Readers write
Editor:
In reading a recent article titled "Lovells poaches Cameron McKenna staff" (WBJ, Nov. 6-12), I noted that certain statements concerning the departure of a lawyer from Cameron McKenna had been wrongly attributed to me.
I want to make clear that I did not have an opinion about the matter at the time I was contacted by your reporter, and I currently have no opinion. In fact, I had not heard of the departure until your reporter called me.
I hope you will print this letter inasmuch as I certainly do not hold the opinion that was incorrectly attributed to me in the article. Rather, I believe that Cameron McKenna is one of the strongest and most successful law firms in Warsaw.
Lejb Fogelman
Hunton & Williams (Poland)
Editor:
There is something seriously amiss when a newspaper called the Warsaw Business Journal (whose audience is, presumably businessmen and women) refers in a leading article to "rapacious Western companies out to make a dollar" (Nov. 6-12). I suggest the Warsaw Business Journal is having an identity crisis. Look at your circulation and advertising figures rather than the Little
Red Book.
Richard Cottrell
Warsaw
Editor:
I was pleasantly surprised to see your cover story "Seeds of Change" in your Nov. 6-12 edition, but I was disappointed that there was no mention of the organic industry's leading player in Poland, Symbio Impex Polska, about which the WBJ wrote a cover story in April 1998. The company, also formed in April 1998 by venture capital firm CARESBAC-Polska and two entrepreneurs (one Polish and one American/Swiss), has grown rapidly since its formation. In fact, over 50% of the 555 organic farms mentioned in your article are under contract with Symbio.
The company recruits farmers, obtains Polish and European Union certification, trains its farmers in organic farming methods, provides agronomy assistance for its farmers, oversees all processing, and markets the organic products. This year, Symbio has exported almost $600,000 worth of organic strawberries, blueberries, blackcurrants, and assorted vegetables to companies in Germany, Holland, Switzerland, and the U.K.
The company will continue to develop its export business, but it is now also beginning to focus on the Polish market. Symbio has begun talking with hypermarket chains, and will soon be marketing an assortment of products in these chains. Organic production will grow in Poland for the reasons you stated, and Symbio will ensure that high-quality organic products will be available in a variety of retail locations for Polish consumers to purchase.
Steve Sperelakis
Deputy Director General
CARESBAC-Poska
