Chapter 19: Redwood Reserve Vinegar(2)
TL: Hanguk
Pierce Morgan looked at me with a very interested gaze and asked.
“Is there any reason I should put in that kind of effort for a single bottle of vinegar?”
This felt like a bonus question. So I answered comfortably.
“Mr. Pierce, you would also like to see more organic farms in California, right? And I am not asking for any special privileges. I can fully accept it even if you conduct the certification process thoroughly. What I want is that since I am not familiar with the administrative procedures, it would be difficult if there are many requests for supplementation... so if I can receive consulting on those parts and proceed efficiently, I think immigrant farms like ours could have sufficient competitiveness.”
At my answer, he made a surprised expression.
“You don’t talk like a student?”
“Hahaha! Thank you for saying that.”
“Alright. But as you said, I can only help with the administrative procedures. I cannot shorten the certification process.”
“I know. Since the legally stipulated period is 36 months.”
There is something called a legal conversion period. Only after 36 consecutive months have passed since the last use of prohibited substances can crops harvested from that land bear the USDA Organic mark, and this period cannot be shortened.
“... You know that too? Then you could afford to prepare at your leisure.”
“What do you mean? The sooner I apply, the sooner I can put the organic mark on the wine three years later.”
“That’s true, but most people don’t tend to hurry over things that are that far off.”
“Koreans can’t stand being relaxed.”
Nodding his head, he stared straight into my eyes for a moment and asked.
“Let me ask you just one thing. Why are you trying to farm organically? It will be difficult and bothersome. Is it simply because it makes more money?”
Organic certification, depending on how you think about it, is nothing special, and from another perspective, it is something special.
From a farmer’s standpoint, the advantage of going organic is that you can receive a higher unit price, but the disadvantages are also clear. It is extremely hard. There are many things to consider, many things to pay attention to, and your body becomes more exhausted.
Why would Silver Oak Farm have used pesticides after receiving organic certification? Because it's convenient and easy to manage.
In the end, saying all of this in reverse means that in order to farm organically, you need to know a lot and put up with many hassles, but if you endure that, you can generate more profit.
“It’s not because I have some grand purpose. When you raise a child, you don’t raise them with the resolve that you will definitely make your child into a great person, do you? I think that might be the right way. It’s simply a feeling of not wanting to damage the land and the trees.”
He pondered my words for a while and then nodded.
“...... I see. Alright. If you leave the farm address, I’ll contact you.”
“Thank you.”
I quickly wrote down the farm address on the memo he handed me, stood up, and said.
“Last year the harvest wasn’t good, so we made vinegar, but this year the Cabernet Sauvignon will be very good. An incredible wine will come out. And it will also go out as table grapes.”
His eyes sparkled.
“Are you deliberately giving me information?”
“Hahaha, I just mentioned it. Even if we end up meeting again through table grapes later, I won’t be surprised.”
“I won’t be surprised even if I see you then.”
After exchanging farewells like that and after the immigrant student from Korea left the office, Pierce handed a note to Elisa Chen, the agricultural promotion and support coordinator.
“Could you check a bit about this farm? I heard the farm went bankrupt and the Korean immigrant who just left acquired it.”
“What aspects should I look into?”
“Things like why the previous farm went bankrupt, and what the current state of the farm is like...”
“Got it. But... huh? This farm...”
Pierce asked her as she frowned.
“What is it?”
“This farm is not far from Silver Oak Farm.”
“Ah, the one whose organic certification was revoked this time?”
“That’s right. When that place’s organic certification was revoked, I heard some student inferred pesticide use by bringing dead bees from an almond farm... surely not...?”
“That student?”
Pierce blinked his eyes, then soon burst into laughter.
“Haha... If that’s true, it would be quite ironic. One had its organic certification canceled and the neighboring farm is trying to apply for organic certification. Since it will take three years for Silver Oak Farm to get organic certification again, next time the two might even receive organic certification at the same time.”
“Their relationship wouldn’t be very good, would it? They’re farms growing the same variety not far from each other...”
Unlike her worried tone, Pierce did not stop smiling.
“Isn’t that what makes it more interesting?”
“You seem to be very intrigued?”
“He’s a strange kid. No, not strange, but special?”
“In what way?”
“First of all, there are hardly any kids who are that sincere about agriculture... He knew more than most of the undergraduates here at UC Davis.”
She opened her eyes wide in surprise. She knew well what the level of students here was like.
“Besides, high school students who are about to enter college may look like adults on the outside, but to adults who have actually experienced a lot of social life, they’re no different from kids. The knowledge learned at school and the knowledge actually used out in society have nothing to do with each other.”
“That’s true. That’s why everyone is so confident before going out into society.”
“But that kid is different. Specialized knowledge? No, should I call it agricultural knowledge? Not just that kind of knowledge, but he knows how society works.”
“That much?”
