Costco farm and Gardens..." 'James "Kimo" Rosen'

These oranges are great and they don't even say "Sunkist" on them!


Aloha, Check out my opinion article in the (02-22-13) edition of the Kaua'i Garden Island news,"Farmers market or Costco?"
http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-for-friday-feb/article_2fc5deac-7cce-11e2-a7da-0019bb2963f4.html

Papayas  are not as easy to come by at the local farmers markets in the winter months, and when you do come across a nice papaya you can pay upwards of $2.00 per papaya whereas in the summertime when they are plentiful you can buy them, 3 for $1.00.

I noticed at the Kapa'a farmers market  that many of the vendors have the same looking medium sized uniformed shaped papaya and others have really nice Pineapples. I ask the vendors did you buy these at Costco? They all respond, "no were not allowed to do that," however when I pointed out a label hanging off one of the Pineapples a woman finally  broke and admitted she bought it at Costco.

I can recognize a Costco papaya and Costco Pineapple a mile away. I have no problem with people making an honest buck, in fact the free enterprise system is what America is all about. I do not want to go  to a farmers market and buy inflated Costco produce, it's not  fair to the  vendors that are actually farmers selling their own products which is what the farmers market is all about. 

A visitor told me she was surprised the local oranges said Sunkist on them, I guess the vendors  tell them that's how they picked them right of the trees.

Now if only Costco had a guy with a machete opening up coconuts and selling them for next to nothing we'd have it all.



http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-for-friday-feb/article_2fc5deac-7cce-11e2-a7da-0019bb2963f4.html