Artisan Seeds launches

Fred Hempel · October 21, 2012

We are still working on our online store. It will be up by December 1.

In the mean-time we will be selling on our Baia Nicchia farm blog (through PayPal).

Our Artisan Seeds blog has details.

There was an article on Millard Murdock's variety "Captain Lucky" published in the Bay Area today. Captain Lucky has captured the attention of Nancy Oakes of Boulevard -- the restaurant that won the James Beard award this year for "Best Restaurant"

We will be selling Captain Lucky. As Millard's "preferred" source for seeds, we will be paying him a royalty on every packet of Captain Lucky sold.

We will also be selling packets of Purple Bumble Bee and Pink Bumble Bee.

roper2008 · October 21, 2012

I like the pink bumble bee. Will that be avail by Dec 1st?

Fred Hempel · October 21, 2012

Pink Bumble Bee is available now at our blog, via PayPal: www.baianicchia.blogspot.com

We will have our online store set up by December 1st, but there is no need to wait until then. In fact, it may be better to buy now because we are not charging for shipping for orders from the blog.

We haven't decided whether or not we will be charging for shipping via the online store.

**Mischka** · October 21, 2012

Congratulations, Fred!

Thread has now been "stickied" for easy access.

Fred Hempel · October 21, 2012

Thanks Mischka.

roper2008 · October 21, 2012

So on your blog there are 3 varieties of tomatoes to
choose from. I only ordered 1 variety. Possibly would
have ordered more if there was more to choose from
on the blog, or maybe I'm missing something.

Fred Hempel · October 21, 2012

roper,

Thanks for the order!

I know it must seem crazy that we have so few varieties. These are the reasons:

1. We don't want to release things that are generally available from other folks. Although we are "Artisan Seeds", our aim is not to be a full-service seed company. For example, we aren't even selling past varieties we have bred (Maglia Rosa for example) because other people have them.

2. Our focus is primarily on breeding and finding exceptional varieties to release (Maybe we should be called "Artisan Breeding"). There are many excellent companies selling seeds, and we don't feel that duplicating offerings is needed (or is in anyone's best interests).

roper2008 · October 21, 2012

Thanks for the explanation. Look forward to growing this one.

salix · October 22, 2012

Hi Fred, wanted to order all 5 of your offerings, but the PayPal will only take one at a time, then eliminates the previous order. I am quite willing to submit 5 separate orders, if that is OK with you. Before I do that, though, can you reassure me that you are able to ship to Canada?

Fred Hempel · October 22, 2012

Hi Salix,

If you do all 5 back to back we will send them all together to Canada.

Cheers,

salix · October 22, 2012

Okeydoke, thanks!

tam91 · October 22, 2012

If I had to choose only one... I think Captain Lucky might be it. My friends who tried it have all said it was their favorite tomato also. Beautiful, but the taste is outstanding.

Fred Hempel · October 22, 2012

Tam,

We contacted Millard Murdock, the breeder of Captain Lucky, based both on our own experience with the variety and based on the consensus of the "community". We asked for permission to be "the" breeder-preferred seed company to release the variety.

Captain Lucky is so good, we think it deserves to get out there as a featured item, and Millard deserves a royalty.

We hope that people will come to us each year to buy Captain Lucky. We'll try to keep our prices competitive, once other seed companies pick it up. And we hope that, given a choice, people will choose to reward breeders of freely-available exceptional OP varieties when buying seed.

Tania · October 22, 2012

Thank you Fred - what a wonderful mission!

I just sent my order.

Granite26 · October 22, 2012

Thanks Fred. I will give them a try. 5 back to back incoming.

October 21, 2012	#1
Fred Hempel Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Sunol, CA Posts: 2,723	Artisan Seeds launches We are still working on our online store. It will be up by December 1. In the mean-time we will be selling on our Baia Nicchia farm blog (through PayPal). Our Artisan Seeds blog has details. There was an article on Millard Murdock's variety "Captain Lucky" published in the Bay Area today. Captain Lucky has captured the attention of Nancy Oakes of Boulevard -- the restaurant that won the James Beard award this year for "Best Restaurant" We will be selling Captain Lucky. As Millard's "preferred" source for seeds, we will be paying him a royalty on every packet of Captain Lucky sold. We will also be selling packets of Purple Bumble Bee and Pink Bumble Bee. Last edited by Fred Hempel; October 21, 2012 at 04:27 PM.

October 21, 2012	#4
Mischka Tomatoville® Administrator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: The Bay State Posts: 3,207	Congratulations, Fred! Thread has now been "stickied" for easy access. __________________ Mischka One last word of farewell, Dear Master and Mistress. Whenever you visit my grave, say to yourselves with regret but also with happiness in your hearts at the remembrance of my long happy life with you: "Here lies one who loved us and whom we loved." No matter how deep my sleep I shall hear you, and not all the power of death can keep my spirit from wagging a grateful tail.

October 21, 2012	#7
Fred Hempel Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Sunol, CA Posts: 2,723	roper, Thanks for the order! I know it must seem crazy that we have so few varieties. These are the reasons: 1. We don't want to release things that are generally available from other folks. Although we are "Artisan Seeds", our aim is not to be a full-service seed company. For example, we aren't even selling past varieties we have bred (Maglia Rosa for example) because other people have them. 2. Our focus is primarily on breeding and finding exceptional varieties to release (Maybe we should be called "Artisan Breeding"). There are many excellent companies selling seeds, and we don't feel that duplicating offerings is needed (or is in anyone's best interests). Last edited by Fred Hempel; October 21, 2012 at 08:13 PM.

October 22, 2012	#9
salix Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: north central B.C. Posts: 2,310	Hi Fred, wanted to order all 5 of your offerings, but the PayPal will only take one at a time, then eliminates the previous order. I am quite willing to submit 5 separate orders, if that is OK with you. Before I do that, though, can you reassure me that you are able to ship to Canada? __________________ "He who has a library and a garden wants for nothing." -Cicero

October 22, 2012	#11
salix Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: north central B.C. Posts: 2,310	Okeydoke, thanks! __________________ "He who has a library and a garden wants for nothing." -Cicero

October 21, 2012	#2
roper2008 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Virginia Bch, VA (7b) Posts: 1,337	I like the pink bumble bee. Will that be avail by Dec 1st?

October 22, 2012	#12
tam91 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Crystal Lake IL Posts: 2,484	If I had to choose only one... I think Captain Lucky might be it. My friends who tried it have all said it was their favorite tomato also. Beautiful, but the taste is outstanding. __________________ Tracy

October 22, 2012	#14
Tania Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Anmore, BC, Canada Posts: 3,970	Thank you Fred - what a wonderful mission! I just sent my order. __________________ Tatiana's TOMATObase

October 22, 2012	#15
Granite26 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: Western WI Posts: 359	Thanks Fred. I will give them a try. 5 back to back incoming.