http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703404004575198270918567074.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_6
An article appearing in the April 29, 2010 edition of The Wall Street Journal highlights the fraud occurring at some of the Farmers Markets across the country. The article cites the "No Faked Goods" campaign being waged by former Market Commission Chair Luis Vazquez, and Kapnicks "operator" Scott Robertello's (note he did not say to the WSJ reporter anything about his purported 'ownership' of Kapnick's Orchards) continued flouting of "Producer-only" Market Operating Rules.
Apparently, Market Muckraker Vazquez is not alone in advocating for better policing of "Producer-only" claims. Also apparent is that numerous markets are attempting to "weed out" the "bad apples" - those re-sellers who undercut the REAL farmers.
As Locavore movements sprout up across the US, one can expect that this issue will not die, and maybe, just maybe, Market Manager Mollie Notarianni will get the message that Ann Arborites do not want fraud.
It should be noted that at the Market Commission meeting on April 6th, 2010, Mr Vazquez asked the Market Manager to investigate the sale (re-sale really) of "Proven Winners" plants. There are a few vendors at the market re-selling these items. Vendors must include a Proven Winners tag in their pots as they sell the plants - this according to an agreement which MUST be signed by the vendor. The agreement can be found here: http://www.fourstargh.com/information/documents/Customer-GrowerAgreement2009-2010.pdf
Curiously enough, during the meeting, Market Commissioner Dave Barkman admitted to selling Proven Winners plants at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market, and tried to claim they are "just like any other plants sold there." Great, we have a sitting commissioner, from out-of-town, who knowingly is breaking the Producer-only rules, involved in the rulemaking process.
We begin to see a pattern here: first, Scott Robertello was a Market Commissioner who had a hand in delaying any rules development and construction of additional sheds at the market. He participated on a "Harassment Committee" and tried to get Mr Vazquez removed from the commission, and another organic produce vendor arrested - for very flimsy reasons. Now we have another Market Commissioner - Dave Barkman - who was also a member of the Harassment Committee (boy, did they ever name themselves correctly!), who sells the same Proven Winner plants that one can purchase locally (and presumably for a better price) at Meijers, The Produce Station, Alexander Farm Market, Abbott's Nursery, English Gardens, Home Depot, Fraleigh's Landscape Nursery, Plymouth Nursery, J&T Gracia's (wait - they're another A2 Farmer's Market vendor!) and about 100 other retailers within 25 miles of Ann Arbor (see list in the locator at www.provenwinners.com). Are the Proven Winners products so unique that they should be given premium space (and price) at our market? Undercutting those real farmers who can prove they grow from seed?
All of this must be embarrassing to the Market Commission, and to the Market Manager. They may have to change the name from Farmer's Market to Broker's Market, because of the fraudulent business activities of a few unscrupulous vendors.
Fuzzbollah suggests its long past time to clean up the corruption at this market, and that Dave Barkman resign from his commission post before somebody demands his removal for cause.
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27 comments:
First and foremost CONGRATULATIONS,!! however the Wall Street Journal is read internationally.which goes beyond national..
Remember the A2 observer article about Donahee Farms. The farmer stated that his melons were being sold by other vendors at the market. The manager at that time Jessica Black did nothing. She didn't even inquire.
Let's face it without proper inspections it's impossible to know who's buying and selling. Inspecting one's apples "before " harvest and not during harvest is one example. If a vendor is bringing large amounts of apples the apple picking should also be included in the inspection!
Did the city even inspect these baked goods being prepared at any
time? oh and one more thing..
Kapnick Farm Makret Inc. is the corporation that produces these products. It has been in existence for only 12 years. The owners of the corp. rent the ovens and pans and the retail store. It seems odd Mr. Robertello would lie about 35 baking the same way. As Mr. Robertello is 47 years old making him a business baker since age 12?? absolutely not so. He lied to the WSJ too. Thanks agin for the great site..
Has the mayor and council seen the WSJ article? how about the market manager? It should be made clear that buying and selling is rampant at the market.
