"Jim and Tracy Reddekopp... In 2000, Jim and Tracy... moved to a six-acre farm in Paauilo, Hawaii, off the Big Island's northeast Hamakua coast. ... Tracy's mother's suggestion that they grow vanilla...
Seven [years] later... with help from a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the USDA, the Reddekopps... produce 300 pounds of vanilla a year and average 200 visitors a week - about half from Norwegian Cruise Line ships - to the expanded 25-acre property. ... the Hawaiian Vanilla Company... has a gift shop open daily during the week and serves as home base for a tea brunch... luncheon... or vanilla tasting... Each are served daily... Chef Tracy cooks the meals containing vanilla while Jim gives a lecture on the crop. ... at a four-course luncheon... soup, salad, a roulade of local beef, and almond cake with vanilla ice cream... every recipe included vanilla. ... To stretch... profits... the Reddekopps have created a line of products containing their vanilla or its extract. In their gift shop... salad dressing... tub[e]s of vanilla sugar... cards with illustrations of a vanilla orchid... and vanilla coffee... The luncheon included a video and lecture about vanilla ... and... visit some orchids growing in the backyard. ... greenhouse where... 12,000 orchid vines are growing" article URL : http://money.cnn.com/2007/04/27/magazines/fsb/hawaii.vanilla.fsb/index.htm?section=money_latest ****************** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
