#egg wholesale business

[newbusinessideas]

How to Start an Egg Wholesale Business - Egg Distribution Business

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The egg wholesale business involves purchasing eggs in bulk from producers and distributing them to retailers, restaurants, and other businesses. Eggs are a staple food item with consistent demand due to their nutritional benefits and versatility in cooking. And people who cannot bear the expenses of meat, meat, and fish, fulfil their desire by eating eggs.  Whether scrambled for breakfast, used…

[therealdisneyfan2319]

Latte Love | Wanda Maximoff

Summary: When a new coffee shop opens up across the street from your bakery, you enter into a rivalry with its new owner

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Male Reader

Warnings: Smut (minors DNI), language, mentions of major character death, house fire, mentions of alcohol

Word Count: 7.3K

Masterlist

A/N: This was a request from @aloneodi​.  The prompt was pretty straightforward: enemies to overs with lots of angst and smut.  Enjoy ;)

For the past two months the construction across the street from your bakery had driven you insane.  The constant sawing and hammering was grinding your gears.  You weren’t sure what was coming in the old storefront.  It had been vacant as long as you could remember.  You were in elementary school when Mr. Neely retired and the building now sat in a state of dilapidated disrepair: the front awning was threadbare, the windows were partially boarded up, and graffiti was spray painted over the brick storefront.  Inside the empty cases gathered dust and cobwebs.  It was a bit of a pleasant surprise when you came to work one day to see a ‘SOLD’ sign taped to the front door. 

“Maybe we should blast some music, give them a taste of their own medicine,” Natasha suggested with a smirk.  Natasha Romanoff was your right hand woman when it came to running the bakery.  Not only was she an accounting whiz and could balance the books in her sleep, she also made a mean creme brûlée.  

“I just don’t understand why it’s taken them so long to remodel.  It’s construction, not rocket science.  What’s going in there anyway?”

“It’s a coffee shop.  I met the owner when I went to the wholesaler the other day,” Sam explained as he dumped another batch of bagels into the bucket.  A slightly intimidating Air Force veteran with the heart of a teddy bear, Sam was your resident bagel maker and donut fryer.  People came from all corners of the state for his famous brownie batter donuts and egg everything bagels,

“So literally the exact same as us?”  You could hardly believe what you were hearing.  The Rolling Scones had quickly established itself as Westview’s premiere (and only) bakery.  Why did someone else need to open up right across the street?

“Hold up, it’s not exactly the same thing.  We’re a bakery that serves coffee and they’re a coffee shop that serves baked goods.  Totally different.”

You shot Sam a glance that immediately made him do an about face and head back to his boiling batch of bagels.  Flour covered fingers ran through your hair as you leaned up against the back counter thinking about all the negative ways this new shop was going to impact yours.

“What are we gonna do, Nat?  I can’t lose this place.”

“Y/N, relax.  It’s just another business.  We’re not going to go out of business just because there’s a new place in town.  If anything they’re the ones who should be worried.  They have to compete with Sam’s bagels.” 

“We could just burn it down!” Peter, the teenager who washed dishes after school and on weekends, added.  “Then we wouldn’t have to worry about them!”

“He’s got a point,” Sam added as the door jingled open.

“Peter!  Arson isn’t the answer here!” Nat rolled her eyes, heading to the back to work on handling the latest invoices.

“But it is a solution,” you teased.  Natasha groaned as she kicked the back room door open.  “Can I help you?” you asked, turning your attention to the customer who walked up to the counter.

“Yeah, I’m looking for a - oh, SAM!  Hi!”  The young woman in front of you raised up on her tiptoes and waved over the counter.

“Wanda hey!”  He walked over, an overflowing basket of hard rolls in his arms.  “Glad you came.  How’s the remodeling going?”

“Good!  My contractor told me that we should be able to open by the end of the month.”

“That’s great news!  Did you pick the name yet?”

“My brother and I argued about it for a while, but we finally settled on Latte Love.”

“You’re the one who bought the old deli?!”  

“Mmhmm.  I always wanted to open a coffee shop and I thought it was an absolutely charming little spot.  So I saved and took out some loans and got it!  I’m Wanda.  Wanda Maximoff.”  The overexcitable brunette shoved her hand out in front of you.

“Y/N L/N,” you responded as you reluctantly clasped her hand.  The last thing you wanted to do was be friendly with the person who was your direct competitor. 

Sam chatted with Wanda, asking her all sorts of questions about the wholesaler and how she was faring getting her deliveries set up.  Your vision went red at the sight of your friend and this despicable woman having a friendly conversation.  Why on earth would he invite her into your shop, the shop your parents worked so hard to build and the one you worked so hard to keep thriving?  The fear of losing the family business permeated your mind on a daily basis.  This wasn’t making it any better…

“Who’s that?” Natasha’s voice snapped you out of your stewing.  She leaned against the counter, sizing up the scene in front of her.

“That’s the new coffee shop owner.  Wanda.  I have no idea why she’s here or why she’s talking to Sam,” you huffed, crossing your arms as you leaned against the counter.

“Someone sounds a little jealous,” Nat teased.  

“Jealous?!”  Your face flushed red with embarrassment.  “You think I’m jealous?  Nat, that’s the woman who’s going to try to steal all our customers!  She’s the enemy here, not the prize!”

Natasha looked at you, then at Wanda, then back at you, and back at Wanda.  “She’s hot.  Think I stand a chance?”

“Can you pretend you’re not gay for like, five minutes please?  Five minutes.  That’s all I’m asking.  I’m not jealous, I don’t want anything to do with her, and I swear to Christ if she’s into chicks too and you sleep with her your ass is so fired.  ANYONE who sleeps with her is outta here!”  As much as you hated to admit it, Natasha was right: Wanda was gorgeous.  She had the perfect figure, her cropped jeans hugging the curves of her hips just right.  The billowy light blue and white button up and oversized sun hat gave her a youthful exuberance that radiated from her glowing face and stunning green eyes.  

“You’d have less of a stick up your ass if you got laid, you know?” she smirked.  Groaning, you headed back toward the kitchen, kicking the swinging door with your foot.  The sweet smell of powdered sugar and freshly baked cupcakes instantly calmed you.  Unsure of how to amuse yourself until Wanda left, you grabbed a cooling rack of cookies and began frosting, turning the sugary discs into half moons.  The repetition of frosting and smoothing calmed you.  With enough time and vanilla Wanda’s unwelcome appearance would soon become a distant memory.

************************************************

Latte Love had been open for almost a month.  The cafe had a slow start initially.  Customers trickled in and out for the better part of two weeks.  For those two glorious weeks you paid no heed to the brunette who could often be found sweeping the sidewalk and arranging the outside tables just so.  Suddenly, something changed.  Before you knew it a line formed outside the locked doors every morning with people waiting to get their morning cup of coffee.  You didn’t pay much attention to it at first, but once you spotted a couple of your regulars in the line your vitriol for Wanda increased tenfold.     

“That’s the third time today they’ve had a line out the door!” Peter exclaimed as he pressed his nose to the glass.

“Thank you for that reminder, Captain Obvious,” you snarked as you counted back change to the lady at the counter.  “Anything else you want to add?”  

Peter quickly recoiled from the glass, a sheepish expression on his face.  “Ned says their coffee is really good….and so are their muffins,” he mumbled.

Oh great.  Now I’ve gotta compete with her pastries, too.  What a bitch…you thought to yourself as you handed the lady back a fistful of coins.  Wanda was frustrating you more and more every single day.  You sighed, taking off your baseball cap and running your hands threw your sweaty hair. 

The door jingled.  Sam and Nat walked in, the two of them eating cookies that suspiciously didn’t look like yours.

“What are those?” you asked.

“You want one?  Wanda gave them to us.  Pietro’s trying out a new recipe for sugar cookies.  They’re honestly not half bad.”  Sam reached into the brown paper bag and grabbed a large cookie, its warmth causing it to bend ever so slightly.

“Goddamn it!  You slammed your cap down on the counter.  In your mind, this was an act of war and you were not going to stand for it.  Who did she think she was, bribing your employees?  

“Y/N, just relax, okay?  Wanda didn’t mean anything by it.  She’s really nice if you get to know her,” Natasha asserted.

“She’s stealing our customers!” you shouted.  “And I can’t believe you guys are eating her food!”

“Dude, relax.  The cookies are good and she’s nice.  Her brother’s cool, too,” Sam added, wiping cookie crumbs from his goatee.  

“Unbelievable,” you mumbled, storming around the counter and yanking the door open.  You were going over there to give her a piece of your mind. 

You didn’t care what customers thought as you pushed Latte Love’s door open.  Lucky for you there weren’t any at the moment, the last one having left moments ago.  You heard the commotion of dishes crashing from the back and a voice you hadn’t heard before mixing with Wanda’s.  As the commotion in the background subsided, it was the perfect opportunity to look around at the transformed deli.  

The new design was rustic chic with exposed brick walls, stained wooden tables, and the same rustic counter that Mr. Neely once stored his meats and cheeses in.  A series of shiny metallic coffee machines sat behind the counter, the shelves above it stocked with containers full of different types of coffee beans.  The front case was stuffed full of various breads, pastries, cookies, and sandwiches.  It wasn’t a bad place at all, and the food didn’t look half-bad either.  She’d actually done a decent job at bringing the old shop back to life.

“Y/N?” You whipped around as Wanda called your name.  She looked exhausted, her face glistening with sweat and powdered sugar as she pushed a rack of cupcakes and sweet breads out of the kitchen.  Her hair was swept up in a messy bun, strands hanging askew as she wiped the sweat from her bow with her arm.  Her black apron was peppered with sugar and frosting stains.  “How are you?  Did Sam give you a cookie like I asked him to?” “Did Sam - what?”

“Oh, I gave him some cookies to try.  Pietro’s working out a new sugar cookie recipe and he needs taste testers so I figured-”

“What are you playing at here, Maximoff?”

“Excuse me?” Wanda tilted her head as she questioned you, her gaze quickly hardening into a stare.

“You heard me.  What are you playing at?  Is stealing my customers not enough for you that you need to go after my employees too?”  

Wanda’s jaw dropped open as she stared at you incredulously.  She laughed, shaking her head as she started unloading the cupcakes.  “Are you for real right now?”

“Before you showed up we’d sell out every single day.  Now more often than not I’m throwing stuff out.  Sales have dropped and I’ve lost regulars that I’ve had for years.  So I’m telling you this now: stay away from me and my staff.”  It was all you could do to not take all your frustration out on her.

“I don’t know what you think’s going on here,” Wanda started, placing the trays neatly in the case.  While she wasn’t outwardly aggressive, she shoved them in there harder than she normally would.  “But you are absolutely insane if you think that I’m trying to steal your customers or staff or whatever.  Sam and Natasha have been nothing but kind to me and Pietro, I just want to return the favor.”

