Panel number 9, Tracy Hayward, Robert Neenan, I believe Nancy Thomas Price.

Okay, Ms. Hayward, whenever you're ready.

MS. HAYWARD: Good afternoon. Well, last but not least, may the last panel be the best, the one that you remember, right.

(Laughter.)

MS. HAYWARD: I'm just delighted to be here this afternoon, because I represent myself. I am an entrepreneur. Yes, one of those entrepreneurs in business. I started my company 12 years ago and I will be breaking $3 million in sales. And our company, my company, Hayward Enterprises, we process purees, 35 different berries, fruits and vegetables under the trade name, The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley.

We buy commodities coming in by the container load. I have to tell you that I'm still selling them by the palette load. We have yet to be working in the kind of large tray that you've been discussing so much today. But I wanted to take this day to come over from the Napa Valley and to let you know where we have a problem just selling right here in the United States.

I just want to back up for just a moment and just tell you a little bit more about what purees are. We take berries, fruits and vegetables and process them taking the seeds, skins and making them into a puree, freezing them and they are used in food service all over the United States. We now sell in Canada and in Mexico. And our purees are used by chefs to make sauces, soups, souffles, sorbets, vinaigrettes, pastry items, you name it. And purees are the basis of most cooking preparations in the food service market.

I saw the niche and I've been working for the last 12 years to fill that niche. That niche in the United States was started by the French, wouldn't you know it. Those little culinary geniuses that they are. And they have been importing purees by the container loads for the last 15, 20 years into this country.

So for the last 12, I've been growing up knee high to a grasshopper and now I'm effectively being able to compete with them in almost every market across the United States, except in certain areas, particularly along the east coast where they're coming in by the container loads. And their prices are way out of line by comparison to what we're able to sell it for.

When we had distributors that were trying to pitch to get into New York, and I have yet to say that I've concurred New York, Chicago, that's the entrepreneur mentality here. And it is really discouraging when I have distributors that say, "I'm sorry, you've got to come down in your prices," because the delivered price of this French competitor import is effectively anywhere from 35 cents to $1.50 to almost $2 less than our FOB price, Los Angeles. Now, how is that?

And we have been doing some surreptitious study. And I was able to even secure a price list, is that off the record, and have been able to compare our prices to the French competitors, one in particular, and to see where do we stand. Now, in order for us now to compete in the New York market against any of these puree imports, we have to absorb the freight all the way across the country.

Now, we work very hard to try and get very effective freight prices. And we do, but we still are absorbing up to anywhere from a dollar to a dollar fifty a pound in order to compete all along the eastern seaboard.

Additionally, we've gotten telephone calls from time to time from a prospective customer looking to try and find Mango. And I just want you to take a focus, this Alphonso Mango that comes out of India is sold to the Europeans, who process it into their frozen kilos and then resell it to the United States. And they are still effectively $1.80 less than we are. How does that happen?

We have found Mango that is coming into the United States and we're getting telephone calls saying we're looking for more Mango puree, whether they're processing sorbets or they're making other dessert products, and they want to try and match their puree that they've already been buying from the French. And they're buying it for 76 cents a pound. I'm buying it for 76 cents a pound. How can they get into this country like this?

And this is where I'm wondering is it dumping, is it because of subsidies? I'm here to ask the questions. I don't know, but I'm finding that it's very tough to compete even in my country against the French imports.

Now, I want to say, very effectively though, that the French are very good at what they do. They've made me be even better at what I do. And I don't mind the competition, because I've had to look to them to match and/or surpass their quality and to be able to effectively provide something better in the way of packaging and to deliver a well marketed product that is now being requested by hand.

But I wanted to just bring your focus to the idea of process purees when you go into your negotiations. And I appreciate your time.