The party, which had in effect been Frederick’s time to brag, came to an end. Frederick, thoroughly drunk, had magnanimously left behind a bottle of Ruby Quartz before going inside, and for a moment a strange silence settled over the terrace.
“How about we move somewhere else? Let’s go to my place.”
When William looked around at the cooperative members and said that, they nodded. They couldn’t very well keep the party going in someone else’s yard. Besides, William Hartford, the head of the cooperative, had a second house at Deer Ridge Country Club, so they didn’t have to go far.
In less than thirty minutes, a second drinking session had been set up. The Ruby Quartz Frederick had given them was, naturally, the star of the table and the drink all the members had their eyes on, but the other wines William brought out were by no means cheap, either.
“Ah… this is incredible. I’m jealous.”
Samuel Reed exclaimed in admiration as he drank the Ruby Quartz. But everyone could feel it. His admiration for the wine was real, but what lay underneath was envy toward Frederick.
“That… the variety he brought out this year seemed different, too. Do you happen to know what it’s called?”
Thomas Cromwell quietly asked the member beside him what he had been curious about, and William Hartford, seeing that, wore a displeased expression.
“You should have asked earlier.”
“I forgot because of this wine, didn’t I? I was so distracted by it that I forgot to ask.”
Within the cooperative, saying the cherries produced by Harris Farm were high quality was something they had said so often it made their mouths hurt. But among them, there had been cherries that were particularly large and exceptionally sweet, and he had forgotten to ask about them.
“Royal Tioga, was it? That’s what I heard.”
“Royal Tioga…”
“Why? Are you thinking of switching? If you say you’re changing varieties starting now, it’ll cost quite a bit. You’d better think carefully. You know money’s dried up in the market right now, don’t you?”
William’s warning was not merely born of jealousy. After the subprime crisis broke out, farms with insufficient funds had also suffered poor harvests at just the wrong time, and one by one they were declaring bankruptcy under the double blow.
To change varieties, one would have to take out another loan, buy new saplings, and clear out the existing trees. They would also have to accept a drop in next year’s revenue, and the immediate burden of repaying principal and interest would be no small matter. There were many factors to consider.
“That’s true, but… the unit price for that Royal Tioga is just so good…”
Thomas, who had heard rumors that the better-quality cherries from Harris Farm traded in the market for at least thirty percent more than Bing cherries from other farms, could not easily give up the idea.
Thirty percent was just a number when said aloud, but the members, who knew very well how many cherries had to be sold to make that much additional profit, frowned.
“They sell cherries at high prices, Serasia is a steady source of income, and now even Ruby Quartz… Everyone’s saying the best cherries in Brentwood are Harris Farm cherries. At the wholesale market, the way people treat Frederick is different.”
At another member’s words, everyone nodded.
“That’s true. Whole Foods Market, Gelson’s Markets, Bristol Farms—every one of them rushes in the moment Frederick shows up at the wholesale market. I heard about half of next year’s shipment is already under contract!”
“I’m jealous. At this point, Harris Farm has practically monopolized the high-end markets.”
Everyone shook their heads, unable to hide their envy. Cherries were a crop whose prices fluctuated wildly each year depending on yield and demand, so the fact that half of next year’s volume had been contracted in advance meant someone had pre-purchased them at a fixed price. On top of that, with several high-end markets aiming for Harris Farm’s cherries, they could not have forced the price down. It was impossible to even imagine how much profit he had made.
“Hmph! Even so, I hear he has to give a portion of the profits to Redwood. Is that something to envy? No matter how hard he farms, he’s only fattening Redwood’s belly.”
William Hartford, unable to listen any longer, pretended to coolly face reality, but most of those present were veterans who had run farms for decades and could calculate profits with cold clarity.
“He’ll still have a lot left over, won’t he? They say part of his farm is even in the middle of changing varieties, so he didn’t harvest the full hundred acres, and yet his revenue increased…”
“Is that true?”