As discussion was had to do the same,( have the real farmers on one side of the market and the resellers on the other)nothing was done. If memory serves, Peter Pollock, the comittee chair maintains there is absolutely NO reselling going on. considering the made from scratch rule has and is in effect and always has been, it is interesting Pollock's only resolve is to change the application. failure failure failure.
Perhaps a resolution to council would be appropriate. Have council once and for all adopt the rule. if it hasn't been already. the city won't even answer the ? what is the criterea for baked goods.
Molly when are you going to inspect this corp. and it's business practices. also note all the parcels this corp. rents should have been inspected, however they were not. Oh yeah and about those apples in the "rented CA room" no license from Dept. of Ag. Mr. Robertello care to explain?
so many lies and now in the international news!
Keep up the good work fuzzy...
Okay here are a few links that are continuing conversations about the wall street journal article regarding Kapnick Farm Market Inc. dba Kapnick Orchards
and their baked goods
certainly there will be more to come................................................
http://topics.treehugger.com/quote/0b6M7gd83p2JI
http://www.portlandfood.org/index.php?showtopic=10641
http://www.wordnik.com/words/pre-made (name and quote is now used to describe Pre-made!)!!!!! how cool is that!!!!
http://lanle.wordpress.com/2010/04/30/do-farmers-need-a-farmer-market/
http://fohboh.com/profiles/blogs/social-media-foodie-would-the
http://tractors.myfreeforum.org/sutra176867.php
http://mouthfulsfood.com/forums//lofiversion/index.php/t22044.html
More info:
Kapnick Farm Makret Inc.
a retail store with a state inspected kitchen. Kapnick Farm Makret Inc. leases the retail store, pots, pans and ovens from Janice Kapnick for 1000. 00 per month located at 4245 roger's highway.
kapnick LLC -land located at 4000 block rogers highway not 4245.
R&S Farm Inc. joined in partnership with Kapnick the 2 above listed entities. was not part of the original Kapnick Orchards Inc. rents trees and land in several locations. leased lands never inspected by the city how did this corp. get transference along with Kapnicks?
also note : these corporations were found to be using Janice Kapnick's corporation name (Kapnick Orchards) from 1998-2009 (illegal representation?)
In 2003 Kapnick Orchards Inc. was listed as a holding corp. for Kapnick Farm Market Inc. Mr. Robertello was claiming he was owner of Janice's corporation Kapnick Orchards Inc..even in 2005 when he stated he married into the kapnick family. who does this?
fishy any way you look at these companies.
I would not buy from them on this basis alone. As anyone knows when first starting a business. It is to look up business names to see if they are available and to distinguish itself from others duh. Scott and Sharon knew the name Kapnick Orchards was not available to use, but continued to use the name confusing not only a market inspector, a city attorney, the mayor, consumers, and friend of market Glen Thompson (a supporter in all of these corporations transference of seniority.) a transference that was based on another lie. Mr Robertello maintained a past market manager "gave his business" transference. "all he had to do was fill out another application". (he was on the commission at this time)(the rules were as they are for the prielapp/goetz except the 10 years was changed to 3 years.)
why did Mr. Robertello then go into the office and cross out Janice kapnick's name as owner of Kapnick Orchards Inc. and put his name on it when he clearly was not an owner of this corporation? They didn't even get the business name from Janice Kapnick until april of 2009..
An open letter to the owners of these corps. should be written and sent to mayor, city officials and all market vendors regarding the above mentioned business practices. The owners should speak for themselves, not have the city market inspector, manager or city attorney and consumers speak for them
as they were all hoodwinked..
Also: should Scott have three stalls and his wife has her own too? making it another family with 4 stalls.
now for the baked goods,
Molly and advisory commitee: make certain the council members get your vote .. there just may be a resolution to the made from scratch issue that is still upon the citizens of Ann Arbor and the other real bakers..
