Planner" in the links above under the map, then select "Farm Stand" and "Build My Lists". This gives you a list of all the farm stands along the trail, that I am aware of.

Good luck!

I wish I were closer to you on the trail because I would buy them every time I was there. Maybe I could be a vendor for you. Put some in each room for guests.

K Murphy, because honey is a commodity item, there are lots of suppliers of honey-related products, including sticks. You would have to have a "gimmick" to separate yourself from the crowd. Branding your product as "Produced by Katy/Rock Island Bees" would be an example. But you're going to need something that allows you to get a premium price for your product made from commodity ingredients.

Then you have distribution to consider. You would not be able to afford driving around and re-stocking the shelves of convenience stores because the margin on your sticks would never allow it. You could go to a shipping model, but that has limitations because you need to see how (if!) the product is being displayed. A distribution company like Eby Brown or Core-Mark could distribute to the stores and do the merchandising, but they take a hefty cut. And distribution means they don't carry the risk of the inventory capital (i.e. you would have to front-load the cost of the inventory and if it does not sell, it's your loss). If you use distribution, you should definitely consider additional honey-related products because sticks alone might not bring in enough revenue.

Maybe your next best step is to talk to the people who have blazed the trail for you -- if you go into some of the shops along the trail, you might find a few niche, regional products that have managed to get some shelf space. One that comes to mind is a fruit-flavored 'moonshine' type product that I saw in Casey's last fall at either Windsor or Clinton. I bought some because it was 'different'. Calling the people who make such products would yield a lot of good info. Who knows, maybe they will want to do your distribution.

But in terms of scale, the business from the trails alone will not be enough to make it any more than a hobby. Just my opinion.