“Well stop.  The last thing I need is for my guys to be fraternizing with the enemy,” you grumbled, your blood pressure reaching a boiling point as you stared her down, fists clenched tightly at your side.

“Oh, so now I’m the enemy then?” She slammed the tray on the counter, sending loaves of bread tumbling off the sides.   “Jesus, Y/N, what’s wrong with you?  Have you ever stopped to think that maybe people stopped going to your shop because they wanted to try something new or, here’s a novel thought, maybe they like my place more than yours?”

“Fuck you, Wanda!  That place means everything to me!  You have no idea what I’ve done to keep that bakery running and I’m not gonna let your stupid bucket list adventure ruin my life’s work!”

“Get out!” Wanda shouted as she threw a muffin at your head.  Her aim was wide and the pastry hit the wall with a splat as you leaned out of the way.  “Get the fuck out of my store you bastard!”

Your vision tunneled as you stormed out of the shop, not neglecting to flip her the bird as you slammed the door behind you.  Ever since Wanda Maximoff came to town everything had gone completely and utterly wrong.  Everyone seemed to be flocking to her and her business.  Even Sam and Natasha, two of your closest friends in the whole wide world, had taken to her.  It irritated you to no end.  She constantly invaded the deepest depths of your mind, and many nights you awoke in a cold sweat after she invaded your dreams.  There was nothing you wouldn’t do to get her out of your mind: grueling pre-dawn runs, sleepless nights spent getting ahead on cake orders, countless after-work happy hours throwing back whatever alcohol you could get your hands on…anything to get that frustrating, irritating, beautiful woman, out of your mind.

************************************************

After your spat, it was like someone had built the Berlin Wall in the middle of the street.  Patrons realized that something was up with the two shops and most had picked a side.  Lucky for you a majority of the customers you lost returned.  Things finally went back to normal for a while.  Sam and Natasha stopped frequenting Latte Love, or if they didn’t they kept quiet about it.  Natasha reamed you out for the way you snapped at Wanda, telling you to grow the fuck up and deal with it like an adult while Sam became unusually quiet around you.  It was exasperating, but at least you felt like you were in control again.  Yet as things started to go back to normal, there was something looming around the corner that would change your life forever.

************************************************

“Hello?” you mumbled groggily into your phone.  It was the middle of the night and your phone jolted you awake with its abrasive ringtone.

“Y/N, it’s Nat.”  You shot right up, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes.  She sounded extremely concerned to the point where you were worried.

“What’s wrong?  Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.  It’s the bakery.  It’s-”

You didn’t even let her finish before you hung up, frantically searching for some clothes and your keys as you raced down the stairs of your apartment toward your car.  As you sped down the road toward downtown, an orange glow illuminated the dark buildings while sirens grew ever closer.  

Oh no.  Oh no no no no no.  Please no.  Please.  You white-knuckled the steering wheel, your damp palms sliding as your heart pounded in your chest.  The turn onto the main drag confirmed your worst fears: The Rolling Scone was burning. 

You skidded to a halt almost as soon as you turned the corner.  Fire engines, police cars, and ambulances blocked the area surrounding your store and the other end of the road while firefighters rushed into the burning building.  You jogged down the street, looking for a familiar face in the crowd of first responders.

“Y/N!” Natasha jumped out of the back of an ambulance and came running over to you, a reflective rescue blanket draped over her shoulders.

“Nat!  Oh god, are you okay?”  She threw her arms around you and squeezed you tight.  You instinctively pulled her close, cradling her head with one hand as you wrapped your other arm around her.  

“I don’t know what happened.  I was working on the books in the office before I got started on the donuts and I started smelling smoke, so I walked out there and the kitchen was on fire.  I tried to put it out, but when it got too big I called 911.  It’s all my fault, Y/N.  I’m so sorry.”  Her eyes were brimming with tears as she apologized for the mistake that wasn’t her fault.

“It’s not your fault,” you mumbled against the top of her head.  “I’m just glad you’re okay.”  You held her close to you as she cried into your shirt.  The sight of your beloved bakery burning to the ground in front of you should’ve elicited some emotional response from you, but you felt nothing.  None of what was happening seemed real.  You’d wake up in a few hours, shake off your nightmare, and head back to work like nothing ever happened, but that wouldn’t happen again for a very long time.  Now when you woke up, you’d have to spend the foreseeable future picking up the charred pieces of your livelihood.

************************************************

Gone.  It was all gone.  The last tangible reminder of your parents had gone up in smoke.  Words couldn’t accurately describe just how devastated you were.  The bakery was the way you dealt with the crushing pain of having tragically lost your parents so early in life.  Now your coping mechanism was gone.  You looked around, seeing the charred remains of the booths, the front counter, and the collection of employee and family pictures that hung on the back wall.  One picture in particular caught your eye.  It was you and your parents after the little league championship game the year your team won.  The picture was charred around the edges, half of your mom’s body was burnt off, but it was mostly intact.  You ripped it off the wall, sighing as you stared at the faded memory.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered at your parents’ beaming faces.  You let their dream burn down and with it your last memories of them.

You stayed in the building most of the day.  Natasha stopped by at one point to find you on the floor leaning against what was left of the front counter.  She offered to grab you some food or take you home, but you declined, wanting nothing more than to disappear into the void.  That’s where Wanda found you when she showed up later in the evening.

“Hey,” she said as she crouched under the CAUTION tape.  You ignored her as you stared at the charred photograph in your hand.  She stood awkwardly in front of you, a brown paper bag in one hand and her purse in the other.  Wanda was the last person in the world you wanted to see right now.  You wanted to scream, to tell her to leave you alone, but you didn’t have the energy.

“Please go,” you murmured, flipping the photograph through your fingers.  

She didn’t go.  She walked over to the counter, kicking a piece of charred wood to the side as she sat down next to you.  There was an unspoken tension in the air as neither of you looked at each other: you stared down at the picture, she stared at the brown bag in her hand.  

“Here,” she said as she slid the bag over to you.  Taking a look inside the brown bag, you saw two delicious looking honey butter muffins staring back at you.  “I figured that it’d help you feel a bit better.”  Wanda smiled, her emerald eyes glimmering back at you.  For the first time since you met it made your heart skip a beat.

“You figured that muffins from your still-standing cafe would help me feel better about my bakery burning down?”

“Look I’m sorry, okay?  I’m really sorry about your bakery…” she trailed off as she brought her knees up and hugged them close to her chest.  “It should’ve been my place that burned down, not yours.”

“Don’t say that.”

“But it’s true!  Sam told me all about this place.  How your parents built it from the ground up, how you’ve literally spent your whole life working here, how you dropped out of school after they died to-”

“Please stop,” you interrupted as you felt another lump in your throat. .

“Is that them?” she asked, leaning over to get a better look at the photo in your hand.

You nodded.  “That’s, umm, that’s the day we won the little league championship.  Dad coached my team that year and…”  You trailed off as your eyes filled with tears.  “Umm, this place is the only thing I have left of them, you know?  Coming here every day, it’s almost like they’re still here.  And now that it’s gone I…”  You looked down at the picture as hot tears rolled down your face.  The emotional breakdown that had been brewing all day was finally bubbling up through the cracks.  “Sorry.”

Before you could say anything else, a pair of soft hands wrapped around you and pulled you close.  “It’s okay, you can let it all out,” Wanda whispered.  That was all it took for you to finally break down.  You sobbed into her chest as she held you.  She squeezed you close as she gently rocked back and forth, her fingers gently stroking your hair.  “You’re okay, Y/N.  You’re going to be okay.  I’ve got you,” she soothed.  Your body was wracked with sobs as you finally let everything go. 

Wanda’s touch was calming.  You’d never felt so calm or safe wrapped up in someone else’s arms before.  You never cried in front of anyone, not even Natasha and she was your best friend.  Somehow you knew that Wanda was someone you could trust completely.  “I’m sorry that you’re going through this, but you don’t have to go through it alone,” she whispered in your ear as your sobs started to calm.  You didn’t have enough control to speak yet so you simply nodded into her chest.  Her scent was intoxicating, a combination of sugar, roasted coffee beans, and vanilla blossom shampoo.  You never noticed it before.

“Sorry for getting your shirt wet,” you sniffled as you sat up.  

“Sorry for throwing a muffin at your head,” Wanda chuckled as she reached up to brush a stray tear from her face.  Her hand was incredibly soft as she rested it on your cheek.  You felt your face grow hot, but you weren’t sure if it was from the way she was touching you or the lack of distance between your faces or all of the above.  The knot in your throat instantly migrated down to your stomach as you locked eyes with her.

“ S��okay,” you mumbled as you lost yourself in her deep green eyes.  After staring for a moment too long, you turned your head away and blinked.  She shook her head, realizing for herself the tense intimacy of the situation.  “What kind of muffins are these?” you asked, quickly changing the subject.

“Honey butter.  Pietro found the recipe online and fell in love with them.”  

“I can see why,” you responded with your mouth full.  “They’re good, but I think mine are just a bit better.”

“Shut up,” she answered with a playful smack.

************************************************

Over the course of the next few weeks, Wanda came over to your bakery almost every day.  At first it was just to bring you something from the cafe: a cup of coffee and something sweet in the morning or a sandwich after she closed up for the evening.  Her presence soon became a familiar comfort to you and you looked forward to the few moments you spent with her every evening.  Daily food deliveries turned into offers to pick up dinner, and you often found yourself sitting up with her until all hours as you ate and continued the arduous rebuilding process.  Soon enough Wanda was coming over to help you on her days off.

As you spent more time with her, the way you thought about her changed.  You no longer woke up in a cold sweat from nightmares that involved her.  Nowadays when you dreamt about her you woke up with an uncomfortable throbbing in your pajama pants.  Her smile made you weak at the knees and you craved any opportunity to touch her.  She was an incredible woman but you were terrified to tell her how you felt.  

Natasha, of course, had noticed the shift in your demeanor towards her.  “So do I get to fire you when you sleep with her or are you gonna fire yourself?” she teased one night while you were tearing the tile flooring out of the kitchen.

“Fuck off, Nat,” you answered, not steering your attention away from the floor.

“Don’t pretend like you weren’t drooling over her when she wore those shorts in here the other day.  Besides, I see the way you two are when you’re together.”

“She’s just being friendly.  She’s like that with you and Sam too, you know.”

“Y/N, she kept staring at your crotch when you wore those grey sweatpants last week.  Even if she doesn’t like you, and I’m telling you she does, she still wants to fuck you.”

