Small-Scale Beekeeping Break-Even: About $79K Monthly Revenue
A small-scale beekeeping business needs about $7,855 in monthly revenue to break even in the first year when owner pay is included Here’s the quick math: fixed monthly costs are $6,300, variable expenses are 198% of revenue, so contribution margin is 802%, and $6,300 / 0802 = $7,855 At 10 hives, first-year sales are only about $1,032/month, so the operating gap is large unless you add hives, raise prices, improve yield, or defer owner pay The model output shows break-even timing at Month 2, but actual results will vary by hive count, yield, pricing, product mix, and local costs
Fixed costs$6.3K/mo
Launch overhead
Contribution margin80.2%
After variable costs
Break-even revenue$7.9K/mo
Monthly target
Break-even timingMonth 2
First break-even
Break-even calculator
Test monthly revenue, variable expenses, and fixed costs against break-even for a small beekeeping operation.
Money available to cover fixed costs$9,020
$11,000 revenue - $1,980 variable expenses
Margin ratio
82%
Covers fixed costs
Yes
Break-even chart Revenue Total costs
Which beekeeping expenses stay fixed, and which move with honey and hive-product sales?
Cost classification
Classifying the $2,550/month recurring overhead separately from revenue-linked items keeps the break-even target clean. Packaging at 8.5%, feed at 6.0%, marketing at 3.5%, and delivery at 1.8% should rise only when sales rise.
Expense
Cost
Break-Even Treatment
Common Mistake
Apiary Land Lease
Fixed
Include the $800/month lease in monthly overhead from Month 1.
Tying rent to jars sold instead of capacity.
Insurance Premium
Fixed
Include the $350/month premium from launch month.
Treating insurance as optional until sales build.
Website Hosting and Maintenance
Fixed
Include the $150/month hosting charge in overhead.
Mixing recurring hosting with one-time website build spend.
Packaging Materials and Labels
Variable
Apply 8.5% of revenue in the first year as sales volume moves.
Booking labels and jars as flat overhead.
Bee Feed and Supplements
Variable
Apply 6.0% of revenue in the first year and track production pressure.
Ignoring extra feeding needs during weak harvest periods.
Marketing and Social Media Advertising
Variable
Apply 3.5% of revenue in the first year and tie it to channel spend.
Confusing ad spend with website hosting.
Transportation and Delivery
Variable
Apply 1.8% of revenue in the first year for orders and market trips.
Burying delivery spend inside owner draw.
Hive Replacement
Semi-variable
Model replacements by hive count: 15.0% replacement rate at $350 per hive in the first year.
Treating replacement hives like one-time launch capex.
How does break-even change as this apiary moves from lean to full scale?
Scenario table
More hives raise revenue faster than fixed overhead, so the full setup gets much closer to break-even. But harvest loss and staffing can still wipe out the cushion.
Planning assumptions only; harvests, pricing, and labor can move these results.
Scenario
Monthly Revenue
Variable Costs
Fixed Costs
CM Ratio
Operating Profit
Break-Even Signal
Lean apiary
$1,032
$205
$6,300
80.1%
-$5,473
Best for proof of sales; overhead is far too high.
Base apiary
$4,964
$815
$9,700
83.6%
-$5,551
Useful for local market validation, but the gap is still wide.
Full apiary
$12,014
$1,562
$11,250
87.0%
-$798
Closest to break-even, but a small harvest miss can turn it negative.
What breaks the break-even plan for this apiary?
Stress test
The plan clears break-even at about $7,855 in monthly revenue, so there’s little room for a weak harvest or slower direct sales. A 20% revenue drop, a 10% fixed-cost jump, or heavier feed and packaging pressure can turn the margin tight fast.
Stress Case
Changed Assumption
Break-Even Revenue
Revenue Gap
Risk Signal
Current plan
No change in revenue, fixed costs, or variable expense load.
$7,855
$0 cushion
At break-even, so any slip cuts into cash.
Revenue shortfall
Monthly revenue falls 20% to about $6,284.
$7,855
$1,260 gap
Weak harvest or slower sell-through leaves little room.
Fixed-cost pressure
Fixed costs rise 10% to about $6,930 a month.
$8,641
$786 gap
Higher overhead needs more sales just to stay even.
Margin pressure
Variable expenses rise from 198% to 248%.
$8,378
$523 gap
Feed, packaging, or delivery drag pushes the hurdle up.
Combined pressure
Revenue falls 20%, fixed costs rise 10%, and variable expenses move to 248%.
$8,488
$2,204 gap
This mix breaks the plan fastest.
Is the beekeeping business ready for the first land lease and hive spend?
Founder checklist
Don’t commit to the lease or the first hires until the cash and sales math work. In this model, 10 hives only support about $1,032 a month in first-year sales, while fixed costs with owner pay run about $6,300 a month, and startup capex adds another $25,500 before you open.
1Cash Floor$888K
Treat the $888,000 minimum cash line as the gate, because Month 2 is the cash trough and the startup capex still has to clear.
2Site Lease$800/mo
Confirm the yard works for hives before signing the $800 monthly lease, because unusable land turns into dead fixed cost from Month 1.
3Sales Proof$1,032/mo
Test real buyers and the farmers market booth first, because 10 hives only support about $1,032 a month in first-year sales.
4Fixed Load$6.3K/mo
Keep the fixed base near $6,300 a month, because lease, booth, overhead, and owner pay all hit cash before profit shows up.
5Margin Mix80.2% CM
Hold packaging, feed, marketing, and delivery near plan, because about 80 cents of each sales dollar has to stay to cover fixed costs.
6Staff RampMonth 13
Do not add the part-time assistant before Month 13, because early payroll would hit cash before the hive base is large enough to support it.