How are the baked goods made?
what is he telling his customers? does he have a sign that says homemade? homestyle?
what does homestyle mean?
great article in the wall street journal
a "made from scratch at farmers markets" supporter
having someone post this info on LOCAL HARVEST and let the food and farming community know about this market.
there's a guy, think his name is Glen. He states on his website that it is perfectly alright for a vendor to take" orders" for other farms and their products.
this is a great opportunity for current vendors & customers to have an even wider range of products and farms to choose from than what is currently available at the market. thanks Glen..
we can supply by "order", all certified organic fruits from across the state's farming community. Cherries apples peaches plums apricots and nectorines.. stop by and place your order.. buy "order:"from someone that does not pay rental on a stall. Glen shame on you and shame on the vendorr that's doing this..
get the crappy faked baked goods out of the market what's so very hard about that.. Molly and Scott look like idiots now that this article in WSJ came out. the city should lower their rental fees now, until this situation of buying and reselling is taken seriously.
what's the baked goods criteria for the market? 2 years ago Jessica Black told vendors the public market advisory would be creating criterea for bkaed goods. did this ever happen? why is the manager supporting these type of faked goods and risking the integrity of all real farmers and bakers? Is this business located in Washtenaw?
WSJ article highlighting faked baked goods sold by Kapnick's has created a flood of interest in blogs all over the nation.. seems so very funny that there wasn't a whisper of it mentioned at the advisory commission. seems they don't take this stuff seriously. reason they are not farmers... and yes the markets need real farmers as this market has so very few...
On those "early strawberries".. well they don't come into season until the end of this month..oh MI strawberries that is..
molly should follow suit and rid the market of the buying and selling or she could soon be in jeapory of losing her job. It's her responsibility. Lou has already shown she is not doing her job.
According to the records at the state corp. division there is a corp. by the name of R&S Farm Inc. doing business as Kapnick Orchards. On the market application it states Kapnicks rents land and trees. since Kapnick Orchards is a u-pick farm, are customers able to pick apples/fruits on these rented parcels of land?
http://www.michiganapples.com/kapnick-orchards.html?searched=kapncik+orchards&advsearch=oneword&highlight=ajaxSearch_highlight+ajaxSearch_highlight1+ajaxSearch_highlight2
recent ann arbor journal article about Delores Gracia. she states she maintains 11 greenhouses. a bird's eye view of the property shows 11 greenhouses.. however Tina Koski(Delores Gracia sister)
claims to operate her own business in some of these greenhouses.. this is just funny funny funny.
how do these vendors claim they have business when they don't own any assets.
also anyone about R&S Farm Inc. and whether or not it is also a u-pick farm as doing business as Kapnick on rented parcels that were not inspected by the city!?
http://www.hoovers.com/company/Kapnick_Orchards_Inc/kkhkysry-1.html
Is Janice Treasurer? thought she sold or transfered the business
Oh yeah this is the retail store which scott does not own but rents it from Janice..
lying to the WSJ claiming he has been baking the same way for 35 years.. has anyone contacted Laure etten and given her further info on this business..?
Sweetie-licious Pie Pantry
Sweetie-licious Pie Pantry of DeWitt, Michigan is our newest addition to the City Market. Linda Hunt began Sweetie-lious in 2002 and has grown the business to an internationally recognized success story, along the way winning numerous national awards for her creations
Their fare is created by infusing the best vintage recipes along with the latest taste sensations. All of their foods are homemade, made with only fresh and quality ingredients - no preservatives are ever added. Sweetie-licious specializes in retro baked goods; everything made is truly unique. Buying locally as much as possible is the preferred way of securing ingredients, especially in-season items. All of the pies and baked goods are made from scratch and have homemade fillings, made with real cream and butter and/or the freshest and tastiest of fruit.
Sweetie-licious Mission Statement is... to celebrate love, tradition, and people through good food; to make our friends (customers) feel revered; to offer delicious, homemade pies, baked goods, preserves and comfort foods, specialty merchandise and cooking classes in a happy, loving and nostalgic ambience; to honor tradition by means of honoring our elderly through community service projects and contributions.
We are honored and pleased to have them as part of our Market family. They will be with us on the outdoor plaza, Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. this is a BAKER at the Lansing market.. are they lucky!
we get a guy who won't even tell the WSJ how he "makes" his baked goods... Molly should be ashamed and fired
It's great to read about farms like Tantre Farms and Renaissanc Acres in Edible Wow Magazine..Nice articles
Don't think the Kapnick's vendor will ever get the honors of a feature article in this magazine.
Kapnicks brings bad press for the market.
keep up the good work on your site. thanks for the information.
The market is not intended for Pawning off crappy sugar laden white flour, high fructose corn syrup, premade parbaked goods.
there are great bakeries in town and kapnick's baked goods are not included as they are faked baked.
In May this vendor had a sign out on his table claiming to be selling "Frsh Picked Apples" can anyone tell us about these apples cause the vendor won't and the market manager Molly N. won't talk about it either.. very strange market with very little transparency
Real farms.com has photos of this farm Kapnicks on their web site. The sign in May above their apples maintains the apples were fresh picked!! unbelievable..
also real farms took a photo of their "apple pie" ingredients..
high fructose corn syrup.. yes the apple pies were made from canned apple pie filling.. far from a made from scratch apple pie! They aren't famous for their apple pies..NO WONDER
It's clear to most that this vendor is intentionally misleading the customers at all the markets this vendor attends with these faked baked goods.
all the other baked goods found at this market are from real artisan bakers. homemade with the best ingredients available. This vendor doesn't even use their
own apples.
the vendor business is still telling customers their baked goods are homemade.
Here's a recent quote from the Lansing Market manager to it's market community...
Fairness
"Webster's, with its myriad definitions of the term fair, has one of distinctness-"honesty... (while) conforming to established rules". This interpretation fits perfectly with how your Lansing City Market ventures to operate. Transparency is the key to developing and nurturing customer trust.
Often when conversation turns to markets, the invariable question arises as to the integrity of the represented signage or claims put forth. A very wise friend lives by the adage "Know your Farmer," and in addition, in the urban public market setting, "Know your Business".
Since the City Market is a continuously operating venue with a very stringent and thorough selection process we ensure that our people conduct their businesses in a manner consistent with the highest standards expected by our patrons. Additionally our vendors commit to long term contracts, therefore their business models are constantly assessed by patrons, fellow businesses and management. No one is ever offended by thoughtful and thorough questions - in fact we welcome and encourage it. All of us represent the City Market, thus the scrutiny among ourselves actually eliminates almost all issues before they arise.
If the principle of fairness were applied to all aspects of our lives, humanity's existence would thrive. Our practice of "fair trade" in a reduced, yet significant manner seeks to illicit confidence while providing a pleasurable shopping experience for all."
Enjoy, John
The Ann Arbor market and management have a lot to learn!!
they are letting this vendor continue to hoodwink the community with false statements regarding their products. How are the baked goods made? the owner won't say and the manager won't tell would this happen at the Lansing market? think I'll call and speak with John in Lansing with the articles from current and the wall street journal and ask what he'd do in this instance..
thanks and later
according to the partnership agreement scott robertello filed with his market application in 2004 and again in 2008 it states his corporations R&S Farm Inc. Kapnick llc and Kapnick farm market Inc.partnered and would be known as R&S Farm. However from 1998-2009 these corps. in this partnership used the name Kapnick Orchards(illegally.)(Janice kapnick was still using the name for her corp, Kapnick Orchards Inc.)
In 2009 these corps filed for the name Kapnick Orchards as their assumed name. did they have the changes made to their parnership papers . why were they using a name other than their partnership's name of R&S Farm?
why had these corps had to assume the name if they maintain they purchased the business?
seems rather fishy..
These corps not only were hoodwinking the public by using another business entity's name but tried to tell the public their baked products were made from scratch(current magazine article 2009 nov.) well knowing they are not.
Why have scott robertello and sharon shaffer's partnership named R&S Farm,( dated 2000-current) been using the name Kapnick Orchards?
Their partnership agreement states that their partnership is called R&S Farm?