“Right, yeah,” you guffawed.  While you brushed Natasha off, you hoped she was right.  You had caught Wanda staring when you wore your grey sweats last week…and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t enjoy it.

“You should tell her how you feel.  I’m pretty sure she feels the same way.”

“Nat-”

“She’s over there now.  Just go talk to her.  Ask her out for dinner or something.”

“Nat-”

“Relax, I’ve got everything under control,” she smiled at you.  “Go talk to Wanda.”

You groaned as you pushed yourself up from the hard floor.  “Fine.  But if this all goes wrong I’m blaming it on you!”  You wiped your hands on a rag, throwing it at Nat as you headed for the door.

“It won’t!” she called from the kitchen.  You shook your head, grinning as you pushed the door open and crossed the street to Latte Love.  The store was closed for the evening.  Inside, Wanda was cleaning up, wiping down the tables and counter like she did every evening before making her way to The Rolling Scone.

Wanda looked up as she heard the door jingle.  Her exhausted face lit up at the sight of you.  “Hey you,” she called.  “What’s going on?”

“Not much.  Just helping Nat rip up the tile in the kitchen.  Contractor says he’ll be ready to go by the end of the week for that.”  The words felt like cotton balls in your mouth.  You never got this flustered around her but the thought of telling Wanda how you truly felt about her had your stomach tied in knots.  “How was your day?”

“Good!  Pietro left early for an appointment, so it’s just me closing up.  I was planning on picking up Indian for dinner.  Wanna join me?”

“Yeah, that sounds good.  Listen-”

“Oh!  I got this call for this INSANE order.  This lady wants twelve dozen cupcakes by Sunday.  SUNDAY.  Can you believe that?!”

“Wanda-”

“I mean of course you can, you’ve been doing this a lot longer than I have.  But I mean we’re a coffee shop, not a bakery!  I would’ve sent them to you but, well, you know, it’s a little hard to bake cupcakes when you don’t have an oven.”

“Wanda-”

“So I said ‘Sure, why the hell not?’ and I think that was a mistake because-”

“WANDA!” you said a little more aggressively than you intended. 

“Yeah?” She threw her hand towel over her shoulder.

“Wanda.  I, well, fuck.  Sorry, I’m not good at this.”  Your hands were all sweaty and your knees felt weak.  “Look.  What I want to say is, well, for the past few weeks we’ve…spending time with you…fuck!  Why is this so hard for me to say?”  You ran your fingers through your hair, frustrated that you couldn’t figure out the right words to say.  

Wanda’s quizzical look slowly softened into a smile as she started to put the pieces of the puzzle together.  She looked down at the ground, biting her lip as she threw the towel on the counter right before she jumped up on it, spun around, and hopped off on the other side.  She walked right over to you, stopping less than a foot away as she looked up into your eyes.

“You know, for an emotionally suppressed type of guy, you’re pretty cute when you get all flustered,” she teased.

“Wanda, I-” 

Before you could finish your thought, Wanda grabbed your waist, leaned in, and kissed you.  Your hands somehow found their way to the back of her neck, palms resting on her cheeks as you cupped her head.  Every single coherent thought you had flew out of your brain the second her lips touched yours.  They were just as sweet as you imagined they’d be.  You smiled into her lips, eternally grateful that she had been the one to initiate this in the first place.  She smiled back as you deepened it, capturing her bottom lip between yours.  There was no need for talking, no need for any other explanation.  The dance between your lips told the entire story: you were hers, and she was yours.  The knot in your stomach burst into a million butterflies as every touch ignited a burning sense of desire within you.  

“Wanda, I-” you somehow managed to choke out as she began to kiss the side of your neck.

“There’s a couch in the office and the door locks,” she mumbled.  Her lips grazed your sensitive skin as she spoke and it took everything in you not to let out an offensive moan.

“Lead the way.”  Wanda grabbed your hand and dragged you behind the counter and through the kitchen to the small office in the back of the shop.  You slammed the door shut behind you as Wanda pinned you to it, locking the door with one hand before bringing it back up to roam your body.  She slammed her lips into yours as you grabbed her hips, pulling her flush against your body.  The contact sent a surge of energy through your groin and you knew it would be only a matter of moments before your shorts became unbearably uncomfortable.  

You explored her body as you kissed her, tracing over every curve as she moaned into your mouth at the sensual contact.  She was heavenly.  You decided to change up the intensity of your make out session, swiping your tongue over her lower lip.  She willingly opened up and allowed your tongue to explore hers.  

Before you realized it, Wanda’s hands made their way down your body to the front of your shorts.  She unbuttoned them, stopping right afterwards to palm your throbbing erection.  You nibbled on her bottom lip as she fondled you and she smiled into your mouth in response.  As she pulled your pants and boxers down, you pulled off your t-shirt and threw it off to the side.  

“You’re beautiful,” Wanda whispered as she looked at your naked body for the first time.  She ran her hands over your toned biceps, strong and wiry from years of kneading dough, and your pecs, down your toned stomach before reaching your cock.  She grabbed it with one hand, stroking it gently as she dropped to her knees.

“Wanda,” you groaned as she worked her hands up and down your shaft.  Pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she lined up her mouth with your tip and swallowed the first part of your penis.  She swirled her tongue around your tip, coating it in saliva before removing her mouth and using it as lube to jack you off.  Your knees felt weak as she took you in her mouth again, bobbing her head up and down your entire length.  She sucked and licked and swirled your cock, hollowing her cheeks as she took you down her throat.  The noises that came from her mouth as she gagged on your length were sinful, but it only made you want her that much more.

At one point she reached for your hand, placing it on the back of her head.  You took that as a sign to do what you wanted, so you moved her head up and down at a speed you liked.  You moaned as you felt the familiar fire burning within you, spurred on by the way Wanda’s eyes watered as she let you fuck her throat.  She grabbed onto your thighs as you pounded into her, nails digging into your flesh as she looked up at you with those pleading green eyes.

“I’m gonna cum,” you moaned as Wanda ripped your hand away from her head, bringing her other hand up to jack you off as she sucked on your tip.  The sudden suction and added stimulation immediately caused you to tumble over the edge as you released down her throat.  She greedily swallowed every last drop.  Having her suck you off like that was a life-changing experience.

Wanda sat back on her heels, wiping the drool from her chin as she gasped for air.  “Nice cock,” she chuckled.  “Hope it feels as good as it tastes.”

“Why don’t we find out?” you teased, offering your hand to her as she stood up.  “But I think you’ve got too many clothes on for that.”

“I think we can take care of that,” Wanda smirked, reaching down to pull her shirt over her head.  “Want to get my pants?” she asked as she reached behind her to undo her bra.

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” you joked as you unbuttoned her jeans.  You slid both them and her panties down her legs before she kicked them off.  “Wow,” you said, taking a step back to admire her.  

“Like what you see, tiger?”

“Wanda, I’m sure you’ve heard this a million times, but you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”  Wanda blushed a deep shade of crimson at your words.  It wasn’t an exaggeration.  She was absolutely gorgeous.

“Thank you,” she whispered sheepishly as she sat on the couch.

You sat down next to her, your eyes darting from one part of her nude figure to the other before you settled back on her lips.  Leaning forward, you kissed her as she fell back on the couch.  It didn’t take much to shift your position so that you were completely on top of her.  You relished the taste of her lips as you kissed and you wanted to savor  the sensation of every second.

“Fuck,” you murmured as you reached a hand down between her legs.  “You’re absolutely soaked, Wanda.”  She whined as you drew a finger up the length of her cunt, teasing around her engorged clit.  “You do that to me every day.  I go home soaking wet and fuck myself thinking about how good you’d feel inside me.”  She bucked her hips against your hand, desperate to relieve the ache building within her.  “God, I want you in me so bad, Y/N.”

“Jesus,” you whispered through gritted teeth as your erection swelled at her words.  “And here I was trying to figure out how to tell you how the first thing I do every morning is jack off to the thought of you.”

“I guess we both have filthy minds then,” she grinned.  Her face was flushed with arousal, the redness spreading down her neck and onto her breasts.  “Fuck!” she exclaimed as you dipped a finger ever so slightly inside her before quickly pulling out.  “Please just fuck me!”

“You’re cute when you beg,” you sighed as you lined yourself up with her entrance.  You teased her with your tip, rubbing it up and down her slit and over her lips and clit before barely pushing your head in.  She whined, rolling her hips in a feeble effort to lower herself onto you.  

“Y/N please-” Wanda’s words turned into a sharp cry as you slammed your entire length inside her.  Her pussy was absolute heaven.  She was warm and wet, her slick velvety walls engulfing you and squeezing in all the right places. 

“Oh my fucking god,” you croaked.  You laid over her for a minute, trying to regroup yourself enough so you wouldn’t immediately blow your load inside her.  As she adjusted to your intrusion and you calmed yourself down, you began to roll your hips against her, thrusting in and out.

“Shit,” she gasped.  Wanda rolled her hips in time with yours, meeting you as you thrust your length all the way inside her.  You continued at a steady pace, the sounds of her wet pussy being the only noise in the room.

“Are you okay?” you asked, noticing Wanda’s eyes were screwed shut.

“Feels really good.  Can you go faster?”  Not wanting to disappoint, you began to pound into her.  Her mouth gaped open at your newfound intensity as she reached up to wrap her arms and legs around you.  “Oh fuck, right there.”

The couch shook under the duress of your movements.  You pounded into Wanda, her tight hole stretching perfectly around your cock with every thrust.  Sweat beaded on your forehead as you grunted from exertion.  Your moans and groans, along with the squelching of Wanda’s pussy, filled the room.  As you pounded into her cunt, your cock disappearing within her wet folds, Wanda’s moans became louder and more erratic.  “You close, baby girl?”

Wanda nodded, wrapping her legs tighter around your midsection.  “My clit,” she choked out.  You helped her move one of her arms from your back to the sensitive spot.  She circled it furiously, a loud groan tearing from her chest.  “Faster,” she commanded.

You doubled down on your efforts and hammered into her dripping cunt.  The way her walls fluttered and clenched around you told you she wasn’t far away from her orgasm.  The way she tightened around you sent that familiar coil through your lower abdomen.  It wouldn’t be much longer until you reached your climax as well.

“I’m gonna cum,” she whined.  You pounded into her as fast as you could, groaning as your hips slammed against her swollen pussy.  Her hand circled her clit furiously.  Wanda came with a loud groan, her back arching off the couch as wave after wave of ecstasy crashed down on her.  Her walls throbbed and clenched rhythmically around you, the intense sensation finally causing you to cum as you released your thick load of cum deep inside her.  Wanda dug her nails deep into your back as you absolutely ruined her.

“Fuck I love you,” you gasped as you collapsed on top of her from sheer exhaustion.  Blood pounded in your ears and black dots peppered your vision as you recovered from the best orgasm you ever had.  

