Chapter 72: Sylphide (2)
TL: Hanguk
"Pears?"
To Americans, pears were a familiar fruit, but strictly speaking, that referred to Western varieties like Bartlett, Bosc, and Anjou. Their elongated shape and soft, buttery texture meant they were generally perceived as a fruit best eaten well-ripened and smooth.
On the other hand, pears that were round and crisp, with a texture like an apple, were called Asian pears. Since the 1980s, some farms in California, Oregon, and Washington had been cultivating them, distributing them mainly through Asian markets or high-end markets.
Among the Asian pears in circulation, some were even Niitaka pears, but the quantities sold were small and they weren't popular, so they were consumed only among middle-class Asians and gourmets.
"How about it? Not a good idea?"
"No, no, I'm not saying it's bad. From what I hear, Asian pears sell for a pretty high price."
Asian pears were distributed through Asian and high-end markets at fairly expensive prices, enough that even Frederick knew about it.
"Do you know how much they go for?"
"I saw them once at $2.70 a pound? $2.80? Somewhere around there. So wholesale would probably be about $1.50."
$1.50 per pound wholesale meant roughly $3 per kilogram. And there was a strong chance that the pears Frederick had mentioned weren't Niitaka pears. Niitaka pears had higher sugar content and larger fruit than other Asian pear varieties, so they could command a much higher price.
"Hmm... if we assume about 200 trees per acre... 70 acres would come out to around 14,000 trees? That would give us at least over a thousand tons a year... so wholesale revenue could easily come to three million dollars."
At the mention of three million dollars from just 70 acres, Frederick's and Chloe's eyes went wide.
"That much?"
"Really? Then that's huge!"
"It won't be easy. First you'd have to tear up the entire existing tomato field and plant saplings. Fortunately, Niitaka pears have already been imported to the U.S. as saplings, so bringing in one- or two-year-old saplings shouldn't be too hard. But you can't expect a proper harvest for at least four years. There won't be any revenue until then."
Chloe responded as though that were no issue at all.
"We can barely get $50 a ton farming tomatoes as it is. Wouldn't it be way better to put in four or five years of hard work and then reap a big harvest? Even at the best price, $60 a ton is truly dismal."
Frederick nodded at his daughter's words.
"Farmers don't farm looking only a year at a time anyway. And our family isn't exactly struggling. And the pear harvest season is close to grapes, right?"
"Yes, they're harvested in early autumn, so they don't overlap with cherry harvest season. That's good for farm income stability. They also have a long shelf life, so they can be stored for quite a while."
"Mmm... alright. Let me think it over."
"Please do."
Cherry varieties could be decided on easily since they could be grafted onto existing cherry trees for a quick harvest, but converting an existing tomato farm into an orchard wasn't going to be an easy decision.
Besides, pears weren't like cherries. Raising an entirely new variety demanded more than twice the effort of what they'd done before. It wasn't something to decide lightly.
After talking it through and finishing a full check of the cherry farm's condition, Brian headed back to Napa.
After Brian left, Frederick and Chloe returned to their home at Deer Ridge Country Club and continued the conversation over dinner.
"I'm in favor of converting it to an orchard. Setting everything else aside, the price alone is completely different."
At this, Brandon, who had no idea what was going on, cut in.
"An orchard? Change what?"
Frederick kindly explained to his son.
"The tomatoes in Lodi weren't in good shape this year, so we only got $45 a ton. A whole year of farming and we ended up with losses instead of profits. I was weighing what to do, and Brian recommended Asian pears. Apparently there's a variety called Niitaka that's quite famous in Korea..."
"Brian again?"
Brandon frowned the moment he heard the name. Seeing this, Chloe scolded her brother.
"Why do you hate it so much whenever Brian's name comes up? He knows way more about farming than you do. You know how the cherry harvest turned out, right?"
