Chapter 58: In Favor of Olive Oil
They went inside the merchant’s office and beckoned them to take a seat.
The room was surprisingly comfortable.
A large wooden desk occupied the center.
Several bookshelves lined the walls.
Maps of trade routes hung from wooden frames.
One map showed the western coast of Eldoria while another displayed major shipping lanes crossing the Inner Sea.
The merchant closed the door behind them before taking his seat.
Actually, the moment the door closed, his demeanor changed.
Outside, he had been a market trader.
Inside, he looked like a businessman.
A serious one.
The merchant folded his hands together.
"First, I want to introduce myself."
"My name is Alejandro de Vargas."
"I am the Helmarte representative of House Vargas Trading Company."
He smiled slightly.
"My family operates olive estates, warehouses, and shipping businesses throughout Iberia."
Then he looked toward the two men sitting across from him.
"And now I finally have the opportunity to meet the owners of the Helmarte Soap Works."
Ernest nodded.
"Pleasure to meet you."
"My name is Ernest Teucher."
"I serve as the Chief Operating Officer of Helmarte Soap Works."
Beside him, Hollen shrugged.
"And I’m Hollen. I’m his partner."
"Just call me Hollen."
Alejandro nodded respectfully.
"Master Teucher. Master Hollen."
Then he paused.
Actually, he paused for a very long time.
His eyes drifted back toward Ernest.
Then toward Hollen.
Then back toward Ernest.
His expression gradually shifted from polite professionalism to confusion.
Finally, he couldn’t help himself.
"Wait."
He pointed toward Ernest.
"You’re Ernest Teucher?"
"Yes."
"The Ernest Teucher?"
"Probably."
Alejandro blinked several times.
Actually, he looked genuinely stunned.
"You can’t be serious."
Hollen immediately started grinning.
Apparently, he had been waiting for this moment.
Alejandro leaned forward.
"How old are you?"
"Twelve."
The merchant stared.
Then stared some more.
For a moment, Ernest thought the man had stopped functioning.
"Twelve?"
Alejandro repeated.
"Twelve."
Ernest nodded.
The merchant looked toward Hollen.
Hollen simply shrugged.
"That’s what I said when I met him."
Alejandro leaned back in his chair.
The Helmarte Soap Works had become one of the fastest-growing businesses in the kingdom.
The company secured millions of riels in investment.
Its products were being exported internationally.
Its soap was becoming known across Eldoria.
And the person responsible for much of it was sitting across from him looking like a boy.
"Gods above."
Alejandro rubbed his forehead.
"When people talked about Ernest Teucher, I assumed you were young."
"But I thought they meant twenty."
"Maybe twenty-five."
"Not twelve."
Hollen burst into laughter.
The forge owner nearly fell out of his chair.
"You’re not the first person to react like that."
"I imagine I won’t be the last either," Alejandro muttered. "So okay, let’s get back to business."
"I want to know how much olive oil you sell per kilogram?" Ernest asked as this is a vital piece of information. Ernest purchased their animal fats from the slaughterhouse at 26 riels per kilogram. And one kilogram of tallow is equivalent to ten soaps. He wondered how much olive oil is.
Alejandro nodded. A business question. Now they were getting somewhere.
The merchant reached for his ledger and flipped through several pages filled with figures and shipment records.
"Currently?"
He tapped one line with his finger.
"Sixty riels per kilogram."
The room became quiet.
Actually, that wasn’t as bad as Ernest expected.
Expensive compared to tallow.
But not prohibitively expensive.
Hollen immediately noticed his expression.
"You were expecting worse."
"I was."
Ernest nodded honestly.
"I thought it would be closer to one hundred."
Alejandro chuckled.
"Retail prices can reach those numbers. But you’re not purchasing bottles." He pointed toward the window. "You’re discussing industrial quantities."
"Yes, I want a stable supply for it. Well, might as well replace animal fat in favor of olive oil," Ernest said. "Can you be our main supplier? Can you get us about..."
He paused.
Then quickly performed the numbers in his head.
Current Helmarte Soap Works consumed roughly forty tons of tallow every month.
The three future factories would consume even more.
Northport.
Ravenford.
Eastgate.
Combined, the network would likely require somewhere between one hundred fifty and one hundred eighty tons of oils monthly once fully operational.
Ernest looked directly at Alejandro.
"Can you supply two hundred tons per month?"
The room became silent.
Alejandro froze.
Hollen folded his arms.
Actually, even he wanted to hear the answer.
Two hundred tons wasn’t a merchant order.
It wasn’t even a large merchant order.
It was an industrial contract.
Alejandro slowly lowered his ledger.
"Two hundred tons?"
"Yes."
"Every month?"
"Yes."
The merchant stared at Ernest for several seconds.
Then suddenly laughed.
Not because the request was impossible.
Because it was far larger than he expected.
"I thought you were going to ask for ten tons."
"That tends to happen when you’re building four factories."
Alejandro leaned back.
Actually, his mind was already racing.
Two hundred tons monthly.
That was two thousand four hundred tons annually.
A contract worth millions of riels every year.
House Vargas would become one of the largest oil suppliers in Belfast overnight.
Finally, he spoke.
"Yes."
That got both Ernest’s and Hollen’s attention.
"Yes?" Hollen repeated.
"Yes."
Alejandro nodded confidently.
"We can supply that volume. Not immediately, but within several months."
"Can we get that in writing?" Ernest asked.
Alejandro immediately opened a fresh ledger and pulled several sheets of parchment from a drawer.
"Of course, for the protection of both parties, a contract is necessary for this."
"Okay, that would be great," Ernest said. "It’s going to take time to draft preliminary terms, am I right? We will send you the address of our factory and that’s where we will sign the contract."
"It will be an honor for me to see the factory that churned out those magnificent soaps," Alejandro said.
Both parties stood and then shook hands.
"It’s a pleasure meeting with you, sir Alejandro," Ernest said.
"Likewise, Master Ernest," then looked at Hollen. "Master Hollen. I will be in touch."
With that, Ernest and Hollen left his office.
