Stuart,
I'm not sure whether Colin is referring to Stephen Monkhouse ( The Missing Link ) and his Malaysian venture.
The problem with the offshore labs would seem to be twofold: firstly, the integrity of plant material. They say in mainland China, it is only a matter of months and someone down the road who has a cousin or other relative working in your lab, will be offering the same varieties that you have. Secondly, if you value accuracy in labeling, the risk with foreign speaking staff making fundamental mistakes in flask identification is extremely high.
The positives include a very enthusiastic workforce available in places like Thailand for less than $6 US per day. That means that replate flasks costing about 3-4 dollars US are readily available. It gives you quite a competitive edge if you are shipping to overseas markets. But Stuart, these lab operations need a fairly hands-on management so you would need to be Johnny on the spot. Are you ready to move to Bangkok or mainland China or Dalat?
Best to you and your family for 2006!
Andy
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