That's where the real money is. Not many people made a killing mining in the gold rushes. Quite a few made out real well selling boots, picks, booze and less savory necessities, to the greater mass of fools, though.
> Modern estimates by the U.S. Geological Survey are that some 12 million ounces (370 t) of gold were removed in the first five years of the Gold Rush (worth over US$16 billion at December 2010 prices). [0]
Gee, they must have sold a bootload of boots then!
> Recent scholarship confirms that merchants made far more money than miners during the Gold Rush. The wealthiest man in California during the early years of the rush was Samuel Brannan, a tireless self-promoter, shopkeeper and newspaper publisher. Brannan opened the first supply stores in Sacramento, Coloma, and other spots in the goldfields. Just as the rush began he purchased all the prospecting supplies available in San Francisco and re-sold them at a substantial profit.
> Some gold-seekers made a significant amount of money. On average, half the gold-seekers made a modest profit, after taking all expenses into account; economic historians have suggested that white miners were more successful than black, Indian, or Chinese miners. Most late arrivals made little or wound up losing money.
At Infinite Food we sell food to regular people. Not one demographic of people mind you, people in general. We sometimes compete on convenience/availability, sometimes on choice, sometimes on sanitation, sometimes on novelty, sometimes on personalization, sometimes on familiarity. But the key thing we provide is hot, personalized meals: http://8-food.com/
I thought to myself "what is more addictive a product than big tobacco?". We all need food, and society is slowly changing with megatrends that make feeding yourself at home more of a hassle for quite a few of us (aging populations, people living solo or just with one partner, weird hours/urban living, commute fatigue, international travel, etc.). So ... why not try to automate a reasonable solution with fresh ingredients and mass-appeal? So far we haven't had problems getting people on board with the idea or menus, though some of our chef friends remain skeptical!
