African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 90: Chapter 86 Coffee

Foot of Mount Kenya.

The coffee plantation selected by Ernst is under construction.

Coffee, as one of the most common beverages in Europe, America, and the Middle East, has a very considerable market.

In a previous life, Kenya was already a producer of good quality coffee, but coffee cultivation in Kenya did not begin until the late 19th century when British colonists introduced excellent coffee varieties from abroad.

Now Ernst has opened a coffee plantation here ahead of time.

It’s quite amusing when you think about it, as just north of Kenya is Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, yet coffee only took root in Kenya in modern times.

Previously, though there had been a small amount of coffee trees introduced by Arabs from Yemen, large-scale cultivation did not occur.

Ernst directly borrowed from the experience of Kenya in a previous life, importing coffee varieties from Brazil.

The eastern highland area, mainly at the foot of Mount Kenya, with an elevation between 1,400 and 2,000 meters.

The initial planned scale of the coffee plantation has reached over 28,000 acres.

If it were about competing with countries like Britain and France for business, Ernst might not have the courage, but to reign supreme in the German region, Ernst is quite ambitious.

In nations colonized by Britain and France, most have their own coffee plantations, such as the French plantations in places like Vietnam, and Haiti once bore the responsibility of producing coffee for France.

In contrast, the German states have no colonies overseas, and their homeland is also not suitable for producing coffee, which provides convenience for Ernst.

Kenyan coffee is affected by natural conditions, resulting in excellent quality, the so-called good goods don’t worry about selling, and the land costs in East Africa are extremely low, which may not compare with the colonies of Britain and France in terms of labor costs.

But Ernst is not afraid, he can accept sacrificing some profit, planting coffee in Kenya; making money is one aspect, and solving employment problems for immigrants is another.

In a previous life, Kenya’s coffee industry supported millions of jobs, Ernst’s requirement isn’t high, as long as this crop can provide jobs for tens of thousands of people, the East African colony can still achieve it.

From planting to fruit-bearing, coffee takes at least three years, so the effects cannot be seen in the short term, but currently, the East African colony can already sustain the planting of these long-cycle crops.

By then, leveraging Heixinggen company’s mature commercial network in the German region, a portion of the German coffee market can rapidly be captured, coincidentally catching the convenience of the opening of the Suez Canal, reducing transportation costs.

And the products from East Africa to Austria-Hungary can be reached just by following the West Coast of the Indian Ocean, through the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.

Unload at Trieste, and through the railway network of Austria-Hungary and the railway connecting the German region, distribute the goods across the German and Austria-Hungary regions.

If possible, Ernst can also utilize East Africa’s geographical advantage to open a Far East coffee trade route.

Nowadays, as the Far East is influenced by Western countries, more and more people are starting to drink coffee, which is becoming a new market to explore.

Especially as the time until the Japanese Meiji Restoration is not far, and by then the Meiji Government will undoubtedly strongly learn from the West.

According to the Japanese character, they are sure to play the set of breaking away from Asia and entering Europe, and not drinking coffee, how would they integrate into the ”civilized world” and become European countries.

By that time, Japan’s demand for coffee will surely skyrocket in a short time, Ernst plans to produce instant coffee from a previous life and export it to Japan.

After all, the Europeans’ taste is more finicky, they might not easily accept the taste of instant coffee, while many Japanese trying coffee for the first time would surely find it hard to accept the bitterness of coffee.

By mixing in a bit more sugar and essence in instant coffee, and bluffing the Japanese, it would be the latest ”industrial” coffee in Europe, and its price could be raised.

After all, traditional hand-ground coffee is still very organic, and in the eyes of traditional coffee enthusiasts, instant coffee is like a heretic.

At this time there wasn’t even a food safety concept, so adding a bit more ”technology” could let the Japanese witness wonders, particularly for Japan, aspiring to Western industrial civilization.

The black smoke emanating from London’s factories is sweet and pleasant, so adding a bit more technological content to my coffee isn’t a big deal, might as well treat it as a dessert.

By then, coffee from Kenya can be divided into two parts, one part of high quality to supply Europe, while the other part of lower quality could be absorbed by the Japanese market.

Thus, Kenyan coffee would surely make a name for itself in Europe, after all, its quality wasn’t bad to begin with, and after a further selection, all that came to Europe were good items.

And when the Japanese realize it, Heixinggen company could legitimately say, they are all products from Kenya, European customers all praise them, how could it be that what was supplied to you is problematic?

Our company specially catered to your country’s taste, even made appropriate modifications to the coffee, how could it be called fraud, as to why Europeans don’t drink instant coffee, that’s because you did not investigate thoroughly at the beginning.

Instant coffee is certainly not a disaster, compared to traditional coffee, it just has a slight taste difference and a little more additives.

As for its carcinogenic risks, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, increased risk of obesity and diabetes compared to traditional ground coffee, no one knows enough to prove these things at this time.

In Meiji Restoration era Japan, clearly those who can afford coffee wouldn’t be ordinary people, at least they must have a certain status and position.

Those ordinary people won’t come into contact with it, so there are no risks, and as long as you don’t drink it like water, what’s there to fear from instant coffee?

Anyway, Ernst is planning to make money off this venture, at that time adverts must be intensified in Japan, boasting their own products, in the age of immature regulation, even if claiming coffee to be a miracle cure wouldn’t be outrageous, after all, in this era, the British still used opium as a panacea! So compared to Jewish merchants, Ernst feels he is still too ”sincere.”

To set up the Japanese market in advance, Ernst is planning a proactive strategy after all, for a Japan that voluntarily opens its doors, it’s a sizable market.

Japan, learning from the West, will then certainly import large amounts of Western products, dispatch many to study and investigate in the West.

Speaking of studying abroad, Ernst thinks perhaps he could open a bogus university in Europe, to scam some Japanese funds.

At that time, just co-brand a bogus school in Britain or France, specifically setting low tuition to scam Japanese students, after all, the costs of studying abroad in this era aren’t low.

Ernst could even proactively recruit students in Japan, once they’ve paid the ticket and tuition fees, where they’ll end up could be unpredictable...

This isn’t because Ernst is dark-minded, after all, being influenced from a previous life, Ernst holds some hostility and bias toward some countries.

This isn’t something that can be completely erased after being reborn, naturally having been influenced by the values of a previous life.

Besides, being able to earn some money from them, pulling one over on them, and also gaining inexplicable goodwill from Japan, isn’t bad.

After all, isn’t it a ”friendly nation” just across the water! Alaska and Japan are both in the North Pacific bath mixing, it’s always good to help out a neighbor a little.