“You love me?” Wanda asked, her eyes blown wide with desire from the afterglow of her incredible orgasm.

“Shit, I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said that.”  A sense of panic overtook you as you stared down at Wanda.  

“No it’s okay.  I mean, I feel the same way,” she admitted, smiling back up at you.

“Really?”

“Mmhmm” 

You chuckled as you leaned down to kiss her.  “Guess I have to quit my job now.” 

Wanda looked at you with a confused expression.  “What?” she asked as she cocked an eyebrow.

“I told everyone that they’d be fired if they slept with you, so I guess I’ve gotta quit.” 

“I love you,” Wanda giggled as she shook her head.

************************************************

“So let me get this straight: we’re merging with Latte Love after you threatened to fire us if we talked to Wanda?” Sam crossed his arms as he sat on the newly reconstructed front counter.  You had called the team together to announce the new business venture you were about to embark on.

“Okay first off I only threatened to fire you if you slept with her.  Talking to her would’ve resulted in a stern talking to and overnight donut duty for a week.  Second, it's not a merger so much as it is a partnership.  Both businesses will operate independent of one another, but now we’re going to start carrying some of their baked goods,” you explained.  Everyone looked at you in utter disbelief, unable to fathom your sudden shift in the way you viewed Latte Love.

“What changed?” Nat asked, tapping her pen against the table.

“Oh you know…stuff…things,” you murmured sheepishly as your face reddened.

“Oh my god!”  Nat’s eyes widened in realization as she stood up. “You slept with her!”

“Dude what?!  That’s so -” Peter exclaimed before Sam slapped his hand over his mouth to shut him up.  You pinched the bridge of your nose as you looked up at the ceiling.  Natasha was laughing at the irony of the whole situation before she lambasted you with questions.

“How long has this been going on?  Wait, was it a one time thing?  Oh, it was definitely the time I made you go over there to talk to her when we were ripping up the floor.  And you told me you two just talked.  Talking my ass…Is this a business deal, like sex in exchange for pastries?  Are you two a thing?  I should’ve guessed with how much time you’ve been spending over there and how you never want to do anything fun with me anymo-”

“Nat, will you please shut up?!”  Her endless questions were exasperating.  Yes, you and Wanda were in fact a thing but you hadn’t told anyone about it.  You hadn’t even told Nat about your back office hookup even though it happened two months ago.  There was so much going on with rebuilding the bakery and dealing with insurance claims that you wanted to keep this part of your life private.  “I just think it’d be a good idea for both of us, maximize our profits, boost both of our busin-”

“Hey babe, is there any way you can come help me with the rest of the-” Wanda paused as she barged in on your team meeting.  “Oh hi guys!”

“Mmhmm, it’s definitely good for both of you,” Nat smirked as she took a sip of her coffee.  You shot her a warning look while Wanda stood utterly oblivious to the scene unfolding around her.  “Go on, go help your girlfriend with whatever she needs.  I’ll show Peter how to do the bagels.”

You smiled at Wanda as you headed toward the door.  “So what do you need my help with?”

“Nothing,” Wanda responded as she reached for your hand.  “Just wanted to spend some time with my favorite guy.”

“Don’t let Pietro hear you say that.”

“That’s okay, he already knows.”  She squeezed your hand reassuringly as you crossed the street.  

You smiled as her grip tightened around your hand.  Six months ago there was no way to predict that the woman who ruined your life would ultimately become the greatest thing that ever happened to you.  As you crossed the threshold from your bakery to her cafe, you were grateful to be able to call The Rolling Scone, Latte Love, and Wanda home. 

[sanjakfoodstufftrading]

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[kariachi]

If we use my 'put a decimal point before the last two numbers' method of converting poke into dollars, then in Galar at least we see that boiled Chansey eggs retail at about $22 (and we can assume they're Chansey eggs given the size and price, Blissey eggs would likely be more costly). Assuming that a boiled egg retails at about 3x the price of a raw egg (a rough estimate, the cost seems to vary widely but I'm going with a rough average) that means we can probably expect a Chansey egg to retail at about $7.30 each.

For real world comparison- a chicken egg can retail at 15-17 cents, and the closer-in-size ostrich egg seem to retail at $30-50. But Chansey eggs are much bigger than chicken eggs and much more readily available than ostrich eggs. An ostrich can lay 6 to 12 eggs a year, while we've previously discussed a Chansey likely puts out about 14 a week.

Which honestly even if we assume like chickens they only lay for about 2/3 of the year would still have them pumping out more than chickens do, though with a far lower population than chickens have. I mean, your best odds of finding Chansey in the wild in the non-overworld games are 5%, plus they seem like a species that would need careful attention and good husbandry, these are some rare fuckers.

But, back to numbers. Average retail price is 50% again that of the wholesale price, so from here we can find the wholesale price of Chansey eggs in Galar is likely about $4.87 cents. Over 30x the price of a chicken egg.

If we assume a Chansey egg is the size of a ostrich egg- which is the lowball estimate by the way, some art makes it seem up to twice that size- then that's about 24x as much egg per egg. For at least that much more, assuming other pokemon kept for egg production function more similarly to chickens as far as product size and availability, which isn't an unlikely assumption. But, given the size and nutritional value of the eggs, and the rarity of the pokemon, the price isn't all that surprising.

Your average person is probably only buying Chansey eggs if they're hosting something, trying to show off, or it's a special occasion and they don't mind having a mountain of leftovers if they get to splurge. This is probably part of why the egg you get in SwSh is packaged individually, because retail purchases are, as a rule, for situations where you're probably only going to need one egg. If you need more, you can buy more, but you're probably not going to need a lot of them. Instead most Chansey egg sales probably go to restaurants, bakeries, school and hospital cafeterias, places like that where you're going to need a whole lot of egg to feed a whole lot of people. And that lot are probably paying nearly $60 per dozen for them.

As an aside, I generally write it that Blissey lay only one egg a day, given the pokedex doesn't specifically mention laying multiple like it does for Chansey and also the special properties of that egg likely requiring more production time. Between that, the properties of the egg adding to it's value, the rarity of Blissey in general, and again special care requirements, I think we can safely expect a damn good price jump. Mathing is getting me an estimated wholesale price of about $200 dollars per egg (and trust me it could be worse, I could be lowballing this). So, retail price would be about $300, price for a dozen would probably be about $2,400 wholesale and $3,600 retail.

Most Blissey egg sales are probably going to the wealthy, or more specifically businesses who cook for wealthy clientele. And wedding caterers, probably. If you want any, your best bet is to get a Blissey of your own or make friends with someone who has a Blissey.

It probably wouldn't be too difficult.

[coochiequeens]

It is reasonable to think a man saying he wants to be a single father because he doesn’t want a relationship should prompt some investigation by someone expert in child welfare about his emotional capability to parent alone.“

Infertility can be deeply painful. There is a lot a compassionate society can – and should – do to make fertility treatment available to those who can be assisted to have a child with medical intervention. Few would disagree though that there are ethical boundaries to this, shaped by children’s interests, not just adult desires.

Last week, the Law Commission drove a coach and horses through that moral frontier – which it framed as an overdue modernisation of the law – by publishing draft proposals to reform the UK’s surrogacy framework. Implicit in them is the, I suspect controversial, assumption that a single man seeking to have a child alone through surrogacy, because he doesn’t want or can’t maintain a committed relationship, presents no greater moral quandary than a couple seeking IVF. How controversial is anyone’s guess: the Law Commission hasn’t canvassed public attitudes.

Surrogacy is the practice of a woman conceiving, gestating and giving birth to a baby – using her own or donor eggs – for another couple or individual who can’t do so themselves. The UK is one of few countries in which it is lawful. There are important safeguards intended to guard against exploitation: surrogates can only be compensated for reasonable expenses, to try to ensure their motivations are altruistic, not financial. The surrogate is legally the child’s mother until the intended parents are granted a parenting order by the family courts, if and only if they deem it is in the child’s best interests.

Surrogacy remains small-scale in the UK: just 300-400 orders are granted a year, limited by the number of women who want to become surrogates. But in countries like the US and Georgia, where commercial surrogacy is legal – where economically vulnerable women can be paid to carry a baby and surrogacy is governed by legally enforceable contracts that the UN special rapporteur on child exploitation says constitute the sale of children – it is bigger business. In contrast, the UK legal framework tolerates surrogacy but does not actively encourage it.

The Law Commission has recommended wholesale reform that makes the surrogacy process more akin to IVF. It proposes a new “pre-conception” pathway, governed by a surrogacy agreement, in which the intended parents automatically become the legal parents of the child at birth unless the surrogate withdraws consent before birth. The family courts will no longer oversee these arrangements unless the surrogate applies for a parental order in the first six weeks after birth. Instead, surrogacy will be pre-approved by surrogacy agencies, in the same way fertility clinics sign off on IVF. The commission makes sweeping – but unevidenced – claims that this is in the best interests of children and that because it reduces uncertainty, it will increase the amount of surrogacy that happens in the UK by discouraging people from making use of more exploitative regimes abroad.

There are some positive aspects to the proposals: tighter regulation of expense payments to avoid surrogacy being commercialised through the back door; everyone involved would have to undergo counselling. Children would have the right to access information about their surrogate in the same way as those conceived using donor sperm or eggs.

But in adopting a starting point that surrogacy is just another form of assisted conception, the Law Commission has gone beyond its remit. It reduces pregnancy to a process, a transactional exchange of body fluid between a woman and a foetus rather than a relationship between a mother and the life she is nurturing physically and emotionally, that there are ethical considerations involved in breaking at birth, regardless of the desires of the individual adults involved. It is for us as a society to decide whether we want the law to actively encourage rather than tolerate this, not for the Law Commission to make recommendations without even exploring public attitudes.

The Law Commission report is peppered with imagined case studies that invoke sympathy: straight couples where a woman can’t carry a pregnancy and gay male couples who see surrogacy as their only way to have a biological child. But a better ethical test is the men who openly say they want to become fathers through surrogacy because they would rather be single parents. There would be few barriers to them doing so.

This encapsulates the extent to which the Law Commission proposals are catering to the desires of adults with a vested interest in surrogacy – however valid their reasons – over and above child welfare. It proposes a light-touch welfare check as part of the pre-conception pathway, but this would rely in the main on potential parents self-declaring issues of concern and would be carried out by surrogacy agencies that though not-for-profit would still have an interest in making surrogacy happen; the Law Commission itself suggeststhat private fertility clinics can set up not-for-profit “arms” to act as surrogacy agencies. It explicitly declines to say that the person legally responsible for these checks should have knowledge or experience of child safeguarding. These surrogacy agencies would supposedly be regulated by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, which lacks meaningful expertise in child welfare. It is all jaw-droppingly naive.

