Where to Buy Raw Honey: Stores, Markets and Online
Where to buy raw honey depends on what matters more to you: picking a jar up today, talking to the person who sold it, or choosing from a wider range of varieties. Each kind of seller has a trade-off. This guide walks through the main options, what to check at each one, and where to find Al Safa honey on a shelf in New York.
Where to buy raw honey: your main options
Raw honey has moved well beyond health food shops, which helps buyers but also means quality varies more. Here is how the common places compare.
| Where | Strengths | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Large supermarkets | Convenient, often discounted | Few true raw options; many blends |
| Natural food stores and co-ops | Wider raw range, staff who know it | Higher shelf prices |
| Neighborhood pharmacies and specialty markets | Quick stop, often carry smaller brands | Limited varieties per shop |
| Farmers markets | Ask questions directly, try before buying | Seasonal hours, cash-only stalls |
| Online, direct from the packer | Full range, single varietals, gift boxes | Shipping cost and wait time |
What to check before you buy in a store
Shelf lighting and pretty labels make every jar look good. Spend 30 seconds on the back of the jar instead of the front.
- Ingredients: only honey.
- Origin: a named country, ideally a named state or region.
- Processing: unfiltered, strained or cold-extracted, not filtered or ultra-filtered.
- Appearance: some cloudiness or crystals are normal for raw honey.
- Seal: an intact tamper band, and no sticky leaks down the side.
- Placement: avoid jars kept beside a heater or in a sunny window.
Buying raw honey online
Ordering direct usually gets you the widest choice: single-flower honeys that most shops don't have room for, larger sizes and sampler boxes. You also tend to get fresher stock, because the jar did not sit in a distributor's warehouse first.
Weigh shipping against the order. Honey is heavy, about 1.5 pounds for a 16 oz jar in glass, so small orders can cost a lot to ship. Many sellers set a free-shipping threshold; at Al Safa it is $50, which three or four jars usually reach. Al Safa ships within the U.S. only.
When the box arrives, open it promptly and keep the jars at room temperature. If the honey has crystallized in transit, that is normal and reversible with a warm water bath.
Farmers markets and beekeepers
Buying from a market stall is the best way to learn, because you can ask questions and usually taste before paying. Good sellers enjoy the questions. Vague answers are the warning sign.
Ask what the bees were foraging on, whether the honey is heated during bottling, and whether it is strained or filtered. A seller who simply resells honey bought elsewhere should be open about that too. Bring small bills and a bag that can hold glass.
Markets are also the place to find unusual seasonal honeys, such as a fall goldenrod or a spring fruit-blossom harvest, that rarely reach a store shelf. If you find one you love, buy two jars, since the next batch may taste different or not appear at all.
Where to buy Al Safa raw honey in New York
Al Safa honey is stocked by 47 shops across New York. Most are neighborhood pharmacies (34 of them), with nine groceries, three natural foods stores and one restaurant with a market counter. The store finder at /locations shows each address and phone number on a map.
Shops carry different varieties, so call ahead if you want a specific one, such as the buckwheat or orange blossom. Queens has the most choice, with stores spread from Middle Village to Jamaica, while Bronxville and Yonkers cover shoppers just north of the city.
Buying in person has one quiet advantage: you can look at the jar first. Check that it sits away from the store's heaters and front windows, and pick a jar that shows a little cloudiness or crystal if you want proof it has not been warmed.
| Area | Stores |
|---|---|
| Queens | 18 |
| Brooklyn | 12 |
| Manhattan | 7 |
| The Bronx | 7 |
| Bronxville | 2 |
| Yonkers | 1 |
Getting the most from your first jar
If you have only ever bought one honey, start with variety instead of volume. The Pure Raw Honey Sampler lets you pick four 3 oz jars for $25, which is enough to taste the range from pale clover to near-black buckwheat and decide what you will buy by the pound later.
If you already know what you like, a 16 oz jar is the practical size. Pure Raw Honey at $17 is the all-purpose choice; Pure Raw Wildflower Honey at $15 changes a little with every harvest. Gifting someone? The /gifts page collects options that ship well.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Walmart or Costco sell raw honey?
- Large retailers often stock jars labeled raw, alongside many regular blends. Because raw has no legal definition, read the processing words and origin rather than relying on the front label.
- Is raw honey from a pharmacy any different?
- No. Pharmacies sell it as a food, the same as a grocery store. Many independent pharmacies stock smaller brands because their customers ask for unprocessed options.
- Can raw honey be shipped in summer heat?
- Yes. Honey does not spoil in transit heat, though very hot days can make it runnier and a cool truck can make it crystallize. Neither change harms it, and it settles back at room temperature.
- Is honey from a farmers market always raw?
- Usually, but not always. Some small beekeepers warm honey to make bottling easier. Asking how it was bottled is the only way to know.
- Can I buy raw honey for my store or cafe?
- Yes. Al Safa offers case and volume pricing for shops, cafes and bakeries through the /wholesale page.
- Is it cheaper to buy raw honey online or in a store?
- Shelf prices in stores include the retailer's margin, while online orders add shipping. For a single jar, a nearby shop is often cheaper overall. For three or more jars, ordering direct usually wins once free shipping applies.
Al Safa Honey is a food producer, not a medical provider. Nothing here is medical advice. Never give honey of any kind to a baby under 12 months old.
