Timfish Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 Has anybody thought of setting up a coral growers co-op? It seems to me an organization that was coordinating what people are growing in their tanks with what pet shops are able to sell could really benefit the hobby. And using Gabriel's idea of going around giving presentations and maybe setting up booths at home shows could be a good way to benefit the hobby also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 I think that is a great idea. If you get something going I'm in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted January 3, 2011 Author Share Posted January 3, 2011 . . . If you get . . . To quote Calvin from Calvin & Hobbs "God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things and right now I am so far behind I will never die". I've got a pretty big bucket list as it is (I've still gotta find somebody to pay me to raise sharks ). It just seems to me from all the people who are good at growing stuff someone who could organize and promote them would benefit the "hobby" directly and indirectly as well as bring in new people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I'm in the same boat as you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Tell us a little about how you think it would work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted January 3, 2011 Author Share Posted January 3, 2011 Honestly I have no idea about the particulars of how co-ops actually work. It's seems to me though it wouldn't be much different than something for organic farmers. It's my perception there are a lot of people out there who are having very good success and having problems getting rid of stuff. An organization that could coordinate the growers with the pet shops and/or sell online and do local marketing seems like a viable proposition. To use Hydro as an example (sorry if I'm being too presumptious Hydro): He has some corals that are doing really really well in his tank. With a little bit of rearranging he could probably increase the frags he can produce in his tank without affecting the easthetics of it. But while he may not mind the time it would take to do this he doesn't have the time to set up and monitor a website or box and ship the animals or take a bunch of animals to one of the local petshops. But as a member of the co-op he calls them up and say's he's got so many frags of so many species available. The co-op has a website they update and they let the LFS know what's avalable. (Logistics to be determined {this is where this idea gets shot down by the naysayers].) To build business the co-op does presentations, gets interviews with reporters (go wet & green & weird) and does booths at home shows. Co-op sells Hydro's corals, co-op gets a percentage & hydro gets a percentage. Maybe Hydro only makes enough to pay his electricity bill but he only has to spend 30 - 45 minutes a week to do it which in his case may work out to a respectable hourly return. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 i think the big issue with this is time, and all of the legal issues involved (book keeping ect). but if someone has this time to set this up i think it would be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Unless there was going to be some huge number of people part of the coop, I think the effort in forming it would be unrealistic for what someone would get back, assuming we're actually talking about a legal coop. Some sort of limited partnership or even a small private corporation that acts as a front to the growers seems more appropriate. I think the real value would be the person who has contacts with the fish stores and is actually able to distribute product to them. Corals are pretty well commoditized unless it's some super rare variety, in which it will be commoditized next month... Also, the very rare corals are often impossible to propagate (scolys, rhyzos, etc..). This idea could work if controlled and the supply can keep up with the demand, else it's just another vendor selling the same coral as everyone else. In any case, I think the value and the hurdle lies in finding the person with the connections or ability to sell the coral, and not so much in the person(s) able to grow them. Just my opinion on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 An exchange may be a better option, wait i think we have one of those already Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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