Creamed Honey

How to make creamed honey

Creamed honey is a popular alternative to liquid honey. A consumer market study in Canada showed that 46% of respondents felt honey was messy to use (Coopers Lybrand, 1990).
An obvious solution for this perceived problem is the production of creamed honey.
It is popular and something that can be produced by the smaller beekeeper adding value without breaking the bank.

Creaming honey is simply controlling the natural crystallization process. This can be achieved in different ways. The Dyce process was the first practical method developed by Dr E.J. Dyce a professor of Apiculture at Ontario Agricultural College (now University of Guelph), Canada in 1928. He found that the optimum temperature for honey granulation is 14 degrees C (57 F) and that the addition of 5% starter (finely ground honey crystals) will granulate liquid honey. In practice the commercial companies use around 10% starter.

Stir the starter into the liquid honey, keep it cool and stir it several times over the next week. Within a week or two the honey is set with a fine, smooth grain. Another method is the whipped honey approach used by some "mielleries" in Quebec. Liquid honey is placed in a cylinder with some of the creamed honey from the previous batch. Using an augur or paddle the liquid honey is whipped continuously for several hours at 12-14 degreesC (54-57 F). This method is faster than the Dyce process and in a matter of hours produces a pleasing soft, white honey that spreads easily.

Alain Moyen a commercial beekeeper in Quebec has seen his sales of creamed honey rise every year for the past few years. Studies have shown that Montrealers prefer honey as a spread for breakfast compared with those in Toronto who use it mainly as an ingredient and those in Vancouver who are more likely to use honey in tea (Coopers Lybrand, 1990). The preference for creamed honey is strong and Quebecers like glass jars to see the quality of the product. Very little creamed honey is packed in plastic tubs for the Quebec market. It is the opposite story in the rest of Canada. A number of beekeepers in Quebec, like Alain have developed a cooperative system for producing creamed honey. They use the service of a specialty packer at a central "miellerie" whose owner has made the investment in heavy duty mixing equipment and cold storage space. Beekeepers take their honey to the central plant and exchange it for cases of creamed honey in jars.

Alain learned beekeeping from his father Urbain who has been in the bee business in Saskatchewan for almost 40 years. The western style of beekeeping is predominantly for liquid honey which is sold in bulk to commercial packers. In western Canada the ratio of liquid to creamed honey sold is 2:1 (Don Cozine, BeeMaid Honey, pers.comm). There are only a handful of custom packers like Hamilton Bee Ranch in Nipawin Saskatchewan that produce creamed honey for beekeepers. "People are looking for less quantity and more variety," Alain says. Gone are the days of people buying 30 to 40 pounds of liquid honey. So, I have to sell creamed honey to meet the new demand. Farm gate sales provide a good opportunity to sell creamed honey. In Quebec around 30% of honey production is sold at the farm gate while in the rest of the country 10-15% is sold at the farm gate. Although an estimated 82% of consumers buy their honey in the supermarket (Coopers Lybrand 1990), it is the farm gate sales that provide an opportunity for beekeepers to market value added products.

Reference
Coopers Lybrand. 1990. An Action Plan for the Canadian Honey Industry. Coopers Lybrand Consulting Group. Final Report to the Canadian Honey Council pp186.


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Creamed Honey How to make creamed honey Creamed honey is a popular alternative to liquid honey. A consumer market study in Canada showed that 46% of respondents felt honey was messy to use (Coopers Lybrand, 1990). An obvious solution for this perceived problem is the production of creamed honey. It is popular and something that can be produced by the smaller beekeeper adding value without breaking the bank. Creaming honey is simply controlling the natural crystallization process. This can be achieved in different ways. The Dyce process was the first practical method developed by Dr E.J. Dyce a professor of Apiculture at Ontario Agricultural College (now University of Guelph), Canada in 1928. He found that the optimum temperature for honey granulation is 14 degrees C (57 F) and that the addition of 5% starter (finely ground honey crystals) will granulate liquid honey. In practice the commercial companies use around 10% starter. Stir the starter into the liquid honey, keep it cool and stir it several times over the next week. Within a week or two the honey is set with a fine, smooth grain. Another method is the whipped honey approach used by some "mielleries" in Quebec. Liquid honey is placed in a cylinder with some of the creamed honey from the previous batch. Using an augur or paddle the liquid honey is whipped continuously for several hours at 12-14 degreesC (54-57 F). This method is faster than the Dyce process and in a matter of hours produces a pleasing soft, white honey that spreads easily. Alain Moyen a commercial beekeeper in Quebec has seen his sales of creamed honey rise every year for the past few years. Studies have shown that Montrealers prefer honey as a spread for breakfast compared with those in Toronto who use it mainly as an ingredient and those in Vancouver who are more likely to use honey in tea (Coopers Lybrand, 1990). The preference for creamed honey is strong and Quebecers like glass jars to see the quality of the product. Very little creamed honey is packed in plastic tubs for the Quebec market. It is the opposite story in the rest of Canada. A number of beekeepers in Quebec, like Alain have developed a cooperative system for producing creamed honey. They use the service of a specialty packer at a central "miellerie" whose owner has made the investment in heavy duty mixing equipment and cold storage space. Beekeepers take their honey to the central plant and exchange it for cases of creamed honey in jars. Alain learned beekeeping from his father Urbain who has been in the bee business in Saskatchewan for almost 40 years. The western style of beekeeping is predominantly for liquid honey which is sold in bulk to commercial packers. In western Canada the ratio of liquid to creamed honey sold is 2:1 (Don Cozine, BeeMaid Honey, pers.comm). There are only a handful of custom packers like Hamilton Bee Ranch in Nipawin Saskatchewan that produce creamed honey for beekeepers. "People are looking for less quantity and more variety," Alain says. Gone are the days of people buying 30 to 40 pounds of liquid honey. So, I have to sell creamed honey to meet the new demand. Farm gate sales provide a good opportunity to sell creamed honey. In Quebec around 30% of honey production is sold at the farm gate while in the rest of the country 10-15% is sold at the farm gate. Although an estimated 82% of consumers buy their honey in the supermarket (Coopers Lybrand 1990), it is the farm gate sales that provide an opportunity for beekeepers to market value added products. *Reference* Coopers Lybrand. 1990. An Action Plan for the Canadian Honey Industry. Coopers Lybrand Consulting Group. Final Report to the Canadian Honey Council pp186.