*Find cheap, high-quality ingredients, preferably locally-grown.
*$/lb must include shipping (I'm willing to drive up to 100 miles outside of Spring Arbor, MI [49283] for local pick-up). Must also include any additional fees/taxes.
Reward:
*Base reward - 1BTC to finder of best ingredient -- factors: produced by member of forum (high weight), cheapest cost (high weight), knowledge of which farm(s) ingredients originate from (high weight), quality (high weight), lowest commitment to buy (medium weight), locally-grown (medium weight), no interfacing with human beings required to purchase (low weight), organic (low weight)
*Additional reward - .5BTC if winner's product costs less than target cost per pound
*Recurring reward - 1BTC to winner each time ingredient is purchased in the future if offer still valid and no "better" ingredient found
*Runner-up reward - .2BTC to person who finds the second-best ingredient by end of contest
*Additional rewards will be... rewarded if you've done something extraordinary well beyond my expectations.
Total rewards expected to be paid: 9.6 to 13.6 coins + 4-20 coins per 3 months.
Additional rules:
*Rewards will not be paid until I successfully make a transaction with the organization with the specs the winner posted! (as in, if you say they'll give me almonds @ $2.50/lb shipped, but it turns out to be $3.15/lb shipped, you will not be paid unless it's still the contest-winner)
*The "best" ingredient is chosen at my discretion. I'll take the factors I gave into consideration and really don't care if you disagree with my decision.
*Contest ends when I wake up on April 4th, 2012. Winners & runners-up will be selected within a day of the contest ending.
*If no products are posted which are below "Maximum Price," no reward will be distributed for that ingredient (with some possible exceptions...)
Follow the following format when posting an entry!
Ingredient:
$/lb (with shipping & all additional fees/taxes):
Minimum Lbs. Purchased for Price:
Grown within 100 miles of 49283 (Yes/No):
Producing/Distributing Organization:
Link to quoted price & product (please use hyperlinks [like this], don't post a bunch of long URLs), and/or organization (if available):
Tips:
*Email & call. You may want to try nearby farms, first, or contact organizations which keep lists of relevant farms on hand.
Ingredients to Find
Almonds, whole, without shell (or whole + broken)
Target Price: $3/lb shipped
Maximum Price: $4.25/lb shipped
Maximum Quantity Purchased: 150 lbs.
Should be locally grown? No
*Found @ $4.19/lb shipped*
Pumpkin Seeds, without shell
Target Price: $3/lb shipped
Maximum Price: $4.25/lb shipped
Maximum Quantity Purchased: 25 lbs.
Should be locally grown? Yes
*Found @ $3.36/lb, packaged in Chicago, waiting to see where they originate*
Sunflower Seeds, without shell
Target Price: $1.80/lb shipped
Maximum Price: $2.10/lb shipped
Maximum Quantity Purchased: 40 lbs.
Should be locally grown? Yes
*NO ENTRIES YET*
Honey
Target Price: $3.70/lb shipped
Maximum Price: $4.40/lb shipped
Maximum Quantity Purchased: 50 lbs. (should be broken up into <10lb easy-to-pour containers)
Should be locally grown? Yes
*Found locally @ $2.25/lb including pick-up.*
--Packaging-- ("Made in USA" is a small plus)
"6lb capacity" Crush-Proof Boxes
Target Price: $.85/box shipped
Maximum Price: $1.25/box shipped
Maximum Quantity Purchased: 500 boxes
Specs: Must be able to contain 6lbs worth of granola. The box must weigh less than 1lb. The box must not require any tools (less hands) to construct. (ETA: Yes, that means NO TAPE!) No dimension is to measure greater than 12 inches. For reference, http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-15094/Indestructo-Mailers/9-x-6-x-6-Indestructo-Mailers holds 3 lbs. of granola with little spare room. Boxes do not absolutely have to be crush-proof -- submit something more appropriate if you believe it to be.
*NO ENTRIES YET -- however, there's a good-looking candidate for bags @ https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/m.823629 -- keep it in mind when submitting entries.
*
"10lb capacity" Crush-Proof Boxes
Target Price: $1.20/box shipped
Maximum Price: $1.50/box shipped
Maximum Quantity Purchased: 500 boxes
Specs: See 6lb box, but modify for 10lbs
-- ideally, no dimension should measure more than 12 inches, but I will consider larger dimensions if absolutely necessary.*NO ENTRIES YET (see above for link to bags which'll likely be used)*
3 lb. Bags
Target Price: $.15/bag shipped
Maximum Price: $.40/bag shipped
Maximum Quantity Purchased: 2000 bags
Specs: This gets a little tricky... Must be able to contain 3lbs of granola (by volume, not weight!). Must be able to fit two of these bags into the 6lb winner's box. Must be reclosable. Should seal tightly -- quality is more important than price here. "Side-loading" bags would be great if the bags are "tall." Bags with features such as a gusseted bottom will be considered with more weight than a simple reclosable bag. The bags should be easy to load, easy to close, FDA-approved, keep the product fresh. and very consumer-friendly. For reference, http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-1296/Poly-Bags-Reclosable/6-x-9-2-Mil-Reclosable-Bags barely fits 1lb of granola, and is not quite as durable as I'd like.
*Found good-looking bags @ $.37882 each*
Target Price: $.20/bag shipped
Maximum Price: $.50/bag shipped
Maximum Quantity Purchased: 2000 bags
Specs: See 3 lb bag specs, modify instructions for 5lb bags. Two need to fit in the winning 10lb box.
*Likely invalid due to finding 3lb bags which should hold a bit more than 3lb*