Honey Stick Machine Sweetens Profits

Honey Stick Machine Sweetens Profits 29-5-6 Honey sticks are a sure way to add profit to honey sales. The sticks usually sell for a quarter apiece or five for a buck. It only takes about 2ó worth of honey to fill the 1ó straws. The only downside is most bee keepers have to ship their honey off to commercial outfits to get filled sticks to sell. Now, a Kansas family is making and selling bench-top systems to make honey and other liquid-filled sticks. "You can put any kind of liquid into the straws," says Tony Schwager. "We've even done some with mouth wash. You can fill them with chocolate, and you could do it with maple syrup." Schwager and his son, Anthony, the beekeeper in the family, had tried sending honey off for stick filling. With only 70 some hives and bulk honey selling for about $2/lb., Anthony needed a way to boost profits. Using their own honey, they paid several hundred dollars for 4,000 sticks of one flavor. Having their own machine would allow them to make sticks as needed and do multiple flavors. Schwager bought one machine, but he didn't like it. So he designed and built his own. He now makes and sells what he calls the "Goldrush 500." "It's more of a system than a machine," says Schwager. "It's manually-operated and can make about 500 straws an hour. We pay our kids to fill straws, and they make about $15 an hour working on their own schedule." A heating system warms the honey to 160? or more. It then flows with the aid of a hand pump through a manifold to fill inserted straws. Individual shut-off valves control flow and fill 8 straws at a time. The straws are heat-sealed as a group, first on one end and then on the other. The machine will work with either 7 3/4-in. or 10-in. straws. This fall, Schwager is introducing the Gold Rush 1000. It will work twice as fast, filling 1,000 straws an hour (10 at a time) and sealing the top and bottom at the same time. The Schwagers sell the machine as well as filled sticks and other honey products on their website. They also do custom-filling of straws for other honey producers at $60/gal. plus shipping (makes 800 straws). The Goldrush 500 Honey Straw Filling System is priced at $569. The Goldrush 1000 will be priced at $799. Schwager expects to have the new machines available in October. A package of straws is included with the machine, and refills are available for 1ó each. However, restaurant supply stores sell them for around $50/case of 12,000, advises Schwager. One of the advantages of doing the smaller quantities is the ability to add flavors and coloring to the honey sticks. The Schwagers offer a variety of flavors in the filled straws they sell, including mint, lemon, strawberry-banana, blue coconut, almond and cinnamon, with flavors changing often. Whether flavored or plain, local honey is getting attention and not just in farmers markets. "As part of the buy fresh campaign, even local chain stores are wanting local honey," says Schwager. "Filling straws with local honey can be a great market for stay-at-home moms and kids as well as honey and maple syrup makers." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Tony Schwager, 1804 N1100 Road, Lawrence, Kan. 66046 (evening calls please ph 785 842-9268 or 913 206-2188; www.anthonyskansashoney.com or www.thehoneystickstore.com).

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