Honey label design: what to include and how to stand out

Honey is often bought straight from the beekeeper, at a market or as a gift, and on a shop shelf it sits among dozens of near-identical jars. The label has a few seconds to tell buyers who made the honey, what kind it is and why this jar is worth picking up. This article covers what a honey label must include, how to stand out without clichés and what to prepare before design starts, with the labels we designed for the Shevchenko family farm as an example.

In brief

• A honey label must show the name, net quantity, best-before date, the producer's or packer's name and address, the country of origin and the lot number. A nutrition declaration is generally not required.
• From 14 June 2026, blends from more than one country must list every country of origin, in descending order of share and with percentages.
• The price of honey label design depends on the number of labels and their complexity: a single label is not the same job as a shared design across several varieties.

What a honey label must include

Honey is covered by the general EU food labelling rules in Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 and by the EU Honey Directive (2001/110/EC), as amended by Directive (EU) 2024/1438. In Croatia, the Honey Directive is transposed by the Ordinance on Honey (Pravilnik o medu, NN 109/2025). The label must show:

• the name: "honey", optionally with its floral origin (for example acacia, linden or chestnut honey) if it comes wholly or mainly from that plant and has its characteristics, or with a regional origin if it comes entirely from that region,
• the net quantity in grams,
• the best-before date,
• the name and address of the producer or packer,
• the country of origin where the honey was harvested,
• the lot number and, where relevant, any special storage conditions.

As an unprocessed, single-ingredient product, honey is exempt from the mandatory nutrition declaration, which frees up space on a small label. If you want to include one voluntarily, plan space for it from the start.

From 14 June 2026, general wording such as "blend of EU honeys" is no longer enough for blends. Every country of origin goes in the principal field of vision, in descending order of its share by weight, with its percentage (a 5% tolerance applies to each share). On packs under 30 g, two-letter ISO country codes (for example HR) may be used instead of names.

Mandatory information must also be legible: the x-height must be at least 1.2 mm, or 0.9 mm on packs whose largest surface is under 80 cm². On small gift jars, that quickly becomes the main layout constraint. If you sell in Croatia, the information must be in Croatian.

This is not legal advice: the producer is responsible for the mandatory information, and we make sure it all fits on the label and stays legible.

How to stand out on a shelf full of bees and honeycomb

Bees, honeycomb, hexagons and yellow and black are so common on honey labels that the jars blur into one. Use them if you like, but make them your own:

• Find your own story. Shevchenko's logo keeps the bee, but its flight path is actually the owner's signature, and the bee ends its flight as the full stop. Buyers remember details like that.
• Rethink the colour. Instead of the usual yellow, we chose gold for Shevchenko: it still says honey, but feels more elegant.
• Let the honey show. Its colour, from almost clear acacia to dark chestnut, is your best advertisement, so don't hide it behind a label that covers the whole jar.
• Allow for crystallisation. Most honey crystallises naturally over time, turning paler and opaque, so the label has to work with both runny and set honey.
• Match the design to the price. Everyday honey and a limited-edition gift jar need different looks: looking too expensive can put buyers off as much as looking too cheap.

One design for several varieties

Beekeepers often sell several varieties, so plan ahead: instead of a separate label for each, create an umbrella design with the same layout, logo and typography, changing just one element per variety – a colour, an illustration or the name. The range then reads as one family on the shelf, and a new variety doesn't mean starting from scratch.

On the Shevchenko labels, acacia, linden and sunflower honey each have their own plant illustration, while the black background, the gold and white lettering and the dashed bee flight path stay the same.

Jar, lid and material

• Measure the jar. Round and hexagonal jars need different solutions: a wrap-around label, front and back labels, or a front label only. We work from the actual jar you will fill.
• Use the lid. A round lid label catches the eye when buyers look down at jars on a market stall, and a seal strip over the lid shows the jar is unopened.
• Choose a material you can wipe. Honey easily ends up on the jar during filling, so film or varnished paper works better than unprotected paper, which soaks up stains. Kraft paper looks natural but marks easily without a protective varnish.
• Add a hang tag for gifts. For Shevchenko we designed hang tags to match the jar and lid labels.
• Proof on a full jar. The honey's colour and the curve of the glass make the design look different from how it does on screen.

Example: Shevchenko

For Shevchenko, a family farm from Ukraine that produces honey, we designed the logo, label and packaging. As a family business, they wanted an identity that was elegant yet warm and approachable. Besides the signature flight path and the gold in place of yellow, the Shevchenko name is set in a handwritten typeface, with a plainer one for the word "family" to balance the design and make the name stand out. The labels are black with gold and white lettering, and the system also includes a lid label and hang tags. In these mockups the quantity is shown as the jar volume (106 ml); on a label for honey sold in the EU, the net quantity is given in grams.

When the same family business expanded into walnut and pumpkin seed oils in 2025, we designed a new label for them: a white background, an image of pumpkin seeds or walnuts, the gold logo on a dark grey banner and gold details.

What the price of honey label design depends on

The price of honey label design depends first of all on whether you need a single label or a shared design across several varieties, and then on the complexity of the design. Label design includes design to your jar's dimensions, layout of the mandatory information you supply and print-ready artwork, while printing is arranged separately. If you don't have a logo yet, logo design is a separate service.

For an accurate quote, send us:

• a photo of the jar or its dimensions, plus your pack sizes,
• your honey varieties,
• the mandatory information you already have (name and address, origin, lot),
• your markets and languages,
• your preferred deadline.

Conclusion

A good honey label says clearly what is in the jar and who is behind it, follows the rules and lets the honey itself be seen. For general principles, read How to design a quality label; for what our service includes, see Label design. Ready for a new label? Send us an enquiry via the contact form or to info@zale.hr.