Along with every spoonful of sweet, tempting Billy Bee Honey, customers enjoying their delectable treat come face to face with something else: some of the most iconic packaging out there.
The continuing popularity of this delectable honey comes from more than the flavour it offers in each squeeze or spoonful. It’s reflected in the Billy Bee Honey packaging, which is unique within the condiment and food industry. Here, our packaging professionals will look closely at the Billy Bee Honey packaging. We’ll dive into the history of this brand and explore exactly why its packaging is such a popular choice for its consumers.
The Billy Bee Honey Packaging Story
The release of Billy Bee Honey in 1958 was a debut completed by Jack Grossman and his Canadian family. It was a family operation that would be the beginning of a successful honey brand.
The release of this sticky nectar was all about the natural pureness of each bottle’s contents, and that pure and natural honey would go on to be produced in three Canadian regions—Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. It would be fully sourced entirely by Canadian beekeepers.
Its pureness, aligned with its unique packaging design, would become an incredible success, encouraging customers to purchase this delicious condiment. Billy Bee Honey went on to make up an incredibly large portion of branded honey sales; in fact, Billy Bee Honey and Doyon make up around 60% of the branded honey sales in Canada.
Billy Bee Honey Packaging Launch
At the Billy Bee Honey packaging launch in 1958, the bee mascot took centre stage. Its clever old-school cartoon-style design with yellow and brown stripes could clearly be seen on the packaging. The brand was completed with the unmistakable bold outline of a flower with green petals, colours that denote pureness or freshness in packaging. It was fun, creative, and simple packaging through which the naturalness of the honey shone through.
That Billy Bee mascot next to the flower would appear again and again on glass jars with yellow and white striped metal screw-on lids. In later packaging, a simple oval-shaped sticker label would be centred on the jar; the brand’s mascot would hover above the bold ‘Billy Bee’ logo that had a bold, red typeface.
Billy Bee Honey Packaging Labels
Consumers of Billy Bee Honey have seen the packaging evolve slowly over its history. What made one of its rebooted designs so coveted was its plain white background, which would reappear in more recent Billy Bee plastic tubs. The tubs took the form of robust deli containers, complete with the bold, red ‘Billy Bee’ logo that again stands out against the white background.
It’s hard to overlook the use of white space in this label design. Studies say this kind of design helps consumers develop a positive attitude toward the brand and its packaging. It’s a strategic choice that draws the eye toward the brand and the mascot, making these brand details really stand out.
Other Billy Bee Honey Packaging: Glass Collectables
The original mascot and Billy Bee Honey packaging elements are seen elsewhere. On glass collectables, the mascot would trade its yellow and brown stripes for a bold, eye-catching design. Its outline is sketched in a whimsical cartoon-style design, and musical instruments like drums and guitars can be seen on one of the glasses.
Yet what made one of the first glass collectables so recognizable was the logo. The hyphenated ‘billy bee-tle’ logo includes a play on nouns (and calls to mind the world-famous Beatles band), which might have been a risk in terms of brand identity. Yet the typography still retains the bold, italicised font that Billy Bee Honey lovers instantly notice.
In other glass collectables, the stripes have become black and white, and the bee mascot wears gloves to commemorate a baseball event. Yet, at this stage, the mascot had become well-recognized. Regardless of the change in the mascot’s design, the glass products were still incredibly popular with those who enjoyed Billy Bee Honey. They can still be found on modern websites, available for sale.
Billy Bee Honey Packaging Materials
From glass jars to squeezable plastic bottles, so many types of packaging materials have been used in the Billy Bee Honey’s containers. Modern Billy Bee Honey packaging, for instance, favours the plastic squeezable bottles—bear-shaped, yet still bearing the Billy Bee logo on the custom label.
Other squeezable bottles are smaller in size with a more durable plastic nozzle through which the golden honey emerges, spreads onto pancakes or pieces of toast, and can be enjoyed in a mess-free way. The custom label on this bottle still reveals the slightly more modern-designed mascot that makes customers instantly recognize the Billy Bee Honey brand.
Billy Bee Honey Packaging: Final Thoughts on this Iconic Packaging Design
It’s clear that Billy Bee Honey has stood the test of time, and that’s no accident. The iconic packaging design reinforces this brand and has become intertwined with the favourite sweet condiment it contains. From a small family business release to one of Canada’s most renowned honey brands, Billy Bee Honey is now highly recognizable.
As a brand of honey that prioritizes natural production processes, this product and its packaging are remarkable in every way. That is why Billy Bee Honey takes its place in The Packaging Company’s iconic packaging series.
