Specialty food makers & markets
Books and taxes for honey producers and apiaries.
Summer honey extraction, farmers market jars, wholesale grocery accounts, and pollination contracts with local growers. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
July came in at $4,800, your extraction season peak. I kept the pollination contract payment separate from honey sales since it is a different kind of income.
- Farmers market cashHoney sales
- Orchard pollination contractPollination fees
- Jar and lid supplierPackaging
- Replacement hive boxesHive equipment
- Sugar feed for winter prepBee feed and treatments
Why your books are different
A honey and apiary business's books go wrong around the hive.
You are not a normal food maker with steady batches. Your product depends on a living colony, your income can include pollination contracts as well as jars, and hive losses are a real cost most owners never write down. When the books do not track that, the year looks random instead of understandable.
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1
Pollination income gets mixed with honey sales
A contract paying you to move hives to an orchard for pollination season is a different business than selling jars of honey, but both often land in the same income bucket, hiding which side actually pays.
What we doKeeps pollination contracts and honey sales in separate categories so you can see what each side of the operation earns. -
2
Hive losses are never counted as a cost
Colony losses over winter or from disease are common and expensive to replace, but most owners never write the loss down anywhere, so the real cost of keeping bees stays invisible.
What we doTracks replacement hive and package bee costs in their own line so winter losses show up as the real cost they are. -
3
Varietal honey gets sold at one blended price
Wildflower, clover, and orange blossom honey can sell for different prices, but if sales are not tracked by type, you cannot tell which varietal is actually worth chasing more of.
What we doKeeps honey sales sorted by how you track them, so different varietals and their prices stay visible rather than blended into one number. -
4
Wax and byproduct sales look like a rounding error
Candles, lip balm, and raw beeswax made from extraction byproducts often get folded into honey sales instead of counted as their own product, so their real contribution disappears.
What we doKeeps wax and byproduct sales in their own category so you can see if they are worth the time to keep making.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a honey and apiary business.
Set up once for how you sell and what you buy. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Honey salesFarmers markets, wholesale grocery accounts, and online orders.
- Pollination feesContracts to move hives to orchards or farms during bloom season.
- Wax and byproduct salesCandles, lip balm, and raw beeswax from extraction leftovers.
- Nuc and package bee salesStarter colonies sold to other beekeepers, where offered.
Money out
- Hive equipmentBoxes, frames, foundation, and extraction equipment.
- Bee feed and treatmentsSugar syrup, pollen substitute, and mite or disease treatments.
- Replacement coloniesNew packages or nucs bought to replace winter or disease losses.
- PackagingJars, lids, labels, and wax product molds.
- Marketplace and card feesWhat Shopify, Etsy, or Square kept before you got paid.
- Land and yard feesRent paid to landowners for hosting hives, where applicable.
What we watch for you
- Yield per hive
Honey pulled against number of hives worked. A drop can flag disease or a rough season early.
- Colony loss cost
What replacing lost hives costs each year, a real number most beekeepers never see written down.
- Pollination share
What pollination contracts bring in against honey sales, useful for deciding how many hives to commit each spring.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax time is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things beekeepers ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Yes, I logged the replacement packages as a real cost so the loss shows up honestly instead of just looking like an equipment purchase.
This year the pollination fees came out ahead once you count what a full extraction season costs in labor and jars. I kept them split so you can compare for yourself.
Sales tax rules for shipping honey across state lines vary and can get complicated, so that one is above my pay grade. I keep your out-of-state sales tracked so the accountant can sort out what is owed where.
The tax side
The tax side of a honey and apiary business.
Most of what matters here is treating the hive as real inventory and equipment, since colony losses, extraction gear, and land arrangements all carry their own tax handling.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Equipment write-offsExtraction equipment, hive boxes, and frames can usually be written off in the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent, permanent, for property bought after January 19, 2025.
- Farm-related tax treatmentBeekeeping sometimes qualifies for agricultural tax treatment that varies by state and by how the operation is set up. Gus flags this so the accountant can confirm what applies to you.
- Contractor 1099sA helper for extraction season or hive moving who is not on payroll and is paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- The pass-through deductionMost owners can deduct up to 20 percent of business profit before it is taxed. It comes out right only when honey, pollination, and wax income are tracked cleanly all year.
Deductions honey producers and apiaries miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Hive boxes and frames
- Extraction equipment
- Replacement colonies
- Mite and disease treatments
- Sugar syrup and feed
- Jars and labels
- Beekeeping suit and gloves
- Truck and trailer for hive moves
- Land or yard rental fees
- Beekeeping association dues
- Wax molds
- Farmers market booth fees
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A honey and apiary year, kept every month.
Spring buildup, summer extraction, fall feeding, and winter losses each shape the calendar. Your team keeps you ahead of the tax deadlines through all of it. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for extraction help is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your business return is filed and signed, ahead of spring buildup and pollination season.
- July
Post-extraction check
Where you stand after peak honey season, what you will owe, and how this year's yield compares to last year's.
- October
Before winter losses
Gus looks at feed and treatment costs going into winter and what equipment is worth buying before hive losses and replacement season hit in spring.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for honey producers and apiaries. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions beekeepers ask first.
Can Gus separate my honey sales from my pollination income?
Yes. Pollination contracts and honey sales are kept in their own categories, so you can see what each side of the operation actually earns.
Do winter hive losses count as anything on the books?
The cost of replacing lost colonies gets tracked as a real expense, so the loss shows up honestly instead of disappearing into a general equipment line.
I sell honey, candles, and lip balm. Should those be tracked separately?
Yes. Keeping wax and byproduct sales apart from honey sales shows you whether the side products are worth the time it takes to make them.
Does beekeeping count as farming for tax purposes?
It sometimes qualifies for agricultural tax treatment, but the rules vary by state and by how your operation is set up. That is worth confirming with the accountant rather than assuming either way.
My books are behind from a busy extraction season. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have and he sorts them by honey, pollination, and equipment. Most owners know where they stand within a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever