African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 201: Chapter 189 Lime

”Woo...” The steamship’s whistle echoed across the entire dock.

The ocean-going vessel was ready to depart. Ernst was currently on the dock, bidding farewell to his old father, while Constantine stood on the ship, waving to Ernst.

Even though the dock was bustling with people, a sense of loneliness welled up from deep inside. Ernst remained in place until the Peace completely disappeared from view before coming back to his senses.

This was probably the first time father and son were separated by such a distance. Previously, Prince Constantine would occasionally go on business trips to Berlin or travel around Europe, but he never felt this sense of distance before.

...

In Berlin.

”Are you sure this thing is reliable? You haven’t added anything strange in it, have you?” Ernst asked.

”Boss, this is made from all-natural ingredients. We’ve conducted repeated experiments, with our researchers taking the first sip. We then conducted tests on lab mice, followed by high-dose trials with the experimenters themselves, guaranteeing its safety,” Richter replied.

To reassure Ernst, Richter poured a cup from the large container into a cup using the faucet and drank it all in one go.

”How do you find the taste?” Ernst asked.

”The taste is absolutely fine. Compared with the sugary carbonated drinks on the market, it’s definitely more enjoyable and interesting. ’Burp,’” Richter said with a burp.

Ernst also took a cup, pressed the faucet, and the large glass container descended slightly as the cup quickly filled up.

The unknown beverage in the cup appeared transparent and was filled with tiny bubbles, especially when first poured. They kept rising and eventually stabilized.

Ernst took a small sip, and a familiar yet unfamiliar taste hit him. Although it wasn’t summer yet, he felt a refreshing sensation.

”Not bad!” Ernst commented.

It felt like Sprite from his past life, but as soon as he tasted it, Ernst knew this wasn’t Sprite. This unique taste was also his first encounter in two lifetimes.

In his previous life, there might have been drinks with a similar taste on the market, but he had only tried a few of the most common ones.

”Does this contain lemon, carbonated water, sugar, and what else?” Ernst asked Richter.

”Salt, various spices, honey, and a bunch of other natural ingredients,” Richter answered.

”How about the cost?”

”For the cup in your hand, the cost is certainly significant, as we use the best ingredients available. For a civilian version, we can reduce the cost to a very low level, positioning it in the mid to low range compared to existing beverages, ensuring affordability for many common folk,” Richter replied.

Of course, for many, that affordability is still questionable. In this era, many hover around the subsistence line, but there are also quite a few with spare wealth in Europe, making the beverage market quite promising.

”A civilian version? So, what I’m holding is a ’luxury’ version,” Ernst remarked.

”Boss, nobles definitely prefer the real deal. The difference in experience across different consumption levels lies in this. Actually, the civilian version and the noble-exclusive drinks have no difference in taste,” Richter explained.

”Have we named this sugared water yet?” Ernst noted that Richter also used the term beverage.

”Not yet. Why not have you name it, Boss?” Richter suggested.

”Hmm, let me think about it,” Ernst pondered.

Honestly, Ernst was tempted to directly borrow the name Sprite, but he felt this carbonated drink, albeit similar to the Sprite from his past life, was certainly not the same thing.

Moreover, this was a product painstakingly developed by his staff, and directly using the Sprite name felt somewhat disrespectful to their work.

So, Ernst asked, ”Do you have any suggestions yourself?”

”If I were to name it, I’d definitely use a person’s name, as many beverages are named this way,” Richter replied.

”Richter Brand!” Ernst asked?

”Of course, it should be under your name, Boss!” Richter responded with self-awareness, even though Richter Brand sounded pretty good.

”Let’s skip that. Naming it after a person always feels odd to me,” Ernst shook his head.

No matter whose name was used, Ernst found it somewhat tacky. Influenced by his past life, Ernst wasn’t used to using personal names for products, even though it was common practice of the era, both in the East and the West.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit Ernst, and he proposed, ”Since this drink uses lemon, why not call it ’Lime’ Sparkling Water?”

”Boss, that name seems a bit plain,” Richter commented.

”Why?” Ernst asked.

”Our product is essentially a lemon beverage. Naming it ’Lime’ feels a bit too straightforward. However, adding sparkling water does give it an interesting, playful touch,” Richter said.

”Straightforward names have their merits. Our drink is meant for the masses, and naming it ’Lime’ gives consumers a direct impression that it’s a botanical drink like beer, tea, or coffee.

I plan to directly design a lemon-themed logo on the glass bottle. Imagine summer’s scorching heat; a lemon can evoke a strong desire to take a refreshing sip,” Ernst mused, recalling the concept of salivating at the mere thought of sourness, naturally stimulating people’s taste buds.

Lemons hold significant historical importance in Europe, especially introduced during the Age of Exploration from the East and widely cultivated, particularly along the Mediterranean coast.

In the 17th century, Europe suffered another outbreak of the Black Death, with France being a major location. The European death toll exceeded thirty thousand. Apart from Paris, no major French city was spared. Some believed it was the then-popular soft drink lemon water that saved Parisians.

In the 18th century, lemon water was first identified by the British as having miraculous effects against scurvy and became an essential companion for sailors.

Looking at this, just the aspect of lemon beverages alone makes ’Lime’ more marketable than early medically-sold Coca-Cola.

After all, lemon water was indeed used extensively in Europe as medicine, making it easily accepted by Europeans.

Speaking of Coca-Cola, Ernst had considered creating a similar drink, but struggled to recall Coca-Cola’s main ingredients.

When he made requests to the researchers at the time, they couldn’t figure out what Ernst was referring to, remembering only the caramel color.

’Lime’ was eventually concocted, as the Sprite label with that large lemon was vividly remembered by Ernst, combined with the requests for sweetness, bubbles, and other features.

’Lime’ was thus developed, although it truly had a different taste from Sprite. Yet, Ernst was very satisfied after tasting it, feeling it was a soda that matched Sprite in flavor. With good marketing, its future sales should be promising.

”Alright, I’m very pleased with your accomplishments this time. Keep researching, think of ways to further reduce costs. Once my beverage factory in Austria is set up, we’ll start production, and there will be plenty of benefits for all of you,” Ernst said to Richter and the others.