He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 102

< Episode 102: Is This the Profit for 6 Months? >

◈ At the residence of Sir Jamaica Grey, in Tae-oh’s private quarters.

Sir Grey’s living room was filled with the rich aroma of coffee beans roasted by Tae-oh himself.

Sir Grey and his wife, along with their guests, savored sips of the freshly brewed coffee, nodding in approval.

Even though it wasn’t roasted by Spencer’s twins or Jooba, it tasted quite decent.

Sir Grey, looking very satisfied, spoke first.

“Honestly, I expected the coffee to be a bit lacking since it’s Sanderson’s first attempt, but it’s almost as good. The aroma is wonderful too. If we exclude that one exceptional tasting session, I’d say this is one of the best coffees I’ve had in my life, hahaha.”

Tae-oh was greatly relieved.

“Is that so? I’m really glad to hear that. I was worried since it’s my first time, but I think the quality of the green beans is so good that even someone like me with no special skills can roast and brew it to bring out the basic flavor.”

If a truly special flavor could only be achieved through the delicate skills of Spencer’s twins or Jooba, there would inevitably be limitations in attracting widespread market interest, no matter how good the green beans were.

But the fact that even a novice could produce a decent aroma and taste was very fortunate for Tae-oh, the owner of T&S Coffee.

The sugarcane plantation owner named ‘Edgar,’ whom he was meeting for the first time today, asked with surprised eyes.

“Good heavens, are you saying that coffee with this aroma and taste isn’t the *best*? Then what does properly made T&S Coffee taste like?”

From the moment Tae-oh ground the well-aged beans into a fine powder, Edgar had been gazing with fascinated eyes.

And after tasting it, he continued to exclaim in admiration.

So, he couldn’t help but be surprised that Sir Grey and Tae-oh were describing it as somewhat lacking.

Then Owen, a gentry-born plantation owner sitting next to him, chimed in, pretending to be an expert.

He had tasted the coffee made by the twins a while ago.

“Edgar, there’s a very subtle difference. It’s hard to describe, but imagine the rich flavor and sweetness of the coffee enveloping you more deeply and smoothly than this wonderful aroma and taste that Sanderson is making. Haha.”

“Ha—to think that an even deeper flavor can be felt from this amazing aroma and taste… I can’t imagine it at all. I must visit the plantation and taste it myself. Haha.”

Thus, the people gathered in the living room were immersed in the aroma and taste of the coffee, continuing their pleasant conversation.

They talked about the new Governor of Jamaica, plantation-related matters, and merchant ships attacked by pirates.

“By the way, have you heard about the North American War of Independence [American Revolutionary War]?”

Owen, his smile fading, looked at Sir Grey and Tae-oh and asked.

‘Ah, right. England is at war with America for independence now…’

He had been so engrossed in the coffee farm for the past few months that he had completely forgotten about it.

In modern society, he could check the bustling news every day through the internet or news channels, but in Jamaica, where there was no regular TV and information was scarce, he couldn’t receive proper news quickly.

Tae-oh asked Owen.

“Do you have any news about the situation there now?”

Tae-oh remembered the broad historical outline of the American Revolutionary War, but he didn’t know the detailed events.

First, he needed to hear Owen’s story to know how far the situation had progressed and whether history was changing.

Owen opened his mouth with a dark expression.

“I heard from an admiral of the British Royal Navy here a few days ago.

He said that the British army, which had been winning almost every time, lost to the North American colonial army in a battle that took place last month. They suffered a great defeat, and there was chaos in the home country due to the loss of power.”

Sir Grey, with a surprised expression, asked back.

“What? Is that true? Our British army was defeated by that disorganized American colonial army?”

At that time, there was a strong perception that the North American Continental Army was a collection of disorganized people who had never even properly fired a gun, let alone trained.

Military supplies were woefully insufficient, with many lacking bullets and even proper shoes, and the ragged appearance of the Continental Army, wearing summer clothes even in winter, was ridiculed by the British.

