Quote:
Originally Posted by
danzcool 
Only a hobbiest here, but I was thinking about this earlier today actually. It seems there are a number of dealers that get their domestic koi from just a single source, and don't necessarily disclose that source, yet they get their imported koi from many sources. I'm thinking it has to do with the business model of many domestic farms, and a certain degree of prejudice from the dealers. Most domestic breeders seem to be wholesale only srving the pet stores and the koi dealers that have a single domestic source to "fill out their product line". These guys don't reveal their source, therefore the farm doesn't get publicity, and customers don't ask for the "brand" by name like they would a dainichi or ogata. I think the farms need to have a retail operation or at the very least a few annual events open to the end hobbiest so that the "brand" name can get out there. With the digital society we live in a few good fish go a long way. In the texas show last month I think domesti koi won best in size for every size up through 6... Mostly Brett's or Brady's fish, so quality is there, and those breeders do have retail operations, and the word of mouth is out, and yet I still can't buy their fish from a local dealer. I almost think it is going to take new dealers that deal only in premium domestic koi to change the thinking on domestic koi.