First off, I never said Fender was boutique, I mentioned fender for the reason you just illustrated, that a lot of people hate them while I love them. I don't want anything but an adult conversation and critical thinking. Like I repeatedly say, I'm not out to discredit anyone. I simply question everything. Why is it bad to ask questions and ponder possibilities?
As far as my experience in the seed industry, very little besides what my crew and I have grown. But I do read, and between the lines at that.
Here's an email just received for Mike at Peak seeds.
I'm appealing to my best customers for just a bit of help in
raising my profile.
Recently, I was approached by a reputable seed distributor.
Pretty good guy, he explained how things work. Apparently, the way
it is done is, the breeders pay the magazines and websites, which
are owned by the seedbanks, for good exposure and cup winnings. The
seedbanks in turn sell the breeders strains and everyone makes a
lot of money. He offered me a pretty good deal to take all I could
produce, and my strains would be sold at the major seedbanks in the
$60-$100 price range. I'll admit that there was some appeal to just
being able to focus on breeding and production. But, I've got good
regular customers, my order processing and customer service down
pretty good and I have never believed that those prices were
reasonable, so I politely declined. Independent has always been my
way.
The competition is fierce though. Between the out and out
scammers muddying the waters, the bogus cup winners and the high
profile banks offering a variety of payment options, it's hard to
get any attention out there. I rely solely on good word-of-mouth
for business.
This is where I'm going to ask for a little help from you. Any
mention out there in the world wide web helps a lot. There are two
sites that I'm listed on with a few good reports but I could use
more. If you could, please got to one or both of these sites and
put in a good word for me.
www.bestseedbank.com/peak-seeds/
www.seedbankreview.com/peak-seeds/
Also if you are a member of any forums, any mention at all goes a
long way. Please spread the word in any way possible. Don't be
afraid to point out any exposure you give me, to me. I like to show
my appreciation.
Thank you, let me know if I can help you in any way and if all
you do is continue to give me your business, that is appreciated
too. MikeJ