It was shocking news that the world’s strongest British army had been greatly defeated by such an unorganized North American Continental Army.

However, it was not surprising to Tae-oh, who knew the general direction of the American Revolutionary War.

However, he felt a little disappointed that the advice he had given to King George before coming to Jamaica had not worked properly.

‘It’s almost the end of 1777, and if the British army has been greatly defeated and the news has spread like this, it’s very likely to be the Battle of Saratoga, considering the timing.’

The Battle of Saratoga was fought between September and October 1777, and it was a battle in which the American generals Gates and Arnold greatly defeated the British army.

This victory was the biggest victory for the North American colonies since the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, and it was also the battle that made France, which had been hesitant to directly participate in the American Revolutionary War, decide to side with the United States.

‘In the end, George III didn’t follow my advice and neglected the colonial army, indulging in complacency and leisure as described in history… Does that mean the main course of history will not change after all?’

If history continues to flow like this, many battles and sacrifices will follow for the next few years, and he will have to endure astronomical war costs and losses.

This would inevitably destabilize King George’s psychology and worsen the mental illness that had been showing signs of improvement.

‘I’ve been in Jamaica for too long because of the coffee farming, longer than I had planned. Now that there are enough people to manage this place, I need to go back to London as soon as possible.’

Tae-oh was not yet sure whether he could change history with his own power.

However, historically, the American Revolutionary War was nothing more than a wasteful war for King George, with no benefit to be gained.

He would have to wage a foolish war for several more years, eventually losing and suffering from mental illness.

‘When I meet His Majesty the King this time, I’ll try to tell him again. Maybe history will change?’

Tae-oh was eager to prevent the unnecessary flow of history in any way.

◈ Mid-November 1777, Tae-oh Farm.

In the manager’s residence, a rough settlement of accounts related to the sale of coffee green beans was in progress.

Spencer, who had finished the calculations, said in a bright voice.

“A total of 5,880 sacks of green beans have been processed… Currently, 4,000 sacks have gone to the Labesson plantation, 250 sacks have been handed over to Vincent, and including other small-scale individual sales, the profit is 107,600 pounds.”

Tae-oh, who carefully examined the transaction contracts and various bills, was taken aback.

“Wow—to make nearly 110,000 pounds in profit from six months of farming. As Mr. Spencer said, it’s really hard to believe such a huge profit, haha.”

At this time, 100,000 pounds was a large sum equivalent to 15 to 20 billion won [approximately $12 – $16 million USD] in modern value.

Considering that the money he had struggled to obtain to acquire Mr. Osborne’s textile factory was 78,000 pounds, the profit of over 100,000 pounds earned in just six months from the coffee farm was truly enormous.

At Tae-oh’s surprise, Spencer shook his head.

“No, Mr. Sanderson. This year was just to test and see what level of quality we could achieve. Now that we’ve bought plenty of mountains nearby, the profits will increase several times more each year. You should be very prepared to be hit by a shower of money in the future. Hahaha.”

Tae-oh’s coffee farm, when he received it from Baron Palmer, was about 10 hectares, or about 30,000 pyeong [approximately 74 acres] in size.

However, by recently purchasing mountains with good locations nearby, it was now transforming into a much larger coffee farm than before.

If coffee of the same quality is produced, it seemed that profits of over 500,000 pounds per year would be easily surpassed in a few years.

While organizing the stacks of documents, Spencer asked.

“Mr. Sanderson, when you go to London, how do you plan to take all the money you’ve earned here?”

“Ah, I’m a bit worried about that too.”

It wouldn’t be a problem in modern times, but in the 18th century, moving large sums of money was not easy.

Moreover, most of the money received from the Labesson plantation was paid in silver coins.

It was burdensome and worrisome to carry a considerable amount of silver coins on a ship for several months.

