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Summary of our market study
annual demand for honey in France is around 45,000 tonnes.
The world honey market has seen a modest increase, from 1757.1 thousand tonnes in to 1774.5 thousand tonnes in 2020, but has since stabilized at 1771.9 thousand tonnes in 2021.
National production fluctuates between 20,000 and 30,000 tonnes. In 2020, France enjoyed an exceptional production year, with 31,800 tonnes of honey produced. Production in 2022 is close to that achieved in 2020.
National production is insufficient to meet requirements, and France is a major importer of honey.
Annual consumption is between 35,000 and 45,000 tonnes. This represents around 600 grams per capita, making the French one of Europe's biggest honey lovers.
Honey consumption in France shows a strong predilection for local products.
The majority of French people still consume honey on a regular basis, focusing in particular on therapeutic uses such as soothing sore throats.
77% of French people enjoy the benefits of honey in hot drinks, and 59% appreciate it on their morning toast.
French production is divided between large-scale beekeeping operations and numerous small-scale beekeepers. The number of beekeepers with fewer than 50 hives is steadily declining.
The market needs to boost production capacity while maintaining quality.
Among honey varieties, polyfloral honeys and mixed flower honeys have the largest market share, but specialized honeys such as thyme, lime and lavender are attracting growing interest and boosting the market.
Organic honey production has risen from 10.3% to 13.9% in ten years.
Honey market players in France
- Famille Michaud Apiculteurs: a heritage of success Famille Michaud Apiculteurs is the symbol of French excellence in the honey sector. Firmly rooted in the region, the company has expanded beyond France's borders, demonstrating the international appeal of its high-quality beehive products.
- Hédène has made a name for itself by offering a range of exceptional French honeys. Drawing on tradition, Hédène carefully selects monofloral honeys from different regions, ensuring that each jar embodies the unique essence of local flora.
- ADA France focuses on supporting the beekeeping industry by encouraging geographical diversity and defending the well-being of regional beekeepers.
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition and presentation
Honey is a sweet, viscous substance produced by bees from flower nectar. These insects collect the nectar, transform it using enzymes, then store it in the hive's alveoli as a food reserve. Honey is distinguished by its different varieties, which are influenced by the floral origin of the nectar harvested, giving it a diversity of tastes and aromas.
In France, honey comes mainly from :
- Spring flowers (10.9%)
- Acacias (10.6%)
- Colza (10.7%)
- Chestnut (7.3%)
The honey market includes not only the sale of honey, but also all hive products such as pollen, royal jelly and propolis.
Worldwide,honey production has fluctuated over the period 2015 to 2022to finally exceed the 2015 level, reaching 1,830 thousand tonnes.
on a national scale,honey production reached a new record in 2023, with an increase of 7.37% in production volumein production volume. In addition,With almost40,000 tonnes of honey consumed per yearthe French are among the biggest consumers of honey in Europe. The products enjoy a generally positive image with consumers, who are increasingly looking for healthy, local products.
Despite all this, France remains a major importer of honey, with a trade deficit of 78.9 million euros in 2023. Indeed, theFrench honey industry continues to face stiff competition from foreign products, notably from China (the world's leading producer), Spain and Ukraine. French companies such as Famille Michaud Apiculteur are nonetheless managing to prosper and expand both in France and abroad.
In a market undergoing profound change, marked by stricter regulations on the use of additives and the labeling 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. Although this practice is very marginal in terms of actual honey production, it does demonstrate a certain enthusiasm for the product.
1.2 Global market
Global honey production has fluctuated over the period from **** to ****. In ****, production was ****.* thousand tonnes, gradually increasing to peak at ****.* thousand tonnes in ****. However, it then declined to a low of ****.* thousand tonnes in ****. A recovery can be observed from **** onwards, and production in **** may even have exceeded its **** level to ...
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 slightly down on ****.
Foreign ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 The French and breakfast
The breakfast market in France experienced significant growth between **** and ****. Sales rose from *.** billion euros in **** to *.* billion euros in ****, an increase of **.*%. This growth testifies to the sector's considerable dynamism.
Breakfast market sales France, **** - ****, in billions of euros Source: ****
According to the graph below, **% of French people eat breakfast ...
2.2 The French, major consumers of honey
Honey is a key product for the French. In fact, in **** :
They consume *.* kg / year per household They spend an average of €**.** / year per household on honey
Source: ****
Apart from this data, there is little recent information on honey demand and consumption in France. Indeed, the latest relevant information on this ...
2.3 The context of honey consumption
In France, in ****, **% of French people consumed honey as a throat remedy (***).
How do you consume your honey? France, ****, in % Source: ****
Honey is a product that is consumed throughout the day, since while **% of French people consume it at breakfast, another **% and **% consume it at snack time and bedtime respectively. These ...
2.4 Choosing honey
Selection criteria
The first criterion for choosing honey for consumers is floral origin and taste. Indeed, the taste of honey changes radically depending on whether it's a ****-flower honey, acacia honey, lavender honey, fir tree honey... **% of French consumers are primarily interested in this criterion, with price being the primary choice ...
2.5 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 ...
2.6 France's favourite honey brands
the graph below was obtained from OpinionWay's survey of French people's favorite brands in February ****. These are respondents' answers to the question "Do you like this or that brand of honey?"; for each brand, the percentage corresponds to the proportion of respondents who answered "yes". Lune de Miel is the favorite ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Industry structure
The honey market value chain is made up of different players working to deliver quality honey to consumers.
Beekeepers: They are at the base of the value chain, ensuring the production of honey. Their role is to manage the hives, harvest the honey and sometimes lightly process it before selling it ...
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
The graph shows the breakdown of honey volumes marketed in France in **** according to different distribution channels. Wholesale sales dominate, accounting for **% of total volume. It is closely followed by direct sales, which account for **.*%, while semi-wholesale sales come third with **.*%. These figures show a slight predominance of wholesale over other ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Products and prices
The different types of honey
Production is divided between different types of honey, as shown 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 ...
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. In ****, **.*% of honey produced in France will be organic: a gain of *.* points between **** and ****. This share fell to **.*% in ****, but is still higher than in ****.
Source: ****
This dynamic should naturally continue in the years ...
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
- Honey production in France
- Number of beekeepers, by number of hives
- Number of beekeepers
- Total number of beekeepers by farm size
- Honey production, by farm size
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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
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