He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 100

< Episode 100 A Reunion with an Old Foe >

The five-day tasting event at Kingston Harbor sparked a more intense reaction than anticipated.

T&S Coffee quickly gained recognition through word-of-mouth among trade merchants, surrounding vendors, sailors, and even nobles and high-ranking British officers visiting Jamaica.

Notably, even Jamaican noblewomen, who typically preferred tea over coffee, lined up to sample T&S Coffee beans, creating a unique spectacle.

◈ Mid-October 1777, Friday.

Inside the cabin of a French merchant ship docked at Kingston Harbor.

A middle-aged man in a crisp, starched white shirt was enjoying a late breakfast.

“Brother…”

“?”

“…….”

Gilbert Dürchem, who was eating, paused and looked up at his brother.

“What is it? If you called me, say what you want. What’s wrong?”

At Gilbert’s sharp tone, his younger brother, Jacques Dürchem, spoke with a troubled expression.

“You’ve heard about it, right? There’s a merchant giving out free samples of coffee beans near Kingston Harbor.”

Gilbert Dürchem, resuming his meal, nodded.

“You mean that eccentric fellow giving away coffee beans for free in front of the harbor?”

“Yes.”

“Hmph! It’s obvious. His coffee isn’t selling, so he’s resorting to such tricks to drum up business.”

*Thud*-

Gilbert put down his knife and asked.

“But why are you bringing this up?”

Jacques Dürchem responded by questioning his brother.

“Do you know who’s giving out those coffee beans?”

“Who is it?”

“…….”

“Why are you being so cryptic today? Just tell me. Who is it? Do I know them?”

The younger brother carefully revealed.

“Yes. You know him. It’s someone you know very well.”

“Someone? Who is it? Stop stalling, you brat!”

“Well… it turns out… it’s ‘Spencer.’ David Spencer.”

Gilbert Dürchem’s face instantly stiffened.

But soon, with an indifferent expression, he wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.

“I thought it was something important. I already knew that old man was farming coffee here in Jamaica. I even tasted some of his unremarkable coffee a few years ago. I assumed he was thoroughly humiliated back then and had given up on coffee farming, but it seems he’s started again.”

“That’s true, it was like that back then. But this morning, Gabin apparently got a cup of Spencer’s coffee beans and came back.”

“Gabin tasted it?”

“Yeah.”

Gabin was the head of coffee quality control at the 뷔퐁 [Buffon] farm run by the Dürchem brothers.

“So what? Is he saying it was much better than our farm’s coffee or something?”

“Brother, I don’t think it’s just that. Gabin said it was a completely different coffee. He raved about how it was the first time in his life he had tasted such a fragrance and flavor.”

Gilbert Dürchem scoffed.

“Hmph, it’s still just Jamaican coffee. No matter how good Jamaican coffee gets, it’s still just Jamaican coffee.”

“…….”

Gilbert, noticing his silent brother’s displeased expression, asked with a puzzled look.

“But that grumpy old man gave coffee to Gabin? He’s worked with Gabin for several years, so he knows his face well, right?”

“Yeah. Spencer recognized Gabin right away. But, for some reason, he treated him without any hesitation. He even asked Gabin how he had been doing, saying he had no hard feelings towards Gabin, so it was okay. He even asked about you.”

Gilbert Dürchem’s eyebrows twitched for a moment.

Spencer had been a business partner for 30 years, but in terms of coffee cultivation, he was a respected figure, almost like a mentor.

But it was Gilbert himself who reported Spencer to the French army as a spy and drove him out.

“Yeah. Well, he can certainly act that way. I made it seem like it had nothing to do with you. But anyway, he must have been farming coffee in Jamaica, so how much difference can there be in the taste to cause such a fuss? It must have tasted better because it was free.”

Jacques Dürchem shook his head at his brother’s attempt to dismiss it.

“I don’t think that’s it. If it was just a little better, I wouldn’t be so concerned. In Gabin’s words, the fragrance and flavor were so special and intense that he still couldn’t forget them. He said he felt like he had entered a completely different world while drinking the coffee. He said it was the first time in his coffee career he had tasted such a flavor.”

Gilbert looked very uncomfortable with his brother’s repeated praise.

“What are you writing, a novel? How can there be such coffee in this world?”

Despite his brother’s dismissive tone, Jacques Dürchem spoke with concern.

“But brother, Spencer said he would sell the coffee beans on the spot through a simple auction at the harbor warehouse he rented this afternoon… so, should I go? Gabin said he saw several people from the ‘라베송 [LaBesson] Farm’ at the tasting location?”

At the mention of ‘라베송 [LaBesson] Farm,’ Gilbert suddenly raised his voice.

“What? 라베송 [LaBesson]? You’re saying those 라베송 [LaBesson] Farm guys were there?”

“That’s right. He said 라베송 [LaBesson], as well as 뤼엘 [Ruel] and 샹프르망 [Champremont] were there. All the French coffee traders in Jamaica are talking about Spencer’s coffee.”

