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DAVID RIPPENTROP: GETTING THE JOB DONE IN BEVERAGE INDUSTRY RECRUITINGFor beverage industry employers, finding the right candidate is as important as having thebest products and service ready and waiting for their company’s clientele. And when itcomes to finding the best people for those jobs—getting beverages and spirits from themanufacturers to the bars, tables and retailers--recruiter David Rippentrop takes the guess-work out of the employee search process.

David Rippentrop, who specializes exclusively in recruiting for beverage industry com-panies, has the tools and strategies beverage companies need to find the best candidates,set timely appointments and conduct efficient interviews. Once the process is underway,Rippentrop offers superb follow-through, educating his client companies on interviewingpractices and laws and seeing new employees through a thorough training process. Withhiring and other employment practices as a major investment for beverage companies, hisgoal is to make sure those funds are best spent and only the best matched candidates meetwith the employers.

Rippentrop understands how important time and money are to the beverage industryemployer. Even when a company asks a recruiter many questions, and the right ones, ulti-mately the choice in selecting a recruiter should be simple. The answer and your solutionto your hiring needs comes in the form of a single recruiter, MRI’s, David Rippentrop. Withhis solid track record in the industry, he proves that with a little bit of specialized help, therecruiting process can be a quick and pleasurable one. His expertise will bring you impactplayers, save you time, money, and give you the ability to focus on your current responsi-bilities.For more information, please see page147 in the California Marketplace Sectionor call (503) 290-1141.

AGAVE PRICE SINKS TO A NEW LOWSimilar to what Australian vintners have faced in recent years, an agave glut in Mexico iscausing a crisis among local farmers. Seven years ago the plant responsible for makingtequila was viewed as such a lucrative enterprise due to under-planting that most farmersand even non-farmers wanted a piece of the action. Now, prices are as low as $4 peragave plant after a prior peak of $70.

The National Chamber of the Tequila Industry estimates that agave farmers planted atotal of about 300 million plants from 2000 to 2003, nearly four times what the industrytypically requires. With a harvest cycle of about seven years, the first crops are now ready.

Members of the agave farmers union claims that some tequila makers are paying lessthan 2 cents a pound, half of the official rate. As a result, farmers are going bankrupt andburning their agave fields in favor of planting another crop, such as corn. Disease is alsorunning rampant in the agave fields, a sign that farmers are paying less attention.

Tequila producers warn that a major cutback in production could lead to an agave short-age in a few years and take an eventual toll on the industry. To help prevent that from hap-pening, the Mexican tequila industry last year began requiring farmers to register their crops.The government has also approved a number of initiatives to help struggling agave farmers.

FORMER ALLIED EXEC PLEADS GUILTY TO FRAUDMichael Domecq, the former president and co-owner of Domecq Importers Inc. of

Larchmont, N.Y., and Old Greenwich,Conn., today pleaded guilty and has agreed toserve 10 years in prison for conspiring to commit tax fraud and to defraud Allied Domecq.

Michael was originally indicted in 2000 in U.S. District Court in Manhattan for partic-ipating in a scheme to divert more than $14.6 million from Domecq Importers into person-al offshore bank accounts. The conspiracy took place from at least as early as 1989 untilOctober1995, according to a press release.

Domecq was the president of Domecq Importers until 1995 and then he became thepresident of Allied Domecq Spirits & Wine, Latin America.

Three former top executives of Domecq Importers – cfo Alfredo Valdes, vp of marketingGabriel Sagaz, and vp of sales Thomas Kaminsky -- previously pleaded guilty to chargesrelated to the same conspiracy.

Sentencing for Domecq is set tentatively for August 15, 2007.

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