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<pre>----- Original Message -----
From: Mark Gleeson
To: caird@netcon.net.au
Sent: Friday, November 05, 1999 8:42 PM
Subject: Prices


HI, My name is Mark Gleeson. I live in Adelaide, South Australia and my passion
is food.
I am a food manufacturer, distributor and retailer of South Australian produce.
I am also an owner /director of a 120 seat beachside restaurant here on our
beautiful pristine coastline.
As the leading retailer of some 40 varieties of South Australian Premium Extra
Virgin olive oils, and I confirm 40 individual producers, I am at the sales
coalface.
The most important task at hand for the Australian Industry is import
replacement.
The key issues here are price, marketing and being prepared for the glut.
Our rapidly growing Industry is not necessarily based on a passion for the
perfect oil. Profit and tax minimisation are more apt.
From this international olive oil IT community, I am searching for answers that
lie between profit and tradition.
I believe to make one work , both are required.
looking forward to reading your future mail and going through your archives
Mark
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<pre>Perhaps it is globalisation and Australian prices are adjusting to
world parity. For many years Australia and New Zealand have lived in a
bubble where prices were unrealistically high, Now production in
Australia has reached a level where significant quantities of oil need
to be sold and a new reality is becoming obvious. A price of $AUS8 per
kilo or about €5 is not bad by world standards. The average Tunisian
farmer would be happy if he received half that. Even oil from top
Italian varieties sells in bulk for €6 or € 7 here so a discount of a
couple of € for Manzanillo, Verdale and Mission would not seem
unreasonable.

Cheers Brian Chatterton
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