It's up to us to educate people on local honey and the benefits of using local honey. We have a superior product, we should not be undercutting our prices. People will pay for a superior product - Starbucks did it with coffee, we can all do it with honey.
My mother-in law gave me an empty honey jar to fill, it was from a commercial brand - Dutch Gold Honey - and they were charging $5.79 for a 1 lb glass jar of wildflower honey. I'm not sure if all of their honey is from the US, but from reading Dutch Gold's website, they are the nation's largest indepent honey packer, not largest indepent honey producer. But $5.79/lb is highway robbery if they are importing honey from overseas. But if that's what people are willing to pay, I'm willing to take their money if they want to sent it to me too.
So how to we change the US mindset, and maybe even the world to get turned onto "Local Honey".
Some ideas -
Promote honey everywhere you can. Websites, fairs, bazzars,
homebrew supply, everyone you
know.
Bee the "Bee Guy" or "Bee Girl" for your community.
Every jar given away must have your telephone # - for re-orders.
Use the word "Apiary". Since most of the general public doesn't
know what an apiary is; this may create a buzz. 15 years ago we
were asking what a coffee bar was.....
Promote everyone's local honey, not just your own, get involved with
Beekeeping clubs.