The counter is that there are only light checks for women and couples conceiving through IVF and nothing for people who become parents naturally. But surrogacy is the only route through which a single man as a sole parent can create a biological child.

Gestation is a natural if not fail-safe form of safeguarding in a world where a minority of men are responsible for almost all physical and sexual violence and men on average pose a different risk to children than women. This isn’t to say some single men who want to go it alone might not make good fathers – single men can and do adopt successfully after robust welfare checks – but that it should be harder than getting signed off for IVF.

It is reasonable to think a man saying he wants to be a single father because he doesn’t want a relationship should prompt some investigation by someone expert in child welfare about his emotional capability to parent alone.

At the heart of the Law Commission proposals is the assumption that surrogacy should be made cleaner to the benefit of the adults involved. But surrogacy is inherently messy, uncertain and ethically complex, because no one has a claim to a baby they haven’t given birth to purely on the basis of genetics and pregnancy cannot be reduced to a transaction.

The Law Commission loftily calls for the government to “endorse these essential reforms”. But on an ethical issue such as this it is vital that politicians consult the public rather than taking direction from a legal body that has grossly overstepped its remit.

 Sonia Sodha is an Observer columnist

 This article was amended on 5 April 2023. In an earlier version the writer commented that the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) “has no expertise in child welfare”. This has been amended to “lacks meaningful expertise” to make clearer that, while the HFEA has a statutory function in overseeing “welfare of the child” assessments required of fertility clinics, this is the writer’s assessment of the agency’s overall expertise in child welfare and safeguarding. The name of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has also been corrected.

[redhillconfetti]

Blog Post 06-01-23

Confetti

Well, another week has come and gone, and as the working hours of Friday float away, my mind goes to think of Confetti fluttering on the wind.

The act of throwing confetti comes from Northern Italy in the middle ages, however it was far from pleasant, with anything from old leaves to rotten eggs launched at noble folk as they made their way through town. Over time this changed to the nobles tossing small sweets from their carriages at the common folk, many of which were Sugared Almonds or Coriander Seeds. The almonds are known as ‘Confetti’, and this is how the name came to be. In the late 1800s the first recorded instance of throwing paper confetti came into place in Paris on New Years Eve, and from there the tradition of throwing paper confetti during a celebration stuck.

Confetti is what started it all for Redhill Confetti. Ten years ago when I was planning my own wedding, I knew I wanted a vintage style theme for decor and such, and having seen some mass produced paper confetti online for a considerable price I knew I could not only make it myself, but do it much more economically. So armed with an old romance novel and a heart shaped hole punch, I spent many an evening in the run up to our big day simply punching paper hearts out of the torn sheets of the novel.

With the wedding over and the honeymoon a long and distant memory, we were still left with a large box of confetti, and rather than throw it away I bagged it up and put it on Ebay. Within a couple of days it had all sold, with people messaging me to ask if I had any more. An idea formed in the back of our minds and at that point the starting blocks of Redhill Confetti were set into place.

Our very first made-to-order product was actually Fifty Shades of Grey confetti, with the book series at the height of its popularity, people loved the idea of delicate small paper hearts fluttering down around them, only for Great Aunt Maud to spot a rather salacious word or two as they settle. With all our copies sourced second hand from charity shops or just given to us where people had heard of us through word of mouth, for a good 18 months we were inundated with those books, before expanding into other titles with everything from fairy tales to golf manuals. Sheet music was another very popular design, with this being very easy to get hold of and always looked beautiful with its aged paper.

When the time came to start a family, the business had been quietly ticking by in the background and in the summer of 2014 I quit my full time job as a logistics coordinator and made a go of the business full time. At the same time I discovered I was pregnant, and in a huge leap of faith I stuck to my plans and finished at the shipping company to work full time in the wedding business. This was by far the scariest but also the best decision I have ever made. With the time and clarity that came with that resignation, I was able to source a UK manufacturer for our Seed Paper, and found the oldest mechanised papermill in the world right here in the South of England.

The seed paper confetti was a huge hit. Handmade from recycled paper pulp, with wildflower seeds actually in the fibres of the paper, we soon found this product so popular we were sourcing at wholesale levels, all whilst hand punching every single piece individually. It certainly gives our arms a workout, though we haven’t yet considered any arm wrestling tournaments.

In 2018 we were offered the chance to stock Forget-me-not seed paper in addition to the wildflower, which has become very well known in the Funeral trade, with the idea of planting new life whilst remembering those that have passed being a timely reminder of how much we miss our loved ones. We now supply numerous charities and NHS Trusts with these seed paper shapes so they can include these small tokens in memorial boxes.

Throughout the pandemic with the restrictions in place for gatherings, many people came to us for seed paper memorial pieces, and I can now imagine there is a new crop of flowering blooms that appear in the memory of those no longer with us.

Now with the pandemic a long way behind us (hopefully), I look to the future to where we can develop confetti supply and what we can offer. At the tail end of 2022 I was lucky enough to be contacted by a local family whose music teacher Aunt had passed away after over 70 years of teaching piano to local families, and with that had amassed a huge collection of sheet music. They were going to simply send the whole lot to the recycling centre before someone put them in touch with me, and three full car loads later my workshop is now full floor to ceiling with music books dating back to the 1930s. With this we are looking to ramp up production of sheet music confetti, with new cutting tools arriving this week.

Well that’s it for another week, the new year settles into place with lots of exciting new things in the works for 2023.

Enjoy your weekends!

Simone

[homosexuhauls]

Sonia Sodha

Sun 2 April 2023

Infertility can be deeply painful. There is a lot a compassionate society can – and should – do to make fertility treatment available to those who can be assisted to have a child with medical intervention. Few would disagree though that there are ethical boundaries to this, shaped by children’s interests, not just adult desires.

Last week, the Law Commission drove a coach and horses through that moral frontier – which it framed as an overdue modernisation of the law – by publishing draft proposals to reform the UK’s surrogacy framework. Implicit in them is the, I suspect controversial, assumption that a single man seeking to have a child alone through surrogacy, because he doesn’t want or can’t maintain a committed relationship, presents no greater moral quandary than a couple seeking IVF. How controversial is anyone’s guess: the Law Commission hasn’t canvassed public attitudes.

Surrogacy is the practice of a woman conceiving, gestating and giving birth to a baby – using her own or donor eggs – for another couple or individual who can’t do so themselves. The UK is one of few countries in which it is lawful. There are important safeguards intended to guard against exploitation: surrogates can only be compensated for reasonable expenses, to try to ensure their motivations are altruistic, not financial. The surrogate is legally the child’s mother until the intended parents are granted a parenting order by the family courts, if and only if they deem it is in the child’s best interests.

Surrogacy remains small-scale in the UK: just 300-400 orders are granted a year, limited by the number of women who want to become surrogates. But in countries like the US and Georgia, where commercial surrogacy is legal – where economically vulnerable women can be paid to carry a baby and surrogacy is governed by legally enforceable contracts that the UN special rapporteur on child exploitation says constitute the sale of children – it is bigger business. In contrast, the UK legal framework tolerates surrogacy but does not actively encourage it.

The Law Commission has recommended wholesale reform that makes the surrogacy process more akin to IVF. It proposes a new “pre-conception” pathway, governed by a surrogacy agreement, in which the intended parents automatically become the legal parents of the child at birth unless the surrogate withdraws consent before birth. The family courts will no longer oversee these arrangements unless the surrogate applies for a parental order in the first six weeks after birth. Instead, surrogacy will be pre-approved by surrogacy agencies, in the same way fertility clinics sign off on IVF. The commission makes sweeping – but unevidenced – claims that this is in the best interests of children and that because it reduces uncertainty, it will increase the amount of surrogacy that happens in the UK by discouraging people from making use of more exploitative regimes abroad.

There are some positive aspects to the proposals: tighter regulation of expense payments to avoid surrogacy being commercialised through the back door; everyone involved would have to undergo counselling. Children would have the right to access information about their surrogate in the same way as those conceived using donor sperm or eggs.

But in adopting a starting point that surrogacy is just another form of assisted conception, the Law Commission has gone beyond its remit. It reduces pregnancy to a process, a transactional exchange of body fluid between a woman and a foetus rather than a relationship between a mother and the life she is nurturing physically and emotionally, that there are ethical considerations involved in breaking at birth, regardless of the desires of the individual adults involved. It is for us as a society to decide whether we want the law to actively encourage rather than tolerate this, not for the Law Commission to make recommendations without even exploring public attitudes.

The Law Commission report is peppered with imagined case studies that invoke sympathy: straight couples where a woman can’t carry a pregnancy and gay male couples who see surrogacy as their only way to have a biological child. But a better ethical test is the men who openly say they want to become fathers through surrogacy because they would rather be single parents. There would be few barriers to them doing so.

This encapsulates the extent to which the Law Commission proposals are catering to the desires of adults with a vested interest in surrogacy – however valid their reasons – over and above child welfare. It proposes a light-touch welfare check as part of the pre-conception pathway, but this would rely in the main on potential parents self-declaring issues of concern and would be carried out by surrogacy agencies that though not-for-profit would still have an interest in making surrogacy happen; the Law Commission itself suggests that private fertility clinics can set up not-for-profit “arms” to act as surrogacy agencies. It explicitly declines to say that the person legally responsible for these checks should have knowledge or experience of child safeguarding. These surrogacy agencies would supposedly be regulated by the Human Embryo and Fertilisation Authority, which has no expertise in child welfare. It is all jaw-droppingly naive.

The counter is that there are only light checks for women and couples conceiving through IVF and nothing for people who become parents naturally. But surrogacy is the only route through which a single man as a sole parent can create a biological child.

Gestation is a natural if not fail-safe form of safeguarding in a world where a minority of men are responsible for almost all physical and sexual violence and men on average pose a different risk to children than women. This isn’t to say some single men who want to go it alone might not make good fathers – single men can and do adopt successfully after robust welfare checks – but that it should be harder than getting signed off for IVF.

It is reasonable to think a man saying he wants to be a single father because he doesn’t want a relationship should prompt some investigation by someone expert in child welfare about his emotional capability to parent alone.

At the heart of the Law Commission proposals is the assumption that surrogacy should be made cleaner to the benefit of the adults involved. But surrogacy is inherently messy, uncertain and ethically complex, because no one has a claim to a baby they haven’t given birth to purely on the basis of genetics and pregnancy cannot be reduced to a transaction.

