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Skype Me Some Berries Please

Chuck Zimmerman

Skype User Jerald DownsYou know I’m a growing fan of Skype which allows you to make phone calls on your computer. The company has some stories that customers have shared about their use of Skype. A motivated Skype user and AgWired fan pointed me to one called, “From little things, big things grow.” It’s about Jerald Downs who runs his own produce export company, Premier Pac, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Here’s what Skype does for him in his words.

In the past all my business was done by email. Now I use Skype a lot to keep in touch with my growers – it increases the lucidity and trust between us and it’s clearer than any landline. I also travel to South America 3 times a year to check the crops to establish what I need and want to export that year. When I visit my growers in Chile, Skype is perfect as there are many hot spots there, and landlines can be difficult to find. It’s cheap and easy for me to call my distributors back in the USA.

I think it’s fascinating that there are more hot spots (hi speed internet access) than available landlines (dialup) in a country like Chile. I didn’t know that. The story also includes a nice little video with Jerald. It’s worth a minute to watch.

Farming