“Even today, he came to ask me for help with organic certification, but almost no one knows how the process actually proceeds before applying for organic certification, right?”
“That’s right. We have to explain everything.”
“There was nothing for me to explain to that student. Not only that, he even knew how the public sector moves organically. I found it amazing that a high school student who hasn’t even entered college yet knew all of that. And it’s not like he made excessive demands either, he knows exactly enough to ask for just the level where I can lend a hand? Honestly, it’s the first time I’ve seen a kid like that.”
“I can see why you’d be interested.”
“I might keep seeing him around here next year.”
“Probably.”
Pierce Morgan began to genuinely feel curious about the Cabernet Sauvignon harvested by that student. So he went back into the room and fiddled again with the official document placed on the desk.
The official document was written as follows.
“Selection of Pilot Sites for the Regional Organic Transition Demonstration Project(ROTDP).”
A few days later, at school.
“Brian! I made it. Want to take a look?”
During lunchtime, Rachel turned on her laptop and called me over. Thinking it might already be done, I went to her, and Armando, unable to contain his curiosity, followed along.
“I want to see too, me too!”
Going behind Rachel to look at the laptop screen, I could see a yellowish background with a pretty grape image and grapevines arranged around it.
“Ooh-, that’s good?”
“It’s pretty, right?”
Both Armando and I exclaimed as soon as we saw it.
“Really?”
“Yeah. It’s really nice.”
“Did you decide on a name?”
“Yeah. Redwood Reserve Vinegar. What do you think?”
“Oh, that sounds classy? The font feels neat like this.”
She typed in the name I told her using the font on the laptop. Once the product name was added as well, it looked even more convincing.
“You’re not just going to put only this on it, right?”
“Of course not. I decided on the wording like this. On the very first line, EST. 2003 – Napa Valley, California.”
“Is this size okay if we make the font smaller?”
“It’s good. And under the product name, write Premium Handcrafted Grape Vinegar in small letters. And next to the main logo, write, ‘Crafted from carefully selected Napa Valley grapes and perfectly aged, our vinegar harmonizes rich aroma with refreshing acidity. Ideal for fine cuisine, dressings, and marinades.’”
“Oooh~ that’s nice?”
The completed label design was very satisfying.
“Alright!”
After giving each other a high five, I spoke.
“Send me the image by email. I’ll definitely put your name on the label as well.”
“Of course. Haah... What a shame. If we could just stamp the organic certification mark on here, we could raise the unit price by at least 50%...”
That was only the minimum, and if it ended up being stocked in a top-tier shopping center like South Coast Plaza, it could even double. There was a reason to pursue organic certification.
At that moment,
“Hmph! You think someone like you is going to get organic certification?”
I wondered where that familiar, critical voice was coming from, and sure enough, Elaina was standing there with her arms crossed, glaring as if she wanted to devour me.
“Yeah. I actually went to inquire about it already. I even submitted the application documents, and they’re coming to conduct an on-site inspection at the farm.”
“For your farm, organic isn’t the issue. Shouldn’t you be worried first about whether grapes will even grow properly?”
“Thanks for worrying about pest control at our farm, but they’re growing very vigorously, you know? Oh right, your farm needs to reapply for organic certification. Have you done it yet? If not, hurry up and contact them. It’d be nice if our farm’s inspector could stop by Silver Oak Farm on the way.”
“You don’t know how strict organic certification is, do you? From now on, you can’t use anything even remotely like pesticides for three years. Do you think that’s possible?”
Elaina, who didn’t attend the Agriscience Club, had no idea about my abilities. If she had seen what I did at the almond farm, there’d be no way she wouldn’t know... huh?
“Seems like you’re not close with Chloe these days?”
“What?”
For a moment, Elaina’s eyes wavered.
“If you were close with Chloe, there’d be no reason to doubt whether I’m good at organic farming. You really haven’t heard anything, have you?”
“......”
“It’s fine. There’s not much of high school life left anyway, and even if you get ostracized a bit, it’s only a few months at most. I’ll cheer you on. Just don’t bother me, okay? As you can see, I’m very busy. And don’t be too jealous, just because I made a bit of vinegar. Compared to wine, it’s cheap stuff.”
Elaina, her face flushed red, huffed angrily and disappeared. Watching that, Armando tilted his head.
“She could’ve just not talked to you at all. Why did she pick a pointless fight? She couldn’t win a single word.”
“Guess she can’t stand it and gets angry every time she sees my face. I ran into her at a seminar before, and she said they lost 200,000 dollars.”
“Two hundred thousand dollars? Gasp! You totally deserve to get cursed at!”
“...... Why does the conclusion end up like that?”
“You’re really amazing! If I had screwed someone out of 200,000 dollars, I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. I might even get shot.”
“......”
All of a sudden, a chill ran through my body. ****
For extra chapters, you can read them on my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/HangukTranslations.
Join our Discord for announcements or to report any mistakes.