In 2007 the city attorney kevin MsDonald and Jayne Miller also referred to this partnership as Kapnick Orchards and not R&S Farm even with the document in hand..
In 2008 the partnership papers again are filed with market application as R&S Farm. However the applicant was Kapnick Farm Market Inc. not R&S Farm (the partnership) the application does not have any reference to the other 2 corps. in this partnership. those corps. are Kapnick LLC and R&S Farms Inc.
It has been reported that Scott Robertello (a member of a harassment committee) and Neimeth farm harassed a fellow vendor this past Sat. The harassment was aimed at another fruit farm located up north.
Robertello claims there is no way they could have peaches because Robertello's farm had a poor year. First both farms are located 100 miles or more from each other.
This is NOT the first time Robertello has harassed vendors.
His wife, artisan Victoria Fox also harassed vendors this spring..
If they have a complaint they should file a complaint with the manager. STOP YOUR HARASSMENT.
The harassment was reported to the manager.. has the manager done anything as he has been doing this too long now?
YES, scott is the vendor that had advertised his apples this April as "Fresh Picked"!
he's also the vendor that was found to be lying about his baked goods. found out they were telling consumers they were homemade from scratch, when they are not.. Thanks to an employee with integrity,fellow vendors and consumers found out!
Oh there are so many lies this scott character has told, especially the one where he married into the Kapnick Family and got instant seniority!
He's nothing but a big fat idiot IMHO.
great reporting by fuzz, current magazine and wall street journal!
Keep up the great work!
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oh Scott Robertello's rating is 7.3
this guy scott doesn't even own a home he rents an apartment from Janice Kapncik..
http://www.spokeo.com/search?q=scott%20robertello%20britton%20mi#:1501687047
All this goes to show that the "real fake" is Scott Robertello himself. At the most recent Public Market Advisory Commission meeting - September 7th - former market commissioner Luis Vazquez spoke about the pattern of bullying and harassment of Scott Robertello. He stated how this pattern has been documented for over 10 years now.
You can see the video on CTN - Ann Arbor's Public Access, which now has a video-on-demand service, and where you can watch all sorts of public meetings held in Ann Arbor.
here's a great link.. although it is about the eastern market vendor, could this be applied to the ann arbor market and this vendor from Kapnick farm..?
check out the story and video... channel 2 fox HALL OF SHAME!
http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/hall_of_shame/questions-sprout-over-farmers-veggies-20100920-wpms
perhaps someone will contact the hall of shame reporter & ask them to investigate Molly and the kapnick!
manager lying?
recent meeting minutes reports that NO inspections have taken place in the past months.
however, that is not true according to one vendor. How come she is not properly reporting the truth. she did the inspection herself? what's going on at this market? who is her boss and how does one let the proper channels get notified of these lies?
Have made the decision to file formal complaints on R&S Farm Inc. Kapnick farm market inc. and kapnick llc to the better business bureau nd Dept. of agriculture... for the following violations a 1. using an unregisteresd assumed name for their corporations. (from 1998-2009. For selling apples in June 26 at market and claiming they are from a controlled atmospheric room (no license)no data from MI.dept. of ag to verify. selling apples in plastic bags labeled school boy apples. Same was found being sold in Meijers.
the kapnick website doesn't have any information about their baked goods. no ingredients, how they are made , etc. we now know they have 4 women that start at 11 oclock at night and bake into the day. that's according to the heritage newspaper article dated oct. 2010. let's get the women that actually do the work (not scott robertello) to tell consumers how the baked goods are made! ladies ... are they made from scratch? or are they premade frozen please do tell!!! are they ordered pre-made from Lapari's then baked? the article says you use some of your farm products in them. which products from the farm re used? is it notated on the packaging labels?
where do you purchase high fructose corn syrup in bulk?
Unfortunately, the liars at Krapnicks, and the Market Manager, Mollie Notarianni just don't get it. Neither does Heritage Newspapers. Have you tried to contact Heritage, consumers? Call Krapnick's bluff. Point out to Heritage the lies they have been telling.
R.I.P. Peter Pollack
passed away Dec.20
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