How can we get our local coral exchange event sanctioned ?

The Coral Farmers MarketSM company was formed at the end of 2005 to support the new SouthWestern Coral Farmers MarketSM event scheduled for February 18th 2006. That was our first sanctioned event. Our second event was the Bay Area Coral Farmers MarketSM held in June of 2006. The same general partnership that owns the Coral Farmers MarketSM company also owns the SouthWestern Coral Farmers MarketSM and the Bay Area Coral Farmers MarketSM companies. We will use the experience sanctioning this first two events and incorporate our discoveries, ideas and wisdom into future events that we sanction. The first few events that we sanction will probably be owned and operated by the same general partnership. Once we have an established working business model with a proven track record, we will begin to explore establishing relationships with other potential event organizers. These relationships could lead to the sanctioning of events that are not owned by the same general partnership that owns the Coral Farmers MarketSM company.

Are you guys trying to take over all frag swaps ?

Not at all. In fact, we support frag swaps and hope that they continue. When a new Coral Farmers MarketSM event is planned, we make efforts to integrate it with any local coral exchange events that are already occurring. We will not schedule our event to conflict with any other annual, semi-annual or quarterly established events. We even permit the advertising and promotion of these other exchange events within the Coral Farmers MarketSM event itself and hope that other local coral exchange events help to promote our event. We firmly believe that a 'rising tide lifts all boats' and we hope that an increasing number of coral exchange events will help to increase the demand and ultimately the market for captive farmed and captive propagated coral. Coral Farmers MarketSM sponsered events however, should not be considered as frag swaps. Coral Farmers MarketSM events should be viewed as an upscaling of the typical coral frag swap or exchange. For example, a retail shop owner that wants to setup a vendor booth to sell farmed coral at a Coral Farmers MarketSM sanctioned event, will know that the booth wont be in someones basement. Another example would be that a private aquarist without a business licenses will know that a vendors booth at a Coral Farmers MarketSM event guarantees that there will be a local event business license for the vendors.

How come you feature coral farmers at your events and not speakers ?

The Coral Farmers MarketSM events are all about supporting coral farming. That is the primary objective of our events. We feel that the captive coral market needs coral farmers much more then it needs coral preachers. It is possible however that as our events grow in size, and as separately owned events are sanctioned, speakers and presentations may be added. One of the owners of the Coral Farmers MarketSM has himself made several speaking presentations in the past. So we are not completely against speakers and presentations. We just feel that at the present time, coral farmers represent the future of the captive coral market.

What is that cool looking Acropora coral on the ends of your companies trademark image ?

That is a Reeffarmers Limited Edition captive farmed coral that was initially acquired from Eric Caamano of Fragfarmers.com in late 2005. Eric has the parent colony and has identified the coral as a deep water Acropora lokani. The initial Reeffarmers fragment had more then doubled in size when Steve Tyree captured that image. Reeffarmers began distributing captive grown fragments of this coral in February 2006.