“Frederick said so before. As revenue per unit area rose, he earned more from just sixty out of the hundred acres than he had when using all hundred acres.”
“That’s absurd…”
The mood grew increasingly gloomy. If they had all been struggling together, the atmosphere would not have sunk so low, but with one farm leaping so far ahead like this, the farms left behind could not help but feel defeated.
At that moment, William Hartford looked around at the members, leaned forward, and said,
“I, for one, think Harris Farm has a problem… What do you all think?”
“A problem?”
Thomas tilted his head at the incomprehensible words.
“Do you gentlemen know the true nature of the strategic partnership Frederick was babbling about today? Can’t you tell at a glance that something is strange? They’ve declared war on the Supply Chain Power our Brentwood families have protected for decades.”
Samuel Reed narrowed his eyes and asked,
“Declared war? What do you mean by that?”
“Think about it. That fellow Brian from Redwood used Frederick’s foolishness to sign a partnership contract, didn’t he? Then wouldn’t our cooperative’s top secrets—seed information, soil data, shipment timing—all have been handed over to him wholesale? In exchange, Frederick’s farm alone gets to wear the premium label and secure an exclusive position.”
Everyone looked bewildered by the sudden statement, but William did not stop and continued laying out his argument.
“What happens in the end? If Redwood takes control of our cherry market, every farm except Frederick’s will be reduced to subcontracting bases that merely produce cherries suited to their tastes. From that point on, we won’t be farm owners anymore. We’ll be no different from tenant farmers.”
Though they nodded at his argument, doubt still lingered in their eyes.
“So is there anything we can do?”
It was a question of what could be done even if that were true. But as if he had been waiting for it, William struck the table with his fist and said,
“That exclusive premium Frederick is taking should originally have belonged to our entire cooperative. Since he sold the cooperative’s confidential information to outsiders and disturbed the order, we must make him pay the price. And the authority he loses will be fairly redistributed to you gentlemen.”
At that moment, light began to return to the members’ eyes. Whether William’s argument was forced or not, the idea that the rights held by Frederick’s golden cherry farm could be redistributed pricked up their ears.
“Is that possible?”
Thomas’s question was only natural, but William Hartford spoke as if he had anticipated even that.
“First, I intend to suspend Harris Farm’s right to use the cooperative’s joint marketing brand next year. Since he has entered into an individual partnership, he is no longer qualified to remain under the cooperative’s umbrella.”
That seemed to have justification, so everyone nodded. Not only had he entered into an individual partnership, he had even introduced a new variety starting this year and said it would gradually replace Bing. William’s claim began to sound persuasive.
“If he is removed from the Costco and Walmart supply contracts, that enormous Gold Quota volume will become vacant. I will fill that vacancy with the output from your farms. Next year, your revenues will increase by at least twenty percent without you lifting a finger.”
Everyone swallowed hard. The Gold Quota volume had relatively high unit prices, and everyone wanted it.
William did not stop, like a runaway train.
“The same goes for the subsidies for joint purchases of fertilizer and farming materials, which are operated using the membership fees of the cooperative members. Frederick is already receiving support from the massive capital of Redwood, so he surely has no need for our cooperative’s meager subsidies.”
The members nodded, and William drove in the wedge.
“I will cut the subsidies meant for him and lower your fertilizer purchase price next year by another fifteen percent. We need to lower production costs if we are to compete with cherries from other regions, don’t we?”
Now the hesitation had vanished from the members’ faces. Whether the justification or reasoning made sense had also disappeared from their minds. The immediate profit before their eyes was simply too tempting.
“Lastly, this is the most fatal part. I will reduce the credit limit for Frederick’s farm. An opaque profit-sharing contract with an external party makes the farm’s collateral value unclear. From a risk management standpoint, I will notify him that fifty percent of the cooperative-backed operating loan executed for him must be repaid immediately by December thirty-first. He will likely suffer considerable financial pressure… Who knows? Perhaps he’ll put part of his farm up for sale.”
William Hartford, wearing a satisfied smile, raised his glass.
