The cover story on our autumn issue is about Frogpond Farm as an organic winery, with a photo of the husband and wife team in their vineyard. I didn’t expect this to be an offensive subject. Yet it has wildly enraged one of our readers, who left an anonymous voicemail on Mike’s telephone, objecting to the article. If anyone was offended, it was us, because the message was rude in the extreme, full of swearing. It is so unusual that I transcribed it and am posting it here:

     “Davis, Mike Davis…You print this magazine on here with this organic s*** in front of it. You want to go take a look at that farm right now. You have pictures organic and people all together. It’s a bunch of bulls***. And go take a look at the farmer that has a farm beside this s***. Go take a look at the spray on it right now. It’s all a bunch of bulls*** and you put it on the front page of your magazine? Well guess what my daughter won’t advertise in your magazine. It ain’t happening. You can take your magazine and shove it up you’re a**.”

     Can you believe this? One thing this person is not, is a good communicator! If he has a legitimate complaint of some kind, it is not clearly expressed in any way that we can publish in the magazine. He comes across as a complete madman. We don’t know who his daughter is, or why she might or might not advertise with us. This is a complete mystery. The level of rudeness is so high that I’m keeping track in case it worsens to the point of needing to call the police. I won’t let anyone on my team be abused.

     Any idea why someone would be enraged by an article on an organic winery? And any idea of how I should handle this situation?

Tags: local food | 11 Comments »