Monday, February 15, 2010

Genetic Modification and Bankruptcy: An Interesting Week

Much news in the Small Citrus World. Earlier this week we heard that Stonik Kumquats LTD will file for bankruptcy this week in front of court. Stonik came back to the major kumquat market this year after stopping the company's actions in 1922 due to a major Yellow-Bellied Marmot attack on their crop. M. Christopher Stonik IIII, the owner of the company, declined to comment in front of the media. We asked Hubit Shpeiper, a correspondent for Corgi's Kumquats, what he thought about Stonik's bankruptcy.
"If Stonik had gone national and reduced their quality vs. quantity ratio, they may have had a chance." Shpeiper also thinks that Stonik's leadership wasn't at it's best.
A company in San Fransisco is growing kumquats indoors. However, the Department of Agriculture has advised people not to eat them due to the "potentially dangerous fertilizers" used in the growing process. Also, the FDA is in the middle of a heated debate about genetic modification in kumquats. Since the technique is so new, nobody knows whether it is safe or not.

Next Post: Has George Muterstein really made a difference at Tobango?
Posted by at

2 comments:

  1. Lillie S.February 15, 2010 at 4:22 PM

    Is there a possibility of a revival? I was really looking forward to trying a Stonik. Also, how will this bankruptcy affect the rest of the kumquat world? Will this improve the outlook on other companies with breeds slightly similar to Stonik?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jacob S.February 19, 2010 at 4:56 AM

    Well, if you really want to try a Stonik, M. C. Stonik IV has several trees in his backyard and sells the fruit in the Tampa Bay farmers Market each week. But people who have tasted them say they taste very similar to a Tobango. Try buying one, closing your eyes, and pretending it's a Stonik. As George Muterstein said, "It's not the brand that matters, or the price. It's the taste."

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)