“The recovered funds will be converted into a low-interest loan fund exclusively for cooperative members to support your facility investments. What do you think? This is not punishing Frederick. It is a righteous act of Normalization—returning Brentwood’s assets to you.”
For a moment, silence fell. The members’ eyes darted as they looked at one another… and at some point, awkward but unmistakable smiles appeared on their lips.
This was a temptation they could not refuse.
“Frederick crossed the line first. He deceived us and tried to live well on his own.”
Samuel Reed was the first to break the tape. Then Thomas Cromwell, too, stepped forward without hesitation for the sake of his own interests.
“It is an unavoidable decision to protect tradition.”
There was no longer any trace of a guilty conscience in Thomas’s voice. Rather, it carried the elation of someone who had become a warrior defending some great cause.
William Hartford smiled the smile of a victor. He knew. The thing that moved people most surely was not “fear,” but “the conviction that they could legally divide and eat another man’s flesh.”
One week later, in the morning.
Frederick, who woke as always with a slight hangover, stretched in good spirits and stepped out onto the terrace. The wide-open view of the vast golf course always refreshed him.
In particular, he was happy every day seeing his son Brandon keep up diligently, even if he was a little lazy at times. By now, Brandon had become fairly skilled at managing the beehives, and there was almost nothing Frederick needed to handle himself.
“That rascal…”
As he pictured his son’s face dotted with beads of sweat, a pleased smile rose on his lips without him realizing it. Then suddenly, he saw a black pickup truck bearing the clear logo of the Cherry Growers Cooperative approaching the luxury residential complex. The person who got out of the truck was Jim, the cooperative’s secretary, who had always been on brotherly terms with Frederick.
“Why is Jim…?”
Frederick threw on some clothes and went out, but unlike usual, Jim could not bring himself to meet Frederick’s eyes. With his head lowered, he held out a white document envelope.
“Frederick, I’m sorry. An emergency board meeting was held at midnight yesterday.”
“Board meeting? Why a board meeting all of a sudden? Did something happen?”
Frederick tore open the envelope without much concern. But the moment he read the first sentence of the document, he doubted his own eyes.
[Notice: Temporary Suspension of Your Cooperative Member Rights and Full Reallocation of Distribution Quota]
“What is this…?”
He could not continue speaking, and Jim, still with his head lowered, patted Frederick’s shoulder before returning to his car. Frederick stood there for a long while, unable to move, as if he had turned to stone.
“Brian! We’re in trouble!”
Hearing Chloe’s urgent voice first thing in the morning, I only showed my face at the winery before heading to Brentwood.
The cherry farm had stabilized now, and the pear farm and almond farm were steadily laying their foundations, so I had not been too worried. Above all, Chloe’s growth had been remarkable, and by now she had accumulated enough knowledge to put most farmers to shame.
If Chloe, who could handle most matters on her own, was calling me this urgently, there had to be a reason. So without asking for details over the phone, I arrived at Deer Ridge Country Club.
“I was waiting for you.”
Before I could even turn off the car engine, Chloe ran out and threw herself into my arms. Startled, I held her and asked,
“What’s going on?”
At that moment, seeing Frederick’s face as he came outside, I realized that something difficult had happened.
“Come in.”
He handed me a document after I entered the house. Wondering what it was, I read it slowly…
“Suspension of right to use cooperative joint marketing brand. Zero allocation for next year’s Costco and Walmart joint marketing volume. Full recovery of joint farming materials purchase subsidies. Cooperative-backed operating funds of two million dollars to be repaid by December thirty-first… They’re basically expelling you from the cooperative, aren’t they?”
“That’s right.”
Frederick nodded with a dark expression. But I tilted my head.
“You were that worried because of this?”
“Of course. Can’t you see how powerful the cooperative’s influence is?”
But I handed the document back to Mr. Frederick and smiled.
“Come on… the cooperative head made a mistake.”
“Hm?”
“I’m saying this actually worked out for the better.”