The Law Commission loftily calls for the government to “endorse these essential reforms”. But on an ethical issue such as this it is vital that politicians consult the public rather than taking direction from a legal body that has grossly overstepped its remit.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at observer.letters@observer.co.uk

[monalisamartian]

Momma Morningstar

So with all the Hellboy AU talk in the server and all the mother Morningstar talk got me thinking about end game HB and MS finally having a baby <3 Usually not into the idea of my characters having kids but with all the talk of mama star in the Hellboy AU with the BPRD kid crew made me want them to have an actual kid 🥺🥺

HB notices the changes first (they are together almost 24/7 ofc he's gonna notice when she started eating more and eating weird stuff)

HB : hey Abe...you noticed Stars eating more?

Abe : I do hope you don't plan on saying that to her.

HB : yesterday I saw her eat 6 burger's

Abe : you can't say much iv seen you eat 13 in one sitting?

HB : Star can't stand the taste of beef...

She's also not usally a fan of spicy food but HB catches her eating his stash of ghost peppers. (He loves spice being a demon n all)

HB : you alright there blondie?

MS : what? *mouth full of ghost peppers* yeah why?

Hellboy loves kids and loves being around then (he wants to be a dad so bad) but star was always reluctant around them untill she took the kids of the BPRD under her wing...(hehe bird pun) But when visitor a village plagued my fairies stealing babies star is a mess emotionally (she doesn't usually show any emotions so HB is pretty taken back by seeing her cry)

Star dosnt like being touched on her back so she hates hugs and pats on the back (and always had her back covered) but HB notices that she stars resting her back on him in quiet moments.

As soon as there's a heart beat Abe knows. And dosnt know how to tell anyone and is bad at keeping secrets. So he asks Star about it.

Abe : Agent? I know I should mind my own business but I couldn't help but notice you have grown a heart?

Star : ok...a little rude I had one before, but yes I can agree I show alot more affection towards the little family we have made.

Abe : oh? No no. I meant quiet literally.

Weird thoughts...

So in the AU we head cannon angels being like birds (specifically morning Star is a curly white pigeon XD)

Angels are sexual and don't reproduce but star is in human form 99% of that time and accidentally pulled a rose quartz

WOULD ANGELS LAY EGGS? OR BIRTH LIKE HUMANS?

the child is gonna be every early 2000s Mary Sue, half demon half angel 😇😈

The brother said angel births are horrific and had to be a biblically accurate angel type horror

Wholesale thoughts

Thier first kid is a girl who looks like Hellboy but with Stars blonde hair and they name her Ruth (like a baby Ruth candy bar)

Abe : oh? Ruth is a beautiful name, after the biblical women from the gospel of Matthew?

Hellboy : yeah..... definitely that...the biblical figure...not baby Ruth candy bars...

[kaitlin-murphy]

"After John James Audubon (American Woodsman)" 2021.

Vintage posters, Franklinia alatamaha seeds, cotton, antique frame, plywood, plexi, glue, hardware, vintage lumber, iron oxide stain, light-reactive sound device, 1950s sound recordings of Vermivora bachmanii, vintage darning egg, vintage needle and spools, Sturnus vulgaris skull, wool socks knitted by Bobby Wilcox, original wallpaper digitally designed using copyright free historic images, printed by SpoonFlower Inc, self-published zine.

I was invited by Goucher College Curator and Director of Exhibitions Alex Ebstein to create this installation for the "Rediscovering Goucher's Lost Museum" exhibition in fall 2021. Documentation photos generously made by Vivian Marie Doering @vivianmariephoto on Instagram.

Artist Statement:

“On the whole, the task of turning Audubon’s original images into marketable engravings proved to be an extremely labor-intensive process that relied, almost immediately, on the work of dozens of artisans, often working directly under Audubon’s ever-critical eye. But the work process went well beyond the engraver’s shop. Unseen and unheralded others likewise made a critical contribution to the project: the papermakers who produced the huge, high-quality sheets Audubon required; the copper smelters who turned raw ore into clean ingots; the miners who extracted the ore from the earth in the first place; and so forth, back through all the prior steps of production. In that sense, The Birds of America was not just an extensive work of art, not just an example of the sole genius of the lone, struggling artist. It was, rather, an ambitious business venture that relied on a complex labor process and an extensive supply chain, an enterprise in which the artist became not just the designer of the work, but the administrative manager of dozens of people, many of whom could be called artists in their own right, and a marketer to prospective customers, many of whom he had to track down wherever he could find them, on both sides of a very wide ocean.”

--Gregory Nobles, John James Audubon: The Nature of the American Woodsman, 2017. p103

Beyond the ‘supply chain’ of compensated workers existed a backdrop of the truly Unseen and Unheralded – the enslaved Black people whose supportive labor was violently coerced; and the work of Maria Martin, an ‘artist in [her] own right’ whose labor was given, and taken, freely due to her faith and her standing as an unmarried, white woman in the Antebellum South. Utilizing the exquisite Martin-Audubon collaborative painting, "Bachman's Warbler", as a jumping-off point, this installation is a visual exploration of the cultural and structural scaffolding that made such erasure possible during that era, as well as two examples of natural history showcased by the painting that have been lost and found - the now extinct Bachman's Warbler (Vermivora bachmanii) for which this painting and a few short sound recordings are our best documentation of the species' existence, and Franklin Tree (Franklinia alatamaha) a species native to the southeastern US that narrowly avoided utter extinction thanks to the collectors John and William Bartram, and that now exists in scattered cultivation across the country.

This project is not meant as a wholesale ‘cancel’ of John James Audubon or early American naturalists – whose work, at times disturbingly tainted by prevailing beliefs and customs, nevertheless paved the way for the scientific fields of biology and ecology today. This installation is, rather, an acknowledgment of the conflicted entanglements between history, nature, people, race, gender, ideology, belief, imagery, and power.

Collections are essentially a grandiose form of appropriation, recontextualizing objects for myriad purposes. This installation plays with two traditions: collections and appropriation, by appropriating and recontextualizing Audubon’s work, as well as other historical illustrations from various collections, and using metaphor and allegory as tools to tell the story. It would not have been made possible without the help, labor, and/or support of many unseen and unheralded, including the anonymous archivists at the Internet Archive, New York Public Library Digital Collections, and Cornell’s Macaulay Library, collectors on Ebay, Etsy, Facebook Marketplace, and Bazaar in Hamden, the production team at Spoonflower, and most especially Alex Ebstein, Bobby Wilcox, Seth Adelsberger, Denise Wilcox, Patti Murphy, Wyatt Hersey, Jenny Rieke and Oona McKay.

[food-service]

Understanding the Dynamics of Egg Rates Today: A Focus on Barwala

The egg industry plays a pivotal role in ensuring food security and supporting livelihoods across the globe. In India, where eggs are a staple source of protein for millions, monitoring daily egg rates is crucial for producers, traders, and consumers alike. Among the prominent regions contributing significantly to the egg supply is Barwala, often referred to as the poultry capital of India. Understanding the factors influencing the Work on egg rate today Barwala is essential for stakeholders looking to navigate this dynamic market.

Barwala, located in the state of Haryana, is home to a thriving poultry industry. Its strategic location, robust infrastructure, and favorable climate have made it a hub for egg production. With hundreds of poultry farms operating in the area, Barwala contributes a substantial portion of the eggs consumed in India. Daily egg rates in Barwala are not just a reflection of local market dynamics but also a significant indicator for national pricing trends.

The pricing of eggs, particularly in Barwala, is influenced by multiple factors. Seasonal demand is one of the primary drivers. For instance, during the winter months, egg consumption tends to rise as people look for nutritious food to keep warm. This spike in demand often leads to a corresponding increase in egg prices. Additionally, festivals, dietary trends, and public health campaigns advocating egg consumption can also impact the rates.

Another crucial factor is the cost of production. Fluctuations in feed prices, including grains like maize and soy, significantly affect egg rates. Since feed constitutes a large portion of production costs, any increase in raw material prices often translates into higher egg prices. Monitoring feed costs is vital for understanding the Egg Rate Today Barwala and its potential variations.

The health of the poultry industry also plays a key role in determining egg rates. Disease outbreaks or unfavorable weather conditions can lead to a decrease in egg production, affecting supply and pushing up prices. Conversely, advancements in poultry farming technology, better disease management, and improved logistics can stabilize production and maintain steady rates.

Market forces such as supply chain disruptions and transportation costs also impact egg rates in Barwala. Eggs are a perishable commodity, and ensuring timely delivery is critical. Any delays or inefficiencies in the distribution network can lead to price fluctuations. This is particularly relevant in Barwala, where eggs are supplied to various parts of the country.

For consumers and businesses alike, keeping track of daily egg rates is essential for making informed decisions. Traders and wholesalers rely on current rates to negotiate deals and manage inventory, while consumers can plan their purchases based on pricing trends. Platforms that provide real-time updates on egg rates, including those specific to Egg Rate Today Barwala have become indispensable tools for staying informed.

The importance of Barwala in the Indian poultry industry cannot be overstated. Its contribution to egg production supports nutritional needs and drives economic growth in the region. The daily fluctuations in egg rates in Barwala reflect the broader challenges and opportunities within the poultry sector, making it a bellwether for the industry.

In conclusion, monitoring egg rates in Barwala is more than just tracking numbers—it’s about understanding the interplay of demand, supply, and production costs. For farmers, traders, and consumers, staying informed about the Egg Rate Today Barwala is key to thriving in this ever-evolving market. By keeping an eye on these trends, stakeholders can better navigate challenges and seize opportunities in the dynamic world of egg production.

[superbread22]

Eggless Bread Manufacturer in Ahmedabad – Super Bread

Super Bread is a trusted name in Ahmedabad when it comes to 100% Eggless Bread. As a leading Eggless Bread Manufacturer, we specialize in crafting high-quality, fresh, and delicious bread for vegetarians and individuals with egg allergies. Our commitment to quality, superior taste, and customer satisfaction has made us a preferred choice for eggless bread in Ahmedabad and beyond.

Why Choose Our 100% Eggless Bread?

Perfect for Vegetarians and Egg-Free DietsOur bread is entirely eggless, making it the ideal choice for those who prefer vegetarian products or have dietary restrictions. With Super Bread, you don’t have to compromise on taste or texture.

Premium IngredientsAt Super Bread, we use only the finest ingredients to ensure our bread is soft, flavorful, and fresh. Our carefully crafted recipes provide a rich taste that customers love.

Freshly Baked Every DayWe pride ourselves on delivering bread that’s freshly baked daily. This guarantees the best taste and quality for your meals, whether it’s for breakfast, snacks, or sandwiches.

Wide Range of ProductsSuper Bread offers a variety of eggless bread options to suit your preferences. From classic white bread to whole wheat and multigrain varieties, we cater to diverse tastes and dietary needs.

