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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 2, 1982)
local/state Battalion/Page 6 April 2,1982 Farmer grows alfalfa; sprouts big business Warped By Scott McCti United Press International SAN ANTONIO — Chicken feed sprouted the seeds of a new business venture in Bob Phipps’ mind, but the tiny population of his home state forced him to leave North Dakota and head to Texas to watch his idea grow. Today, seven months after Phipps left Bismarck, N.D., his Energy Sprouts Inc. is selling more than six tons of alfalfa and bean sprouts each week. And the entrepreneur says South Texans are gobbling up more and more sprouts every day. “We started out growing wheat sprouts for chickens in North Dakota,” Phipps said. “A guy told us to try alfalfa, so we did and it turned out really good. Then the supermarkets started wanting our stuff. “Business went fine, but there just weren’t enough peo ple up there to eat our product. There’s only 650,000 people in the whole state. We couldn’t make a go of it there so we sold our business.” Phipps turned his eye toward San Antonio, where his sister lived, and found that South Texas supermarkets were pur chasing alfalfa and bean sprouts from as far away as California. “The produce buyers here like a fresh product, so we saw the opportunity to supply it,” he said. “Our initial start-up costs were about $75,000 and it costs about a quarter of a million dol lars to keep it going at the volume we’re having now, sell ing about 12,000 pounds a week. We hope to sell about $400,000 this first year.” He claimed local grocery chain stores reported an in crease of 30 to 40 percent in the sale of sprouts when they started buying from his company, appa rently because consumers liked the fresher product. Energy Sprouts Inc.’s biggest comped- Something Else Hair Salon March 24-April 10 Student Special Men’s & Women’s Haircuts $8 reg. $10 Easter Special Perm reg. $ 40- $ 45 now $ 35 Long Hair $5 extra Men’s Perms reg. $35 now $30 M-F S-7 With coupon Sat. 8-12:00 No appointment necessary 693-9877 404 E. University tor is now a supplier in Houston. Phipps grows the alfalfa sprouts, which are thin and light and used primarily in salads and sandwiches, and bean sprouts, which are thicker, chewier and used in eggrolls and Chinese dis hes, in a 3,000-square-foot ware house in San Antonio. There, pounds of seeds are placed in mechanical drums where they sprout after being automatically watered and ro tated for three and a half days. The sprouts, which for years have been used in health food store concoctions, but are rapid ly gaining wider use, are washed, dried, packaged, weighed and cooled, then ship ped to local supermarkets which in turn ship them to branch stores as far away as Lubbock and Dallas, as well as Arkansas and Louisiana. “They’ve definitely caught on here,” Phipps said. “Produce ex perts are saying the sprout busi ness is in the same position the mushroom business was five years ago before it really caught on.” In addition to the more tradi tional alfalfa, bean and soybean sprouts, the company also mar kets a Chinese vegetable mix and “zesty” sprouts, a spicy com bination of alfalfa and radish sprouts. WELCOME TO AGGIE CINEttA, WE HOPE YOU ENTOX T0NI6HT'S tAOVIE... NEXT WEEKEND |TICKETS CAN BE WE WILL BE SHOWINGJPURCHASED AT THE 3 EVENING AND 2. IB0X0FFICE . ENJOY MIDNIGHT MOVIES. I THE /MOVIE (wHisfEit, WHisfttj wmifflj 'THAT MUSTMj BEEN FBWI, PEOPLE MWIH JUST LAU6K A&M women ranked ninth Aggies hosting rodeo by Amy Polk Battalion Reporter It’s rodeo time again in Aggie- land — this weekend, the Texas Aggie Rodeo Association is sponsoring the 1982 TAMU In tercollegiate Rodeo. Jane Armstrong, faculty adviser for the association, said contestants from the southern region of the National Intercol legiate Rodeo Association — which includes colleges and uni versities from Texas and Louisiana — will compete in COUPON 25c off any entree coupon. two potato. ° ood "" Apr " 30 Each Bite an EDUCATION in NUTRITION 102 Church St. College Station *46-0720 All our potaotes are Ph. D’s PURE, HEALTHY, and Nutritiously DELICIOUS each of our ingredients is REAL and prepared FRESH each day "O O COUPON bareback, saddle bronc, bull riding, tie-down