Blended beans generally have a palatable and refreshing taste, and there aren’t high demands concerning the origin of the beans, as they are after all a mix of different coffee beans.
Zhao Zirong had been instructed by Mr. Zhao to take out the samples.
Some sample beans were sealed inside a glass jar. After opening the lid of the jar, Mrs. Zhao pinched ten beans into her palm and noticed they were blended beans, for their overall color, size, and fullness varied.
While the taste might be pleasant, the sight of the beans in their raw state left Mrs. Zhao with no desire to drink them.
Being a high-end customer with higher expectations for coffee, she was definitely not satisfied with these beans. However, for a combined commodity producer, the instant coffee produced and sent to market didn’t need to reveal its beans’ origins; a good taste was already enough for consumers.
Consequently, Mrs. Zhao couldn’t help but sigh, thinking that achieving coffee business success like Zhao Coffee’s current wine business, with a distinct taste, would be incredibly challenging without several years or even decades of effort.
Seeing Mrs. Zhao’s frowned expression and sighs, the hearts of Zhao Zirong and Mr. Zhao were tangled even more. Due to the considerable funds already invested, the unexpected issues had turned their previous investments into losses, introducing terrifying financial pressure. Now, needing further investment while the banks wouldn’t offer loans, their only option was to cater to the low-end market.
Producing high-end coffee varieties, the price of pure beans could be a thousand times more than the cheapest at the low end—a vast price difference that defined a brand’s financial ability and, consequently, the quality of its products.
Zhao Coffee’s attempt to turn around its fortunes was proving to be extremely difficult. Even putting all their efforts into high-end products, the high-end customer base was inherently small. Like a wealth pyramid worldwide, very few could afford high-end products.
"Isn’t there any other way?" asked Mrs. Zhao. "I’m afraid what we make with these beans won’t fool certain people."
The certain people Mrs. Zhao mentioned were those prone to finding fault.
Now, with the internet being so widespread and connecting the entire world, anyone could share their thoughts online, leading to an endless emergence of fault-finders. Ordinary people might not specifically look for faults in someone, but if it were intentional, it could be a different story.
Isn’t it like with every new iPhone release where many love to point out its flaws? The saying ’the bigger they are, the harder they fall’ rings true in this context.
Although Zhao Coffee was just starting in the coffee industry, just the prominent reputation of Zhao’s in the winery sector was enough for many to seek out faults.
It wasn’t just about whether someone instigated these criticisms.
"If someone does pick at it, ordinary customers who already have certain doubts about Zhao Coffee will see these opinions greatly magnified."
At Mrs. Zhao’s words, Zhao father and son nodded again and again, their faces showing a mix of helplessness and exhaustion.
After a pause, Mr. Zhao sought his wife’s opinion, "You were saying earlier, that you had some thoughts and ideas, weren’t you?"
Mrs. Zhao responded, "I was saying, I just discussed it with Gu Nuan and Yebai. I feel their ideas might be more practical for us."
"What did they suggest?" Hearing that Xiao Yebai’s opinion was involved, Zhao father and son, unlike at the beginning, listened more openly and attentively.
Gu Nuan, who was watching everyone’s expressions, didn’t feel slighted by this. Although she was the first to propose the idea, it had been discussed with her husband and his brother. It could be said to be a crystallization of collective wisdom. What Mrs. Zhao said was not wrong. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩~𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢~𝔫𝔢𝔱