“Damn it!”

Gilbert Dürchem, who had been trying to maintain his composure, reacted immediately when the 라베송 [LaBesson] Farm was mentioned.

“Gabin said Spencer’s coffee was really that special?”

“It’s not just special, brother. Gabin raved that there’s no coffee in the world that tastes and smells like that!”

“…….”

The ‘라베송 [LaBesson] Farm’ was a large coffee farm and trading business in 생도맹그 [Saint-Domingue, now Haiti], and a rival to the Dürchem brothers’ 뷔퐁 [Buffon] Farm.

Recently, their relationship had soured due to competition in coffee exports to France.

With large quantities of cheap coffee pouring out of other countries’ colonies and even the price of green beans exported to France falling sharply, the relatively expensive coffee farms on 생도맹그 [Saint-Domingue] Island were rapidly losing their competitiveness.

At this time, 라베송 [LaBesson] Farm began to focus on the differentiated premium coffee market.

This was because selling a hundred 통 [tonnes] of premium coffee yielded a much larger profit than exporting thousands of 통 [tonnes] of cheap coffee.

The Dürchem brothers’ ‘뷔퐁 [Buffon] Farm,’ which had been suffering from a sharp drop in imports, belatedly jumped into the premium coffee market, and as a result, they had no choice but to wage a fierce battle over the overlapping market with ‘라베송 [LaBesson] Farm.’

In such a situation, a high-end coffee bean with a truly special taste would be a golden opportunity to monopolize the market.

More than anything, by selling high-end green beans with an irreplaceable special taste in the saturated coffee market, and bundling them with general green beans with poor sales, they could quickly recover their past sales volume.

To this end, the Dürchem brothers had also tried desperately to cultivate special coffee, but the results were not very good.

However, if 라베송 [LaBesson] Farm were to receive a supply of special coffee from Jamaica, which is geographically close, and export it to France, the Dürchem brothers’ 뷔퐁 [Buffon] Farm would be driven to a desperate crisis.

‘Hmm, if Gabin praises it that much, Spencer’s coffee might really be special…’

Gilbert, who knew Gabin’s discerning palate better than anyone else, couldn’t help but be concerned.

‘If 라베송 [LaBesson] Farm really got involved, I can’t just sit back and watch. But, it’s Spencer’s coffee… what should I do in this messed up situation?’

Jacques Dürchem, noticing his brother’s inner turmoil, carefully offered his thoughts.

“Brother? Spencer said he would sell the coffee beans on the spot through a simple auction at the harbor warehouse he rented this afternoon. So… should I go?”

Gilbert’s eyes widened at his younger brother Jacques’ words.

“You’re saying… you’ll participate in Spencer’s auction?”

“Yes. With 라베송 [LaBesson] Farm actively moving, I don’t think we should just sit back and do nothing because of our bad relationship with Spencer.”

After a moment of contemplation, Gilbert asked his brother cautiously.

“Spencer really said he has no hard feelings towards you?”

Jacques Dürchem nodded his head vigorously.

“Yes! He definitely said he has no grudges against me. Besides, Spencer used to adore me a lot, right?”

“Even so, there’s no way he’ll see us in a good light.”

“What does it matter? It’s an auction anyway. If the product is really good, we can just bid high and take it, right?”

“With that stubborn and narrow-minded old man’s personality, would he really sell it to us?”

“Why wouldn’t he sell it? He might even think of it as revenge against us. He’s always had an amazing pride in his coffee, right?”

“He thinks being recognized by us is revenge?”

“Exactly! Besides, it’s been quite a while now, so his feelings must have subsided a lot, right? To be honest, we didn’t report him when he ran away to Jamaica, even though we knew about it, right? If we had reported him, he would have been stuck in jail until now, right? Spencer might not be grateful for that, but at least he knows it.”

“…….”

“Besides, Gabin said there’s a well-dressed gentleman next to Spencer, and judging from Spencer’s respectful attitude, their relationship seems to be more than just business partners. That person might be the owner of the coffee farm. Then it would be easier for us to approach, right?”

“Hmm… Spencer might not be the owner of the farm?”

“That’s right! So, brother? Don’t get involved, I’ll go. I’ll go and see what that man’s true feelings are, and who the farm owner is. If it’s really good, we can just win it at the auction, right?”

“…….”

* * *

Kingston Harbor, T&S Coffee Farm Temporary Warehouse.

As it approached 3 p.m., the promised time, the spacious warehouse was crowded with many merchants.

Not only traders dealing in coffee, but also merchants who did not typically trade in coffee were present.

They seemed to have been captivated by the taste of 태오 [Tae-oh]’s Farm’s coffee beans and participated in the auction.

As it passed 3 o’clock, 태오 [Tae-oh], checking the time, said.

“Mr. Spencer, shall we begin now?”

“Yes. Let’s do that.”