calf-roping, team-roping, goat-tying and barrel-racing. The events started Thursday night and will run through Saturday, beginning at 7:30 each night at the Texas A&M Equestrian Arena on FM 2818. The top two individuals in each event and the top two men’s and women’s teams from each region will qualify to com pete in the NIRA national finals in Bozeman, Mont., in June, Armstrong said. Texas A&M students have done well this season, Arm strong said. According to the March issue of College Rodeo, the Texas A&M women’s team is ranked first in the southern re gion and ninth in the nation. Dan Mundorf, a senior agri cultural education major from Three Rivers, is ranked fourth in steer-wrestling. Corley Copps, a freshman business major from Dilley, has several high rankings, including third place in the national stand ings for barrel-racing and re gional leader in barrel-racing and the Women’s All Round. Copps started riding at the age of 3 and was 5 years old when she entered her first rodeo. She began riding with the Texas Youth Rodeo Association and started riding in open rodeos, where money is awarded, at the age of 9 or 10. Her favorite event is roping. “I practice every day about two to three hours a day,” Copps said. Rodeo association members are busy, and Copps is no excep tion. “This semester we have a rodeo every weekend til the semester is out, starting last weekend,” Copps said. “I’ll go to all of those and then during the summer, I’ll make two or three rodeos a weekend — if I can.” Both of Copps’ brothers have ridden in rodeos. Her older brother, Mitch, is a professional roper. “I used to get real nervous be fore I rode, but after doing it so much it’s not as bad — but there is still a f eeling there “You get excited, and ready to go out there and,; to show everybody else Copps said she enjoys lege circuit because she see many of the people used to ride with a few yen “You really look for* seeing all your f riendsaja going out and having a time after the rodeo,"( said. “Sometimes that n you up if you think aboti more than you do riding, Copps said she likes thing about rodeoing. “I love horses: 1 like to people,” Copps said.’ lesyt ly like to watch the men hi roping and team-ropinj takes a lot of skill tobeablt: that. I think it is beautifiil' Greek Derby Da) to benefit childrei p lan COUPON by Charlotte Boyd Battalion Reporter The Sigma Chi Fraternity ex pects to raise over $3,000 for the John Wayne Wallace Village for Children in their sixth annual Derby Day competition Saturday. The derby is made up of 11 The Best Pizza In Town! Honest. INTRODUCES OUR BUY ONE, GET ONE JUST LIKE IT AT 1 /2 PRICE PIZZA SPECIAL! AT THE PIZZA MAT ONLY Please Present Coupon 846-3412 COUPON MIDDLE EAST: OTHER PERSPECTIVES A Lecture by: DR. KAUKAB SIDDIQUE The Program will proceed with Student Panelist from: • PALESTINE • SAUDI ARABIA • LEBANON Saturday, Apr. 3 7 p.m. Zachary, Room #102 FREE ADMISSION Sponsored by: SOCIETY OF IRANIAN STUDENTS (MSA-PSC) AND INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ASSOC. TAMU events ranging from the relay, dressing and undn out of a suitcase, to the buffalo relay, running' teaspoon of water without! ing it. No admission u charged. The competition begin a.m. next to Texas Speedway. Winners will be anno Saturday night at the Deri Dance, which isopentoat at the National Guard Ait Rabbit, a band from Atisu f rovide music and admit 3.50 at the door. John Wayne was a Sign member and the Brooi Colo., children’s villagt school with the goalofaccd ing the progrees of with learning disabilitiesot tional disturbances so the return to public schools. “All Sigma Chi clu throughout the U.S. and da will sponsor a Derby D. their campus for this hoiti mentally retarded,” Cal It Sigma Chi member, said. St y r j.iheTrench heutenarm [ ^Wormn Friday & Satq rt j ay> April 2 & 3 g pm Rudder Theat re R L A U R E N B A C A L L J A M E S G A R D N E R M S C ApGIE CINEMA^ Presents - Friday & Saturday, April 2 & 3 Midnight Rudder Theatre R M A U R E E N S T A P L E T O N * M I C H A E L B I E H N IN A BILL/PHILUPS PRODUCTION OF A GEORGE ROY HILL FILM TITJB STING Sunday, April 4 7:30 pm Rudder Theatre PG All ticket* $1.50 with TAMU ID. Ticket* available at t; MSC Box Office Mon.-Fri. 9-4:30 and 45 minutes beM showtime.