Earlier this month, thousands of people descended on a small orchard in California's Central Valley to receive free nectarines.
The crowds became so large that the California Highway Patrol temporarily shut the event down because of traffic and safety concerns.
At first glance, it looked like a feel-good story—a farmer sharing his harvest with the community. But that wasn't the whole story.
Third-generation farmer Cesar Mora says he gave away more than 100,000 pounds of nectarines because he couldn't sell them. The fruit wasn't spoiled. There wasn't a bumper crop that overwhelmed demand. The giveaway stemmed from a legal dispute over who controls the right to market and sell a specific variety of nectarine.
This story raises questions about intellectual property, exclusive supply agreements, and market access. It also demonstrates that sometimes the biggest supply chain constraint isn't producing something, it's having permission to sell it.
In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner covers:
- How proprietary fruit varieties became valuable intellectual property.
- Why one California farmer says he had no choice but to give away his crop.
- The legal dispute over contracts, exclusivity, and commercialization rights.
Links:
Kelly Barner on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-barner-6884443/
Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/art-of-supply-6895142546301960193
Art of Supply on AOP: http://www.artofsupply.com
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