But right then, the warehouse door opened and someone entered.

*Creak*-

It was two men.

‘…?’

However, 태오 [Tae-oh] noticed that Mr. Spencer’s emotions shifted strangely as his eyes met the men who came in. It was the first time he had sensed such intense emotions in the more than half a year he had known him.

However, his outward expression remained calm.

While 태오 [Tae-oh] was pondering Mr. Spencer’s contrasting emotions, one of the men strode forward.

And he greeted politely in English with a noticeable French accent.

“Mr. Spencer? How have you been?”

“Yes, Jacques. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”

태오 [Tae-oh] focused on the chilling and sharp emotions behind the smiling faces of the two men.

‘They know each other too well. But they are filled with considerable vigilance and curiosity while sizing each other up? These emotions usually surface when there’s a very bad enemy relationship… an enemy relationship with a French person…’

While observing their interaction, 태오 [Tae-oh] suddenly recalled Mr. Spencer’s past.

‘Are they people Mr. Spencer knew when he had a coffee farm in 생도맹그 [Saint-Domingue]?’

Mr. Spencer treated the man politely, but he seemed excited, as if he had been anticipating this moment for a long time.

‘They are pretending to be calm, but both are in an atmosphere where they could draw their swords at any moment… Then, are they the French 생도맹그 [Saint-Domingue] people who betrayed Mr. Spencer? …Oh? Now that I think about it, it seems likely?’

But then, 태오 [Tae-oh] caught sight of three men glaring at the man named Jacques with very uncomfortable expressions.

‘?’

They glanced at Jacques, who was talking to Mr. Spencer, with hostile eyes and whispered among themselves.

‘What’s going on here? The arrival of a man named Jacques, who seems to have an antagonistic relationship with Mr. Spencer, and men who are openly wary of that Jacques…’

While 태오 [Tae-oh] was curiously observing their dynamic, Mr. Spencer brought Jacques over.

“Mr. Sanderson.”

“Yes?”

“This is the younger brother of the owner of the 뷔퐁 [Buffon] Farm where I used to work.”

If it was 뷔퐁 [Buffon] Farm, 태오 [Tae-oh]’s prediction was correct.

“Ah, yes. Hello? My name is Theo Sanderson.”

“Yes, nice to meet you, Mr. Sanderson. My name is Jacques Dürchem. I understand that Mr. Sanderson is the owner of this coffee farm?”

“Ah, yes. Well, formally, I am the owner, but in reality, I am in partnership with Mr. Spencer.”

“Yes! I see. Hahaha.”

Jacques Dürchem smiled brightly at 태오 [Tae-oh]’s words that he was the owner.

Meanwhile, Mr. Spencer went up to the platform and announced the start of the auction.

“First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who came here to purchase our T&S coffee beans. Everyone is busy, so let’s get straight to the auction.

First, the first batch to be auctioned today is 2,000 통 [tonnes] of well-dried coffee beans in the 10lb (approximately 4.5kg) 통 [bags] you see there. The quantity will be the second batch in a few days…”

Mr. Spencer briefly explained the specific details of the auction item and came down from the platform.

And 태오 [Tae-oh] went up and started the full-scale auction.

Soon, bids for coffee beans followed.

A middle-aged man with sharp eyes shouted loudly.

“I’ll bid 2,000 pounds for 1,000 통 [bags]!”

Then, as if on cue, bids erupted from all sides, and the price competition intensified.

“2,500 pounds for 1,000 통 [bags]!”

“I’ll bid 3,000 pounds for 1,000 통 [bags]!”

“3,500!”

“3,800!”

Gabin whispered to Jacques Dürchem, who was silently observing the bidding competition.

“It seems like the 라베송 [LaBesson] Farm people are just watching for now? Should we make a strong bid first?”

“Hmm…”

Jacques Dürchem, looking worried, asked again as if to confirm.

“Gabin, are you sure that coffee was really special?”

“Oh, don’t even mention it. I’ve never tasted such coffee beans in my life. It was incredibly good! Think about it. Would even the 라베송 [LaBesson] farm owner have participated in the auction for no reason?”

Jacques Dürchem glanced at the 라베송 [LaBesson] farm owner and nodded.

“…I suppose.”

Gabin urged, as if growing impatient.

“We’re going to miss all the opportunities! Let’s throw out a big number to overwhelm them now? If we let it continue like this, the price will only creep up higher.”

Jacques Dürchem said with a determined expression.

“Okay, good. Let’s go for it! It’s not pleasant because it’s that old fox’s coffee, but he definitely has the skills, so let’s trust him. Gabin! Raise the price to the price we discussed earlier!”

“Yes!”

As soon as Jacques’ permission was given, Gabin shouted out the agreed-upon price as if he had been waiting.

“20,000 pounds (approximately 3 billion won) for 2,000 통 [bags]!”

Instantly, the surroundings, which had been noisy with bidding competition, fell silent.