Brandon had been reluctantly doing what his father asked, but deep down he still harbored dissatisfaction. Whenever Brian was around, he'd often let his complaints show openly, but after seeing the results of the cherry harvest with his own eyes, those complaints had been fading lately.
Even he could see that on average the cherries were noticeably better, the sugar content was higher, and above all they'd fetched a higher price, so there was nothing he could say against it.
"Tch..."
Still, not willing to admit it, he turned his head away. But Frederick didn't scold him harshly; he spoke calmly instead.
"There's no end to learning. Learning from someone better than you isn't something to hurt your pride over. Even I'm learning from Brian right now."
"That's what I hate most."
The very idea of his father learning something from an Asian man seemed to bother him.
"Tsk tsk... With that attitude, the farm can't grow. Think it over calmly. Chloe, you might make this decision easily just thinking about revenue, but growing an entirely new crop takes more effort and care than you'd expect. It's like raising another child. There's a lot to learn and a lot to stay on top of."
"I'll learn it."
At that moment, Brandon's head whipped around. The sharp look in his eyes showed he wasn't a complete fool: he'd clearly caught the meaning behind his sister's words.
"You'll do it?"
"Yes. I'll learn and grow them."
Saying she would grow the crop was the same as saying she'd inherit the 70-acre farm along with it.
"Dad, no!"
Brandon cut in immediately. When Frederick gave him a steady look, he seemed a bit flustered, then said,
"You can't just hand over the farm without any conditions. If you're giving that one to Chloe, give me the olive farm."
"Ha, you kids... have you been treating my farms like they've already been handed over?"
Amelia, Chloe and Brandon's mother, who had been quietly watching, scolded them.
"Your father's right. Don't act like they've already been promised to you."
"No... it's not that. It's just that Dad was talking like he was going to give the farm to Chloe..."
"When did he? The way I see it, Chloe just said she wanted to convert the tomato farm into an orchard and manage it."
"Same difference!"
"How is that the same thing? Then you could say you'll do it, couldn't you?"
Amelia's logic silenced Brandon.
"See? When it's actually on you to do it, you can't, can you?"
"I've got the walnut farm on my hands right now..."
"Chloe's juggling school and farming at the same time, isn't she?"
"......"
Watching Brandon jabbing irritably at his food with his fork, Chloe let out a small snort of laughter and turned back to her father.
"I can do it."
"...It'll be tough, you know?"
"It sounds like fun."
With his daughter coming at it this aggressively, Frederick found himself genuinely reconsidering.
"It's going to take an enormous amount of money."
"I'm confident. If you want, we can treat it as you lending it to me. Of course, in that case, that farm would truly become mine."
That actually piqued Frederick's interest.
"Really? As a loan from me?"
"Yes. I'll pay you back once it starts generating revenue. How about it?"
Frederick turned his gaze to Brandon.
"How's that? Does that satisfy you?"
"Well, I guess if that's the deal. Tell her to go ahead and give it her best shot."
Now that his son had given his (so-called) permission, Frederick got down to business and started laying out the numbers for his daughter.
"Think it through carefully. Let's say we plant 14,000 pear trees on 70 acres of land. Just that cost alone would be substantial, and on top of that you'd have to change the soil conditions, reinforce the drainage, and install a drip irrigation system like the cherry farm has. Initial capital alone could run to a million dollars."
"Well... I suppose it would, right?"
"And then there's the cost of maintaining the orchard for four years on top of that. At least another million and a half."
The figure was larger than Chloe had imagined, and her eyes twitched slightly. It was an amount hard for a student to handle. In fact, even most ordinary people wouldn't dare take on 2.5 million dollars in debt over five years. Besides buying an apartment, who could easily commit to a loan equivalent to 2.5 billion Korean won?
"I'll do it."
"Don't go thinking of it as Dad lending you money. I'll be taking out a loan in your name from the bank."
"What?"
"I'll transfer it as an advance inheritance. How about this? I'll handle the inheritance along with the taxes, and any funds needed after that, you take out a loan yourself. I can still cover part of the initial operating capital, since I'm your parent. So? Still going to do it?"
