Official Sunflower Seeds of MLB

This is a copy of a letter sent to the David Sunflower Seed Company.

David Sunflower Seed Company,

Just the other day I was in a gas station convenience store, looking for a snack.  I passed the sunflower seeds in the Frito Lay cabinet and saw a proudly displayed label claiming that they were the official sunflower seed of the MLB.  I couldn’t believe it.  I quickly ran to the David sunflower seeds and looked for a similar label, but it was nowhere to be found.

It strikes a dissonant chord with my childhood memories, to know that those big buckets of David sunflower seeds are no longer in the dugouts.  Nor will they be sold at the ballpark.  I have tickets to an Orioles-Yankees game in a few weeks, and I’m going to have to figure out a way to sneak my own stash of David into the park.

Frito Lay has already fallen off my ‘good list’ over an issue with their peanut butter cheese crackers.  Right now, I don’t have much faith in their ability to hold to a tried-and-true recipe.  Being the official Sunflower Seed of the MLB is a serious commitment, and not one that I believe Frito Lay can fulfill for an extended amount of time.

That’s why I have decided to offer my assistance to help the David Company retain its rightful place.  Some people look at sunflower seeds and wonder, “Can there possibly be any new boundaries left to find in the world of sunflower seeds?”  To this I would respond with a hearty, “YES!”

My first idea is more of a long term venture.  Admittedly, it might not be feasible at this stage due to a lack of advancement in agricultural engineering, but let’s just look at that as an opportunity.  What I’m talking about here is the Sunflower Tree.  I know it almost sounds a little gimmicky at first, but if you were able to switch from harvesting seeds off of plants to harvesting off trees, people would be running over each other at the gas station to get your seeds.  It’s also a ‘Green’ solution, in that trees process more carbon dioxide than seasonal plants.  I believe this is where the future of sunflower seeds is headed.

My second idea is much plainer in nature.  David already has a wide variety of flavors when it comes to sunflower seeds, but a bit of research shows that you do not have Bacon flavor seeds, yet.  I don’t know how the industry has overlooked this particular flavor.  The bacon movement has been growing steadily since 2002, and I expect it to surge as we move on into the 21^st century.  I must warn you though that Frito Lay has a jump in this arena since they have been experimenting with Bacon and Cheddar flavored crackers.  I just hope this suggestion doesn’t come too late.

Thirdly, I believe I’ve come up with an original idea for an, as of yet, un-cracked market (please pardon the pun).  There’s quite a large market for pre-shelled sunflower seeds, but no one has even thought to test the market on Seedless Sunflower Shells.  One of the greatest advancements in Grape technology was the introduction of the seedless grape.  I don’t see why the seedless sunflower kernel couldn’t receive the same adulation at market.  It makes so much sense, when you stop to think about what people are really after when they pop open a bag of seeds.  Isn’t it just the salty taste and the crunch? Plus, this gives you an opportunity to make a profit off those seemingly useless shells that are generated when making a “Seed only” product.

Finally, my last idea is simply a marketing ploy, but even those can be useful.  Those connected in the gaming world are well aware of the impending release of Plants vs. Zombies 2.  Pop Cap has recently issued a statement that the second installment of their wildly popular game will be released sometime in the next decade.  The reason I bring this up is because the Sunflower is a crucial tool in the gamer’s arsenal, and what better way to capture the hearts and minds of the masses than for it to be a David Sunflower, or maybe even a David Sunflower Tree, on that computer screen!

So, here’s hoping that these ideas can net your company the coveted position of official Sunflower Seed of the MLB again.  If I can be of any further assistance to you, or you need to consult me on more details, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Michael Thomas

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