Eggless Bread Manufacturer in Ahmedabad

As a leading Eggless Bread Manufacturer in Ahmedabad, we serve both individual customers and businesses, including restaurants, cafes, and grocery stores. Our efficient production process ensures consistent quality and timely delivery, making us a reliable partner for your bread needs.

100% Eggless Bread: Quality You Can Trust

Superior Taste: Soft, fluffy, and delicious bread for every occasion.

Healthy Options: Whole wheat and multigrain choices for a nutritious diet.

Hygienic Process: Made in a clean, state-of-the-art facility adhering to strict food safety standards.

Order Fresh Eggless Bread Today!

Experience the taste of freshly baked, 100% Eggless Bread from Super Bread. Whether you’re in Ahmedabad or nearby, we are your go-to Eggless Bread Manufacturer for premium, delicious bread. Perfect for vegetarians, egg-free diets, and anyone who loves high-quality bread. Contact us today or visit your nearest store to try our range of eggless bread.

For More Information:

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super@superbread.com

[crumbsandcraving]

From Greek Dreams to Sweet Success

Eva’s Pastries stands as a beacon of Mediterranean flavors and community spirit in the heart of Peabody, Massachusetts. This charming bakery has become a beloved destination for locals seeking authentic Greek pastries, most crafted in-house. Founded by Danny Garcia inspired by his past relationship, Eva’s Pastries has not only fulfilled a personal dream but has also created a space where culture and flavor come together.

Since opening its doors in November 2015, the bakery has evolved into a vibrant retail hub, offering a wide array of specialty baked goods and carefully curated products straight from Greece. The menu features an impressive selection, from flaky spinach and feta pies to rich, syrup-soaked baklava, reflecting the rich culinary heritage of Greece while incorporating a touch of Dominican flavor.

The bakery's success is deeply rooted in its commitment to quality and community. The owner prides himself on using traditional techniques and high-quality ingredients, with 90-95% of the items made from scratch in-house. But it’s the personal connections with customers that truly define the bakery’s charm—many have become like family, celebrating milestones and sharing memories within its welcoming walls.

In this Q&A, we explore the inspirations behind the bakery's creations, the challenges faced along the way, and the owner’s vision for the future. Join us as we dive into the delicious world of bakeries and discover what makes this local gem so special.

Q: What inspired you to open this bakery?

A: I have always wanted to be a restaurant owner but at the time I was dating a Greek

Pastry Chef from Crete, Greece, and having a bakery was her dream I opened the

business with her in mind.

Q: How long have you been in business?

A: I officially became a business to the public on November 1, 2015, as a wholesale-only

bakery and moved the business to the current location at 139 Lynnfield Street, Peabody,

MA. We opened the retail side to the public on December 24, 2016 (Christmas Eve) we

needed more funds and needed to open to generate revenue.

Q: What sets your bakery apart from others in the area?

A: We are a specialty bakery with mostly all Greek baked goods and also a Market with

products directly from Greece.

Q: Do you have any signature dishes that customers rave about?

A: We have an array of items that are very popular with our customers; Breakfast items- Spinach

Pie, Feta Pie, Bougatsa (cream-filled pie) to our famous syrup items like baklava, Saragli

(baklava Rolls) Galaktoboureko (Orange flavored vanilla custard wrapped in phyllo dough)

Greek cookies and Greek-style cakes are all made from scratch.

Q: How do Greek and Dominican cultures influence your baked goods?

A: As I always say, This is 95% Greek and 5% Dominican and I’m the 5%..lol

It all started with only Greek items and slowly I have added some Dominican-inspired items as

well but have kept mostly traditional Greek goods

Q: What traditional techniques do you use in your baking?

A: Everything that we make is from scratch, using simple ingredients and simple baking methods that have been used for decades.

Q: Can you share any family recipes that have been passed down through generations?

A: I prefer not to share recipes, it’s what makes us unique.

Q: How do you incorporate local ingredients into your recipes?

A: We do not use many local items. The majority of the ingredients we use come from Greece or Italy aside from the basics like flour, sugar, butter, milk, and eggs.

Q: What are your most popular Greek pastries? What Dominican treats do you recommend for someone new to the cuisine?

A: Baklava and cookies have to be our most popular. Flan (vanilla custard) is very popular, I am starting to incorporate a Dominican pineapple, vanilla

cake which Dominicans love as well as the tres leche cake I currently offer at the shop.

Q: Do you offer seasonal or special items? If so, what are they?

A: I normally try to stay with the traditional items we make, but during the holidays I try to add some seasonal items. Like for Fall I sometimes have pumpkin-flavored cakes, roasted pecan-pumpkin cheesecakes, or a Thanksgiving turkey breakfast pie.

Q: Are there any unique flavor combinations you’ve created?

A: For the most part, my customers like to stick to traditional flavors but I have been asked to

re-create a chocolate candy bar flavor as a birthday cake, like the Kiss chocolate or Lacta

chocolate bars.

Q: What is your favorite part of the baking process? How long does it typically take to prepare your most complex pastries?

A: Decorating the cakes and seeing the final product. Cakes; Take 2-3 days to make, since we make everything from scratch, and cream(s) need to be set overnight and wait for everything to cool before creating a cake.

Q: Do you bake everything in-house, or do you source any items from other places?

A: 90%-95% of our goods are baked in-house from scratch except for a small amount of

items that are shipped from Greece.

Q: What do you enjoy most about interacting with your customers?

A: Everything, I’m a people person. I love seeing the happy faces when they come in and seeing the products that remind them of a piece of home, when they ask for products and I’m able to get them, the positive and constructive feedback. Which helps me improve the business. Some customers have turned into like family. I’ve been to customers' christening, engagements,

weddings, funerals, backyard BBQs, holiday parties, and getting hugs when they come into the

shop. Very welcoming.

Q: How do you handle customer feedback or requests for new items?

A: With an open mind turn it into a mission to get the products they request. I love getting

feedback whether good or bad. I don’t look at feedback negatively, always a positive

one. The only way I can improve as a person and also as a business owner.

Q:  Do you participate in any local events or festivals?

A: Yes, I have done plenty of charity events. I support the Local Greek Festivals and Attend

Concerts.

Q:  What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a bakery owner?

A: Quality employees, the uncertainty of revenue, every month it's different, getting supplies on time, especially during the pandemic was very difficult. I had to drive to New York, New Jersey, South Shore to Maine to get the supplies since there were freight issues.

Q: What are you most proud of in your bakery journey?

A: The transformation and growth throughout the years, we started only a wholesale bakery to

now a retail shop and full-blown mini Mediterranean market with a large array of products.

[styleasiainc23]

Unleash Versatility with the Jim Beam® 10.5" Cast Iron Griddle – Your Thanksgiving Essential

The Jim Beam® 10.5" Cast Iron Griddle is a versatile kitchen tool that enhances the cooking experience for both professional chefs and home cooks. Whether you're preparing a holiday feast or a casual family meal, this griddle is designed to deliver superior performance in any kitchen setting. It’s ideal for Thanksgiving cooking, making it a must-have addition to any cookware collection.

Key Features and Benefits

1. Pre-Seasoned for Convenience: The griddle comes pre-seasoned, allowing for immediate use without the hassle of seasoning it yourself. This feature ensures a natural, non-stick surface that improves with every use. The pre-seasoning process also provides a protective layer, preventing rust and corrosion over time.

2. Superior Heat Retention and Distribution: Cast iron is known for its excellent heat retention, and the Jim Beam® 10.5" Cast Iron Griddle is no exception. It evenly distributes heat across the surface, ensuring consistent cooking results. This makes it perfect for searing steaks, grilling vegetables, or cooking pancakes, giving you that professional touch at home or in a restaurant.

3. Versatile Use Across Different Cooking Methods: The griddle is suitable for stovetop, grill, and oven use, making it a versatile choice for various cooking methods. Whether you want to grill meats, fry eggs, or bake cornbread, this griddle can handle it all. Its compatibility with multiple heat sources adds convenience, especially in busy kitchens.

4. Durable and Long-Lasting Construction: Made from high-quality cast iron, the Jim Beam® griddle is built to last. Its robust construction ensures it can withstand high temperatures and heavy use, making it a reliable tool for both professional kitchens and home use. With proper care, this griddle can last for generations, becoming a family heirloom.

https://bondhusova.com/content/uploads/photos/2024/10/Bondhusova_2054c88ed95c5647eed9f50e58873097.png

Why Choose the Jim Beam® 10.5" Cast Iron Griddle for Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is all about family gatherings and delicious meals, and the right kitchen tools can make all the difference. The Jim Beam® 10.5" Cast Iron Griddle allows you to cook with confidence, ensuring that your holiday dishes come out perfect every time. From sizzling bacon and sausage for breakfast to searing meats for the main course, this griddle will be your go-to tool for the holiday season.

More Info: https://www.styleasia.net/product/jim-beam-cast-iron-10-5-griddle/

Care and Maintenance Tips

To get the most out of your Jim Beam® Cast Iron Griddle, follow these simple care tips:

Season Regularly: Although the griddle is pre-seasoned, it's essential to maintain its seasoning by applying a thin layer of cooking oil after each use. This helps retain the non-stick surface and prevents rust.

Avoid Soap: Clean the griddle with hot water and a stiff brush. Avoid using soap, as it can strip the seasoning.

Dry Thoroughly: After washing, dry the griddle immediately to prevent rust. Place it on a low heat source to ensure all moisture evaporates.

Store Properly: Keep the griddle in a dry place. If you stack it with other cookware, place a paper towel between items to absorb moisture.

Perfect for Retailers and B2B Suppliers

The Jim Beam® 10.5" Cast Iron Griddle is not just a great addition to home kitchens; it’s also an excellent product for retailers and B2B suppliers. As the demand for high-quality cookware continues to grow, stocking versatile and durable items like the Jim Beam® griddle can attract a wide range of customers. It’s an ideal offering for culinary shops, restaurant suppliers, and wholesale distributors looking to expand their product line with top-notch cookware.

Why Cast Iron Cookware is a Trend to Watch

Cast iron cookware has seen a resurgence in popularity, and for good reason. It offers unmatched durability and versatile cooking options, which appeal to both professional chefs and home cooks. As more people turn to cooking at home, especially for special occasions like Thanksgiving, the need for reliable kitchen tools becomes crucial. The Jim Beam® 10.5" Cast Iron Griddle fits this need perfectly, combining quality craftsmanship with the trusted Jim Beam® name.

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[journeyman-jack-in-ecuador]

04OCT24- #Ecuador's small poultry farms are the ones suffering the most from the crisis caused by the shortage of corn.

Due to the lack of the main input for feeding birds, egg production, a fundamental product in the Ecuadorian diet, is in jeopardy.

