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Summary and extracts

1 Market overview

1.1 Definition and presentation

The honey market encompasses not only the sale of honey, but also all hive products such as pollen, royal jelly and propolis.

With nearly 40,000 tonnes of honey consumed every year, the French are among Europe's biggest honey consumers. The products enjoy a generally positive image with consumers, who are looking for healthy, local products. However, the French honey industry still faces stiff competition from foreign products, notably from China (the world's leading producer), Spain and Ukraine. However, French companies such as Famille Michaud Apiculteur have managed to prosper and expand both in France and internationally.

Worldwide, production in 2021 amounted to more than 1.771 million tonnes of honey, virtually unchanged from 2020. At national level, the latest available figures for 2022 show a significant increase in production volume compared to 2021 (+58 points).

In a market undergoing profound change, marked by stricter regulations on the use of additives and the labelling of organic products, multiple growth drivers are emerging to boost the sector. These include the multiplication of uses (sweets, pastilles, alternatives to sugar and sweeteners...). Finally, more and more beehives are being installed in urban environments, on the roofs of companies, institutions or hotels. [This practice, although marginal in terms of actual honey production, shows a certain enthusiasm for the product.

This market study includes an interview with a market expert: Cyril Marx, co-founder of Hédène

1.2 A shrinking world market

World honey production volume World, ****-****, in thousands of tons Source: ****

World honey production is on a downward trend.World honey production has seen fluctuations over the period from **** to ****. In ****, production was ****.* thousand tonnes, gradually increasing to reach a peak of ****.* thousand tonnes in ****. However, it then declined to a ...

1.3 The French market

France consumes around **,*** tonnes of honey a year, equivalent to *** grams per capita per year, making it one of Europe's biggest consumers. **% of the French population eat honey, and consumption is rising slightly in France. [***]

In ****, French honey production fell sharply to **,*** tonnes, down **% on ****. This drop in production is notably ...

1.4 Foreign trade in honey

Item NC* ******** - Natural honey has been used to determine honey imports and exports in France. France's honey trade balance is very negative en ****, the value of imports was *** million euros, while exports were worth ** million euros, giving a trade deficit of ** million euros. This deficit is significantly higher than in ...

2 Demand analysis

2.1 The French, major consumers of honey

Honey is a key product for the French. In ****:[***]

they consume *.* kg / year per household they spend an average of €** per household per year on honey.

Apart from this data, there is little recent information on honey demand and consumption in France. Indeed, the latest relevant information on this market dates ...

2.2 The context of honey consumption

How do you consume your honey? France, ****, in Source : Apinov In France in ****, **% of French people consume honey as a throat remedy (***). at what time of day do you consume honey? France, ****, in % Source: ****

Honey is a product that is consumed throughout the day, since while **% of French people eat it ...

2.3 Choosing honey

Selection criteria

Consumers' top criteria for choosing honey France, ****, in Source: ****

The number-one criterion for choosing honey for consumers is floral origin and taste. Indeed, the flavor of honey changes radically depending on whether it is a ****-flower honey, acacia honey, lavender honey, fir honey... **% of French consumers are primarily interested ...

2.4 A tendency to prefer French and organic honeys

More and more, the French are adopting a responsible approach to consumption, which means they are paying close attention to the provenance and production ethics of the products they consume. Honey is no exception to the rule, as shown by the survey below, according to which **% of French people say they ...

2.5 The impact of Covid-19 on the honey market

Honey has benefited favorably from the coronavirus crisis, largely because consumers have increased their consumption of honey for breakfast, a meal often shipped during the week.

" In supermarkets, we recorded a **% increase in our sales of packaged honeys in March compared with the same month in ****, and we anticipate an ...

2.6 France's favourite honey brands

The graph below is based on OpinionWay's survey of French consumers' favorite brands in February ****. For each brand, the percentage corresponds to the proportion of respondents who answered "yes".

Lune de Miel is France's favorite honey brand, with **% of respondents saying they liked it. Famille Michaud is the least popular honey ...

3 Market structure

3.1 Industry structure

3.2 Breakdown of honey production activity

Total number of beekeepers down for the first time in ****

After * years of growth, the year **** marks a decline in the number of beekeepers, with a decrease of almost *.*% in one year. This decline is linked to the loss of beekeepers with fewer than ** hives, and of those who had developed ...

3.3 Honey distribution channels

NB: this section deals only with marketing channels for honey produced in France, not imported honey.

Distribution of honey production volumes by marketing channel France, ****, in Source: ADA France Distribution channels for honey produced in France France, ****, in % of volume Source: ****

The weighting of channels in volume purchases for home consumption ...

3.4 Interview with Cyril Marx, co-founder of Hédène

Cantiane :Hello and welcome to Vue d'Ensemble, the podcast that gives you a **-minute insight into market issues. My name is Cantiane and I'm an analyst at Businessscoot, a startup specializing in market research. In today's episode, we're going to talk about the honey market, and to do so, I'm joined ...