Frederick had naturally expected his daughter to say that was going too far. Amelia frowned as well and said,
"Honey, that's too much for your daughter. She's only twenty."
"I know. But she says she wants to do it herself. Farming isn't a joke. If she goes in with a 'let's just try it and see' mindset..."
"I'll do it."
Before Frederick could even finish, Chloe cut in.
"You'll do it? Really?"
"Yes."
"This is a bank loan. You'll have to shoulder it entirely yourself."
"I know. Jacob did it, and Armando did it. Brian too. They're all carrying their own burdens and staking their lives on farming. There's no reason I can't do the same."
Frederick watched in amazement as his daughter squared her shoulders and declared it.
After coming back from getting label approval from the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau), the agency under the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Dad asked me,
"Sylphide? What does that mean?"
"It's taken from the name of a French ballet. It means a light, mystical sprite. It captures the delicate, elegant texture of Pinot Noir."
"Oh, that's nice. So bottling starts tomorrow?"
"Yes. From tomorrow on, I'll need to stay at Laird Family Estate for a full week. While I'm gone, Dad, Mom, please take good care of the farm."
"When are they harvesting at Harper Farm in Russian River Valley?"
"Around the day after tomorrow. I'll be heading straight to Laird Winery then too, so I'll check the condition there myself."
"Alright, don't worry about the farm. Our harvest is coming up soon too. I heard there was a wildfire in Pope Valley yesterday. I hope this year passes quietly."
"Don't even get me started. A fire broke out in Las Lomas this morning, and Armando's on edge that it might spread down into Alexander Valley."
"Ugh, Armando's got his worries too. Is he doing alright?"
"Yes. The Merlot is being harvested, and the Cabernet harvest starts soon. He's learned a lot from me, so the harvest isn't a problem. Vinegar is the problem."
"Right."
Dad nodded, then asked with a fairly serious face,
"You know that Elowen fellow?"
"Ah, the Silveroak farm owner?"
"Right. His daughter goes to the same school as you."
"Yes. Why?"
"From what I hear, he's been bragging all over about how high his wine scored this time. Apparently he's hung up a banner at the entrance of the winery saying he got 88 points from Wine Spectator."
"Oh, really? Must have turned out well."
"Exactly. He's been making such a fuss about it, and now he's even throwing a party and calling in all the workers, I heard."
For Silveroak, which had struggled these past few years, finally producing a decent vintage this year was a chance to make up for all that hardship.
"Word even got to you, Dad."
"Tell me about it. While you were away, they sent someone over to invite us to the party."
"Haha, really? I didn't think they'd invite us."
"That's how much he wants to show off."
Just then, a sharp shout came from far off.
"Oh my, dear! Honey!"
Startled, I sprang up to run over, but Mom burst through the door, flapping something in her hand. I looked to see what it was. A magazine.
"Honey! Our wine's been in a magazine again!"
Only then did I realize it wasn't bad news. I sat back down in my chair with relief, but Dad asked excitedly,
"Huh? Where?"
"You know that magazine from before? They've put up another review this time, for Echelon. But brace yourself. The score is... 90 points!"
Mom spread the magazine open for Dad and me, pointing to the review in question.
"What? 90 points? Hahaha! Silveroak Winery can step aside! We're the ones who should be throwing a party! Hahaha!"
Dad burst out laughing. My eyes stayed fixed on the magazine.
['Echelon', though only its first vintage, demonstrates a level of completeness fully comparable to the established mid-tier wineries of Napa Valley. It's worth watching closely to see how much further this winery will grow.]
A wine review by Christopher White. I still remembered that angry face of his from back then, yet surprisingly, both the score and the evaluation were nothing but praise.
"This guy's got some real professional spirit."
I looked at the photo of Echelon featured in the review and smiled with satisfaction.
*****
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