Franchise God - Chapter 15



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Franchise God Episode 015

Chapter 3: Is this the network you need? (8)

‘This guy, is he planning to distribute Songi himself from now on?’

It’s not an entirely impossible story.

Being able to supply mushrooms that are impossible to farm in a non-frozen form even out of season is a huge advantage.

Surely there must be a separate pine mountain where pine needles grow regardless of the season.

It was a doubt that Jeon Seong-ryeol could not help but have.

If the supply of mushrooms is cut off, all the contracts for supplying special-class hotels that were pushed forward with the belief in it will fall through.

It’s a good idea to leave the export auction to them.

But there is no guarantee that someone without experience will succeed.

If things don’t go well or losses occur, aren’t you using that as an excuse to cut off the deal?

“Um… Mr. Ha, I’m proud to say that I’m good at distributing domestic agricultural products, but exporting is far from my cup of tea. No, it’s not my destiny. I’m worried about whether I can do it well.”

“But you have to do it. You can’t keep selling this good stuff to the domestic market forever. If you sell it to Japan, you can make several times more profit.”

“Are you really doing this purely for profit?”

“It’s for profit, so what else could there be?”

Ha Soo-young looked straight ahead and shrugged her shoulders.

“Are you perhaps misunderstanding that I am acting this way because I am greedy for the margin that the CEO is taking?”

“That, that is…….”

“You don’t have to worry. Even if I suffer a little loss in the beginning of exporting, I’ll think of it as gaining experience. If you become a ‘mushroom distribution expert’, I’ll be able to do other things with peace of mind, right?”

“Something else? What do you mean?”

Jeon Seong-ryeol came to his senses.

Are you planning to give up the mushroom picking business and do something else? No, then what are you going to do with that magical mushroom mountain?

“Oh, I’m currently thinking about doing something else. So, I think I’ll be leaving the distribution of the mushrooms entirely up to you in the future. That’s why I’m telling you to gain some experience exporting to Japan in advance.”

“You leave it entirely to me?”

Jeon Seong-ryeol was even more confused by the answer that was completely different from his worries. What on earth is this guy thinking?

“I can’t become the owner of a building in Cheongdam-dong by selling Songi for thousands of years.”

“What do you mean? The owner of the building in Cheongdam-dong?”

“It’s a dream I’ve decided to achieve in this life. But when I calculated it, it seems like I’ll have to achieve it before I die of old age. So I think I’ll have to find another way.”

“Another way?”

Jeon Seong-ryeol was hesitant. Ha Su-yeong seemed like a completely different person today.

“Anyway, the distribution of the mushrooms will ultimately be handled by the CEO. I need to build up my connections on the CEO’s side in advance so that I can receive the money easily later.”

Jeon Seong-ryeol was confused. Is this a good story?

“In that sense, please seriously promote the Japanese export auction. Thank you.”

Ha Soo-young said with a smile, and Jeon Seong-ryeol was confused, wondering if she really had the connections he needed.

“I thought you said earlier that you were thinking about something else.”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s just a concept for now.”

“Is it a completely different industry?”

“Not for now. Well, someday I’ll have to do a lot of work in completely different industries. As I’ve experienced, there’s nothing better than expanding like an octopus to grow bigger. Of course, I don’t have any seed money yet, so I’m just making plans.”

Jeon Seong-ryeol was dumbfounded. What kind of life is this? He said he was only twenty years old.

“So what are you planning to do right now?”

“I want to try growing other mushrooms too.”

“Do you think it will be more profitable than Songi?”

“The profit per mushroom is greater for matsutake. However, it is difficult to achieve economies of scale with matsutake. Since it is such a high-end food ingredient, only rich people consume it.”

“That’s true.”

“If you want to make a lot of money, you have to work hard and save up money. You can’t just treat the upper class. You have to treat the upper class and the common people as well, and that’s how you can really make money.”

At Ha Su-yeong’s words, Jeon Seong-ryeol nodded vigorously without realizing it, expressing his agreement.

“So what kind of mushrooms do you plan to grow this time?”

“It’s a golden silk umbrella mushroom.”

“Golden Silk Umbrella Mushroom…?”

Jeon Seong-ryeol’s expression changed strangely.

Although it is widely used worldwide, it is not a very popular variety in Korea.

It is a mushroom that looks similar to a pine mushroom, but has a longer root and a slender, long cap.

If you dry it and soak it in water, it has the advantage of being chewier (more chewy than pine mushrooms), so it is mainly used in soups, but the problem is that the price is ambiguous.

Popular mushrooms such as oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, truffle mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms are inexpensive and can be used without burden.

Pine mushrooms are a very expensive variety, but they are popular among the wealthy and sell like hotcakes.

“Will there be any profit from growing that? The production cost won’t be right. Is that okay?”

On the other hand, the preference and unit price of the golden umbrella mushroom itself are very ambiguous.

For example, the average consumer price of 1 kg of shiitake mushrooms is 20,000 won.

The preference for golden umbrella mushrooms as mushrooms themselves is much higher than that for oyster mushrooms.

However, the consumer price easily exceeds 100,000 won per kg.

However, it is not treated as a delicacy popular among the rich like pine mushrooms.

A moderately high preference, but a price that is burdensome for the average person to open their wallets.

“Well, the problem with those mushrooms is their production cost. They cost too much to grow, so they don’t sell as well as they are popular.”

“If cultivation had been impossible, it would have sold well even at a high price.”

“Or find a way to grow it cheaply.”

“Yeah… huh? You, really?”

“Ah, I told you. I’m still thinking about it, thinking about it.”

Jeon Seong-ryeol did a quick calculation.

The Golden Umbrella Mushroom is clearly a variety with great potential.

Unlike pine mushrooms, there are endless places where they can be used, such as at home, in restaurants, and in general food ingredients.

Just one thing, if only we could lower the cost of cultivation.

If we can put the Golden Umbrella Mushroom on the market at a reasonable price, we will be able to increase our share of the domestic general mushroom market by leaps and bounds.

In addition, golden umbrella mushrooms are a popular ingredient in high-end restaurants. They are much cheaper than pine mushrooms, so they are used without burden.

When Jeon Seong-ryeol thought about the profits he would make by distributing the Golden Silk Umbrella Mushrooms, his mouth started watering.

‘This guy, for real?’

He is a young man who supplies 500kg of wild pine mushrooms a month, even when they are not in season. Could he possibly know a way to lower the cost of growing golden umbrella mushrooms?

“I’m still thinking about it, thinking about it.”

‘Galaxy Goddess, no, how can I tease my father? Should I ask him if he doesn’t want to have the son of the Cheongdam-dong building owner? Since he’s an ancient god, I guess that won’t work, hmm…’

* * *

Baekdu Hotel Korean restaurant.

As a middle-aged man dressed in comfortable, semi-casual attire entered alone, the hall manager came out with a smile.

“Welcome. Do you have a reservation?”

“I made a reservation under the name Jeong Seong-jin.”

“Ah, you are Jeong Seong-jin. Your reservation has been confirmed. I will guide you.”

Jeong Seong-jin was Makemiya’s Korean name.

Makemiya nodded slightly and followed the hall manager. The employees he passed by greeted him with smiles.

It seemed like no one knew that he was a real estate tycoon known even in Japan and the top VIP at the Seohae Hotel.

It was more comfortable for him this way too.

Makemiya, who had been looking at the menu for a moment, looked up at the hall manager and asked.

“I heard that a special pine mushroom has arrived at this restaurant.”

“Oh, of course.”

“Is there a chef’s recommended course where all the dishes include pine mushrooms?”