4 Offer analysis

4.1 Products and prices

The different types of honey

Production is divided into different types of honey, described in the graph below:

[***] Estimated quantity of honey produced per honeyflow France, ****, in tons Source: ****

The three most important types of honeydew are Acacia, Rapeseed and Spring Flowers. Production is also relatively evenly distributed.

Below is ...

4.2 Consumer price index

The consumer price index for honey is included in the CPI for sugar, jams, chocolate, confectionery and honey. This index was relatively stable, rising from a base of *** in **** to ***.* in March ****. However, since April **** there has been a clear increase in this price index. This increase reflects the widespread inflation ...

4.3 Organic honey production

Like many markets, the honey sector is no exception to the growing importance of organic produce. By ****, **.*% of honey produced in France will be organic, representing a *.*-point increase between **** and ****.

Source: ****

This dynamic should naturally continue in the years to come, as demand for organic farming becomes ever more ...

4.4 By-products: honey and cosmetics

Honey for processing

An estimated *,*** tons of honey is destined for the food industry, and *,*** tons for industrial use (***).

Honey and the cosmetics industry

Honey, royal jelly and propolis from the hive are used in a wide range of cosmetics and skincare products. This is known as apitherapy.

Honey is used ...

5 Regulations

5.1 Beekeeping regulations

Legal obligations associated with the business

Registering with the government

All beekeepers must declare their hives to the French government, whether as a hobby or a profession. To be listed as a beekeeper, he or she must apply for a NAPI code on the Ministry of Agriculture website, by filling in ...

5.2 Honey regulations

The compositional characteristics of honey are defined in Annex II of the decree and include aspects such as sugar content (***) content.

Labelling and presentation rules follow those applicable to foodstuffs and pre-packaged foodstuffs in accordance with the regulation on consumer information on foodstuffs. Compulsory information includes the sales name, such as ...

6 Positioning the players

6.1 Market players

Honey brands

Private labels

Internet sales platform

  • Famille Michaud Apiculteurs
  • Les Compagnons du Miel
  • Apidis
  • Le Manoir des Abeilles
  • La Ruche Roannaise Besacier S.A
  • La Maison du Miel
  • Bleu Blanc Ruche
  • Lune de Miel (Famille Michaud groupe)
  • Miel l'Apiculteur (Famille Michaud Groupe)
  • Famille Mary (Léa Nature Groupe)
  • Miels Hédène
  • Auchan groupe
  • Reflets de France (Groupe Carrefour)
  • Miel in France
  • Rochefontaine
  • Apiterra

List of charts presented in this market study

  • World honey production volume
  • Main honey producers
  • Honey production in France
  • Honey consumption by age group
  • Frequency of honey consumption in France, by age group
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Latest news

Auchan faces another "difficult" year in 2023 - 22/02/2024
  • -Auchan net loss in 2023: 379 million euros
  • - Previous year's profit: 33 million euros
  • - Auchan's position in the French retail sector: 5th
  • - Revenue in 2023: down 1.7% to 32.9 billion euros
  • - Share of hypermarkets in Auchan's store base: 21%
  • - Acquisition of Casino stores by Auchan and Intermarché: 70 supermarkets, 26 hypermarkets, including five larger than 9,000 m2, and two drives
Auchan: New Beginnings - 06/12/2023
  • Gérard Mulliez founded Auchan in 1961.
  • Auchan hypermarkets account for 80% of the company's sales.
  • Auchan's market share has fallen from over 10% five years ago to 8.4% today.
  • Failed attempt by the Mulliez family to take over Carrefour in October 2021.
  • Auchan and Intermarché are looking to form a product purchasing alliance, which would give them a combined market share of 30%.
  • Auchan and Intermarché have been trying to share nearly 300 hypers and supermarkets that Casino is due to sell.
Auchan opens its first cashier-free store - 29/09/2021
  • The chain will detail its plan to roll out Auchan Go stores across the country
  • As reported by Libre Service, the first 38-square-meter store in northern France is open 24 hours a day and offers some 500 products to its customers
  • All products are weighed and paid for automatically via a mobile app, eliminating the need to wait in line

Companies quoted in this study

This study contains a complete overview of the companies in the market, with the latest figures and news for each company. :

Famille Michaud Apiculteurs
Les Compagnons du Miel
Apidis
Le Manoir des Abeilles
La Ruche Roannaise Besacier S.A
La Maison du Miel
Bleu Blanc Ruche
Lune de Miel (Famille Michaud groupe)
Miel l'Apiculteur (Famille Michaud Groupe)
Famille Mary (Léa Nature Groupe)
Miels Hédène
Auchan groupe

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