What happens when you add a little honey to the art of swapping? It gets a little sweeter!
Okay, very, very bad joke. But I had to make it and now that we have it out of the way, we can get down to the real point of this post: honey bartering in Los Angeles. Specifically, one farm using their bees as big business bartering currency.
Beekeepers Russell Bates and Amy Seidenwurm have decided to take a different approach to the beekeeping business. Not only do they raise bees in a chemical and treatment-free environment, but rather than sell the honey for profit, they barter it for other goods and services from businesses in the area. To make it even better, the bees aren’t mail order bees, they are all local bees that don’t ever travel more than a few miles from home, meaning the honey tastes different season to season, depending on which flowers are in bloom.
Feral Honey & Bee is just one example of a business that has recently adopted a bartering system. By engaging in trading, businesses can work out deals to get goods or services they require, but might not otherwise be able to afford. Along with saving a bundle of money, bartering can also create a stronger sense of community and efficiency. Not such a bad deal!
Of course, since Feral Honey & Bee swap their honey, meaning that it’s not distributed nationally. So if you want to actually taste the goods you’ll have to arrange a trip to Los Angeles or the nearby area, which I might just have to do. And if you think I’m joking about traveling 3,000 miles just to taste honey, I can assure you, I am most certainly not.
(Photo by Matt Price)
Swap.com Mobile is a free iPhone is app that lets you scan items into your HAVE and WANT lists, manage your account, see what you can get for your stuff, and participate in swaps.