“It’s not a big problem to worry about. You can ask Baron Palmer for help.”

“Baron Palmer?”

“That’s right. Baron Palmer has been trading with Jamaica for a long time while in London, so he must have credit with banks in London, England.

It would be cumbersome and risky to bring all that silver here, so you can deposit the silver in a Jamaican bank, receive a bill of exchange [a type of promissory note], take it to a London bank, and exchange it for money. At this time, Baron Palmer can guarantee the exchanged bill of exchange.”

Taking various coins or goods on a ship or traveling was inconvenient and dangerous in many ways.

So, at this time, the alternative was to present a bill of exchange to the bank and receive cash in exchange.

However, since it was an era where a computer system was still a dream, banks did not easily cash bills of exchange for people they did not know well.

Fortunately, Baron Palmer had close relationships and high trust with bankers in London, England, and Rome, Italy, through many trade transactions through Jamaica.

Thanks to this, if Baron Palmer guaranteed Tae-oh’s bill of exchange, it could be immediately converted into cash at a London bank in England.

“That’s a good idea. I was worried about how to move the money, but it’s become too easy.”

Spencer, who responded with a smile to Tae-oh’s gratitude, hesitated as if he was about to say something.

“Do you have anything special to say?”

“Haha, well. It’s about my children…”

Tae-oh understood Spencer’s heart.

“Ah, yes. I haven’t forgotten what you asked me last time. I’ll take them with me when I go to London this time.”

“Oh my, thank you so much.”

“Also, I secretly asked your children a while ago, and they both have a great affection for coffee. Mr. Spencer, you know more about their knowledge and manufacturing skills than anyone else.

So, I was thinking, when I go to London this time and create a matchmaking company, I’m planning to open and operate a decent tea garden-style cafe right next to it. Then, we’ll need a general manager there, so I was going to ask if Harold and Margaret would like to take on that role.”

“My children as general managers at a London cafe?”

“Yes. It’s not a shabby cafe. I’m thinking of opening the best new-style cafe in England with the best scale and interior.”

Spencer was grateful just for taking his children to London and looking after them.

He was deeply moved by the fact that Tae-oh was even taking care of their jobs, considering their favorite tastes.

“A cafe general manager. If that’s the case, I won’t ask for anything more. In fact, my children’s dream was to work in a coffee house in London. They love coffee so much that they’ve been singing about wanting to make and serve really delicious coffee to people.”

“Yes. I think so too. Besides, we have the best coffee green bean supplier with whom we’ll never break off the deal, right? Haha.”

“Of course! If the green beans produced here are used in the cafe where my children are, wouldn’t it automatically become the best cafe in England, no, Europe? Haha.”

Spencer was very sad to be separated from his twins, but he was somehow excited by the thought that the bond with his children would continue with the coffee green beans he grew himself.

“Mr. Sanderson! Don’t worry about anything about the farm here. Noah and I will take responsibility and protect it well so that we can produce the world’s best quality coffee. Haha.”

“Yes, I trust your strength more than anyone else. Oh? Come to think of it, I’m taking Mr. Spencer’s children as hostages, aren’t I? To protect my farm well, haha.”

“Hahaha, well. Isn’t it the opposite? I’m asking you to take good care of our children with Mr. Sanderson’s farm as a hostage, right? Hahaha.”

“Haha—that’s true when I hear it.”

Standing up, Tae-oh said to Spencer as if he had thought of something.

“Oh, and I think we should also have Samson and Jooba’s wedding before I leave. I’ve already told Noah, so please set a suitable date. We should have a grand party with all the farm members that day.”

“Oh my, Samson will be grinning from ear to ear. Yes, yes. I’ll check the progress and set a day to rest, haha.”

“Yes, thank you. Then I’ll go out and take a look around the farm.”

“Ah, yes, please do.”

Tae-oh’s mind was gradually becoming busier with the things he had to finish quickly before returning to London.