Tungurahua, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo concentrate 85% of Ecuador's poultry production.

Union warns that egg buckets could reach "exorbitant prices" due to corn shortage

The effects are already evident,

with the massive sale of birds and the closure of at least three small poultry farms in the northern area of ​​Ambato, in the Atahualpa parish, stressed Marisol Molina, executive director of the Union of Egg Producers ( Uniproh ).

According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, there are 300 registered poultry farms nationwide , of which more than half are located in Tungurahua.

These small and medium-sized companies face greater difficulties in accessing inputs, since, unlike large companies, they do not have storage capacity and depend on daily purchases for their production.

High prices undermine production In Ecuador there are more than 15 million laying hens , which produce around 14 million eggs a day. If they do not have the proper feed, the supply would be reduced in a month, which would raise the price of the bucket.

Holge Sánchez, a poultry farmer from the northern area of ​​Ambato, described the problem with concern. “The price of corn has risen alarmingly.

Before, we bought a quintal for between USD 17 and USD 18, but now it has reached USD 22. ”

The price of a bucket of eggs could rise by USD 3 or more in the last months of 2024

This makes the business unsustainable, says Sánchez,

"especially for small producers who do not buy commercial feed , but instead make their own to reduce costs," said Sánchez.

Sánchez, who runs a small poultry farm with around 10,000 laying hens, said he needs at least 300 quintals of corn a month to feed his birds.

The poultry sector in Ambato warns that without corn, egg shortages will begin in a few months.

However, the lack of supply and the hoarding of the product by large distributors are increasingly limiting their possibilities of continuing to operate.

“If the situation does not improve, many of us will be forced to sell our birds early or, worse still, close our farms.”

Holger Sánchez, poultry farmer from the northern area of ​​Ambato.

A scenario that has already begun to materialize

An estimated 700,000 birds have been sold nationwide in recent weeks in a desperate attempt to prevent further losses, Molina said.

Ecuador covers a demand of more than 1.5 million tons of corn , but this year it has decreased. It is estimated that the harvest will only cover one million, due to many circumstances,

including the fact that farmers stopped producing corn.

According to Marisol Molina, at least 300,000 tons should be imported by April 2025 to control the crisis.

Slight increase in the price of buckets

Antonio Villacreces, leader of the Association of Egg Distributors of the

Wholesale Market of Ambato, reported that at least one million containers of eggs are distributed each month from the 23 warehouses that operate in the market to different parts of Ecuador, including the Galapagos.

“If corn remains scarce and expensive, we will soon see a significant reduction in supply.”

Antonio Villacreces

Villacreces said the increase in corn prices has already been reflected in the price of a bucket of eggs, which has gone from USD 2.80 to USD 3.10 in just a few weeks.

“Eggs are the most affordable protein for most families, and this increase could affect the economy of many households. Although it is still cheaper than meat , a sustained increase could make it inaccessible for certain sectors,” he added.

The poultry industry has made several calls to the Ministry of Agriculture to implement measures to guarantee the supply of corn and other inputs to local producers.

The proposals include temporary grain imports and price regulation to prevent speculation and hoarding.

“We are in a critical situation. The authorities must intervene to prevent more poultry farms from closing down and food prices from skyrocketing ,” Molina insisted.

Concern about unemployment in the sector,

The crisis has also created uncertainty among workers in the poultry sector . Carlos Jácome, an employee at a small poultry farm in Ambato, expressed his fear of losing his job.

“ There are a lot of rumours that the poultry farm might close down . We have already had to sell several birds and it is becoming

increasingly difficult to get corn to feed them. We are afraid of losing our jobs,” she said.

If the situation worsens further, employees, farmers and distributors would be affected by a possible collapse of small and medium-sized farms..." -

https://www.primicias.ec/economia/escasez-maiz-avicolas-tungurahua-precio-cubeta-huevos-80508/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0oUQxltSB8Ruyn0lsQ4t9710vMaPhyyHQNCQMEiK0_QFDw5sTJKXqibT4_aem_bFyzi26A27VNu_2pOyq7vg

[willpaul229]

Different Strategies For Winning Big At Liquidation Auctions

Winning big at liquidation auctions requires a combination of strategic planning, market knowledge, and quick decision-making. Here are several strategies to help you maximize your success:

Research, Research, Research: Knowledge is power in the world of liquidation auctions. Research various auction platforms, understand their policies and study past auction results to identify trends. Thoroughly research the types of items you're interested in, including their market value, demand, and potential resale profitability. Utilize online resources, attend industry events, and network with other buyers and sellers to stay informed about market dynamics and emerging opportunities.

Set Clear Objectives: Define your objectives and establish clear criteria for the types of items you want to acquire. Determine your budget, desired profit margins, and risk tolerance level. Consider factors such as storage space, shipping logistics, and target markets when setting your objectives. Having a clear plan in place will help you stay focused and make strategic decisions during the auction.

Timing is Key: Pay attention to the timing of liquidation auctions and target those that align with your objectives. Look for auctions featuring high-quality inventory or specialized items that have a strong demand in the market. Consider attending auctions during off-peak times or seasons when competition may be lower. Additionally, monitor auctions closely and be ready to act quickly when desirable items become available.

Develop a Winning Bidding Strategy: Develop a well-defined bidding strategy based on your research and objectives. Determine your maximum bid for each item and stick to it, avoiding emotional impulses that may lead to overspending. Consider using bidding increments strategically to outmaneuver competitors and secure winning bids. Be prepared to adjust your strategy on the fly based on auction dynamics and the behavior of other bidders.

Utilize Technology and Tools: Leverage technology and specialized tools to gain a competitive edge in liquidation auctions. Use auction tracking software or apps to monitor multiple auctions simultaneously and receive real-time updates on bidding activity. Consider employing sniping tools or automated bidding systems to place bids quickly and efficiently, especially in fast-paced auctions with high-demand items.

Network and Build Relationships: Networking is essential in the world of liquidation auctions. Build relationships with auctioneers, wholesalers, and fellow buyers to gain insider insights and access to exclusive opportunities. Attend industry events, join online forums or social media groups, and actively engage with others in the community. Establishing trust and rapport with key players can lead to preferential treatment, access to better deals, and valuable referrals.

Diversify Your Portfolio: Avoid putting all your eggs in one basket by diversifying your inventory across different product categories or niches. This strategy helps spread risk and maximize potential returns by capitalizing on diverse market opportunities. Be open to exploring new trends and emerging markets while also maintaining a core focus on your areas of expertise and competitive advantage.

Stay Flexible and Adaptive: Remain flexible and adaptable in your approach to liquidation auctions. Be prepared to pivot your strategy based on changing market conditions, auction dynamics, and unforeseen circumstances. Stay nimble and open to exploring alternative sourcing channels or adjusting your pricing strategy to stay competitive and maximize profitability.

By implementing these strategies and continuously refining your approach, you can increase your chances of winning big at liquidation auctions and achieving your business goals. Remember to stay disciplined, stay informed, and stay focused on your objectives to unlock the full potential of this exciting sourcing opportunity.

[derbykitchen]

Master Your Kitchen: Cookware Wholesale Essentials

Cookware is the cornerstone of any kitchen, whether it's in a bustling restaurant or a cozy home. The right selection of cookware can elevate your culinary creations, making cooking more efficient, enjoyable, and rewarding. For businesses looking to stock up their commercial kitchens or individuals seeking quality cookware for their home kitchens, partnering with cookware sets wholesale suppliers is a smart choice. In this guide, we'll delve into the importance of quality cookware and highlight essential cookware items offered by wholesale suppliers to help you master your kitchen.

Importance of Quality Cookware

Quality cookware is indispensable for achieving culinary excellence. Here's why investing in high-quality cookware is essential:

1. **Even Heat Distribution**: Quality cookware distributes heat evenly, preventing hot spots and ensuring uniform cooking results. Whether you're searing steak or simmering sauces, even heat distribution is critical for achieving optimal flavor and texture in your dishes.

2. **Durability and Longevity**: Commercial-grade cookware is built to withstand the demands of professional kitchens, offering exceptional durability and longevity. Investing in durable cookware reduces the need for frequent replacements, saving you time and money in the long run.

3. **Versatility**: Versatile cookware allows you to explore a wide range of cooking techniques and recipes. From sautéing and frying to braising and roasting, quality cookware can handle various cooking methods with ease, empowering you to unleash your creativity in the kitchen.

4. **Ease of Maintenance**: Quality cookware is designed for easy cleaning and maintenance, saving you time and effort in kitchen cleanup. Non-stick surfaces, dishwasher-safe materials, and corrosion-resistant finishes make it simple to keep your cookware in pristine condition for years to come.

5. **Safety and Health**: Cookware made from high-quality materials ensures food safety and promotes healthy cooking practices. Non-toxic coatings, food-grade materials, and heat-resistant handles minimize the risk of harmful chemicals leaching into your food, allowing you to cook with confidence and peace of mind.

Essential Cookware Wholesale Items

When it comes to stocking your kitchen with essential cookware, wholesale suppliers offer a wide selection of top-quality items to meet your needs. Here are some essential cookware items available from wholesale suppliers:

1. **Stainless Steel Pots and Pans**: Stainless steel cookware is a versatile and durable option for any kitchen. With excellent heat retention and resistance to corrosion, stainless steel pots and pans are ideal for sautéing, boiling, and simmering a variety of ingredients.

2. **Cast Iron Skillets**: Cast iron skillets are beloved for their exceptional heat retention and natural non-stick properties. Whether you're searing steaks, baking cornbread, or frying eggs, a cast iron skillet delivers unparalleled performance and flavor.

3. **Non-Stick Cookware**: Non-stick cookware is a kitchen essential for easy cooking and cleanup. From frying pans to baking sheets, non-stick coatings prevent food from sticking, allowing for effortless cooking and hassle-free cleanup.

4. **Aluminum Stockpots**: Aluminum stockpots are lightweight yet durable, making them perfect for boiling large batches of soups, stocks, and sauces. With excellent heat conduction properties, aluminum stockpots ensure efficient cooking and consistent results.

5. **Cooking Utensils and Accessories**: In addition to pots and pans, wholesale suppliers offer a wide range of cooking utensils and accessories to complete your kitchen setup. From spatulas and tongs to mixing bowls and measuring cups, having the right tools on hand is essential for culinary success.

Conclusion

Quality cookware is essential for mastering your kitchen and achieving culinary excellence. By partnering with cookware wholesale suppliers, you can access a wide selection of top-quality items designed to enhance your cooking experience. From stainless steel pots and cast iron skillets to non-stick cookware and cooking utensils, wholesale suppliers offer everything you need to equip your kitchen for success. Invest in quality cookware essentials today and take your cooking to new heights.