Chapter 28: Nest Without Coffee

On April 16, 1919, the Forward Shipping Company was registered and established in Istanbul. The nominal owners of the company were Turkish citizens Faksnor Aylga and Alsaran Sulisk, while the actual investors were two undisclosed Austrian businessmen. The company had a registered capital of 200,000 Turkish pounds and owned a 6,500-ton ocean freighter, authorized to engage in overseas transportation and commercial trade between Turkey and South America.

Although the shipping company was established, Zhang Hainuo didn't intend to truly make his fortune through overseas shipping and trade. The primary purpose was to purchase large quantities of diesel and food legally. To camouflage their activities, they also planned to sign a couple of transportation contracts at low prices, making the goods shipped on the Fast Ship appear less "monotonous," and making it easier to pass through the Strait of Gibraltar or evade interception by the British Navy—after all, the war had just ended, and there was no guarantee that the British wouldn't continue inspecting passing merchant ships within their sphere of influence!

Just two days later, the Forward Shipping Company received its first commissioned transport deal: 2,000 Turkish handwoven carpets and 1,600 other handicraft items destined for New York. Although the auspicious opening was uplifting, the combined weight of these goods was less than 20 tons, far from Zhang Hainuo's expectations!

Low prices weren't a panacea; despite the shockingly low transportation rates offered by Forward Shipping, they faced embarrassment with no takers in the following days. Upon careful consideration, Zhang Hainuo realized that it might not be intentional neglect from the Turkish people but rather because overseas trade in this country at the beginning of the 20th century was not well developed. Many merchants simply shipped their goods to Central Europe, Western Europe, Africa, or Southeast Asia. The expansion of trade to the Americas was relatively limited. Additionally, four years of harsh war had caused many merchants to go bankrupt due to a lack of capital turnover, further contributing to the desolate state of the Turkey-to-Americas route.

Since the path of acting as agents for transportation was not viable, Zhang Hainuo had to figure out a way to purchase profitable or at least break-even goods himself. He learned from Aylga and Sulisk that before the war, Turkey was most abundant in agricultural and livestock products—fruits, barley, wheat, corn, olives, and cotton. However, unfortunately, agricultural production was also well-developed in the American countries. Brazilian cotton and American corn were both abundant and of high quality. As for livestock products, not only were the profits meager due to overseas transportation, but the loss rate during transit was also quite alarming!

After much contemplation, Zhang Hainuo began to feel a headache coming on. If he couldn't solve these problems in the short term, the subsequent chain reaction would be highly unfavorable. However, sitting on the ship, he couldn't come up with any good ideas. So, he called for Otto and Alsaran. "Let's go, let's take a stroll outside!"

At the mention of going for a walk, Alsaran was overjoyed. Although they had been in Istanbul for over a week, every time they ran errands, it was straight to the point, in and out in a hurry. They hadn't had the chance to explore the main city area of Istanbul properly. Although Alsaran was only a nominal vice president of the company, Zhang Hainuo increased his salary because of this. Now, this little guide could earn 5,000 Turkish pounds a month, which was definitely an upper-class income in Istanbul!

After disembarking, Zhang Hainuo hired three rickshaws, and in no time, they arrived at the busiest part of Istanbul. However, the capital of the Ottoman Empire at this time showed no signs of being a modern metropolis. Everywhere one looked, there were buildings steeped in rich Islamic architecture, the smell of grilled meat wafted through the air, and most people in sight were dressed in traditional Islamic attire.

The not-so-spacious streets were crowded with various shops of all sizes, including assorted barbecue restaurants, handicraft stores, jewelry shops, general merchandise stores, and cafes, all vying for people's attention. The bustling crowds moved leisurely along the streets.

In a country with a mixed population between Europe and Asia, Zhang Hainuo and Otto had little advantage in terms of physique. Upon entering the street, they quickly realized that it was packed with people, making it difficult to move fast or slow down. After a short while, the enthusiasm of the two big men for strolling around waned. So, when the rich aroma of coffee wafted over, they didn't hesitate to pull Alsaran into the café.

Although it was nearing noon, the café was still quite busy. Most tables, which seated four people, were occupied by two or three individuals. These Turkish people leisurely sipped their coffee while chatting animatedly, looking quite content.

After settling down at a table in the corner, Alsaran fiddled with a small trinket he had just bought from a roadside shop, while Zhang Hainuo and Otto eagerly surveyed the exotic café.

The café wasn't very large, but it was luxuriously decorated. That was Zhang Hainuo's first impression of the place. The layout resembled that of a high-end tea house, with each table separated by a half-high partition, providing both a connection to the outside and a degree of privacy. The tables seemed to be made of oak or mahogany, with exquisite carvings. Each table was accompanied by a magnificent table lamp, though it seemed more decorative than functional in broad daylight. The floor was covered with traditional Turkish wool carpets, giving the sensation of walking on grass.

Before long, the waiter brought a whole set of coffee utensils. The preparation and brewing of traditional Turkish coffee were highly sophisticated, as Zhang Hainuo had heard before. However, he couldn't see the earlier steps of selection, roasting, and grinding of the coffee beans in the café. Waiters clad in traditional Turkish attire poured finely ground coffee powder, sugar, and cold water into the red copper-like deep spoon-shaped coffee utensil. They then simmered it over low heat, stirring and adding water repeatedly.

During this process, Otto was curious about the peculiar-shaped coffee pots and the waiter's actions, while Alsaran, being a native Turk, was not particularly interested. Although Zhang Hainuo's eyes were also fixed on the distinctive coffee pot, his mind was racing with other thoughts.

About twenty minutes later, the coffee was ready. The waiter carefully poured the coffee from the pot into the cups for the three men. Since there was no filtering, the coffee looked very thick, with a sticky foam floating on top.

At this moment, Alsaran, who had been silent until now, spoke up, "Before drinking this coffee, you should take a little bit of the spices from the saucer, smell it, and then savor it slowly!"

Zhang Hainuo and Otto had never encountered authentic Turkish coffee before. They followed Alsaran's lead, taking a small pinch of the spices from the exquisite saucers and sprinkling them into their cups. As they lifted the cups to their noses for a sniff, they found that it smelled the same as what they had smelled on the street, but much richer.

They both took a sip simultaneously. This sip reminded Zhang Hainuo of Mark Twain's classic description: "I took a sip of coffee, strong and bitter, and though it was just a small cup, those coffee grounds stubbornly lodged in my throat and chest, making it hard for me to breathe, and I coughed for half an hour..."

"After putting down the cups," Zhang Hainuo asked, "Otto, do you know about instant coffee?"

"Instant coffee?" Otto shook his head immediately, the term seemed completely unfamiliar to him.

"What about Nestlé?" Zhang Hainuo asked with a curious tone.

"I've heard of that. It's a very famous Swiss food company, seems to specialize in baby food!" Otto took another sip of Turkish coffee. "Oh, and Nestlé's condensed milk products are also well-known!"

It turned out that Nestlé was already quite famous at this time. Zhang Hainuo's interest was piqued. "What about Nestlé coffee? I mean, does Nestlé produce coffee?"

Otto thought for a while, then shook his head. "It doesn't seem so!"

At this moment, Zhang Hainuo had an additional idea.

On April 24th, Ferri Shipping signed a long-term cooperation agreement with Istanbul's largest coffee merchant, acquiring the exclusive sales rights for this coffee from eastern Turkey in the entire Americas for the next twenty years at a price of 35,000 Turkish pounds, and also purchased batches of top, middle, and low-grade Turkish coffee beans on the spot.