He brings his nose to the cup and inhales sharply.
Damn. I can tell he抯 not just faking it, which shocks me.
If the drinks are good enough to satisfy a billionaire抯 palate, imagine the blowout this could be with everyone else.
揇elicious. I抳e never tasted anything quite like it.?He pauses reverently before he says, 揥e just opened two new Hawaiian resorts. One on Lanai, and the other on the big island. I抳e been searching high and low for extras to stand out. Everything from volcanic spa soaps to bamboo tree houses. I抦 involved with approving the menus in our restaurants personally. And the minute I tasted this, it hit me like a truck. This coffee could elevate every meal we serve.?
Two Hawaiian hotels? Shit, the Winthropes never stop.
He stares at me like he抯 making an offer I抎 be a certified lunatic to refuse. I wonder how many deals those hawkish eyes alone have sealed.
揂re you looking for exclusivity??I ask, turning over what this means. The scorched drinks are a critical part of Wired Cup抯 new vision for the public. I can抰 just abandon that. However, a deal with Brock Winthrope could be ridiculously lucrative.
揥hat do you think??He cocks his head, his face set like a mask.
Damn. No wonder he抯 been on the Forbes Thirty Under Thirty list for most of the last decade.
揕isten, I抎 love to do business with you, but I have to think about this. These drinks are slated for our new product launch next quarter. If you抮e asking for these recipes, exclusively, I can抰 promise that.?
The way he looks at me says I抦 making a big mistake. It also tells me he hasn抰 been turned down much梚f at all梑efore.
So what? Is the man shocked and appalled that someone might actually pass on becoming part of a Winthrope hotel抯 magic?
揥ired Cup is a highly successful regional chain. Why the change up??he asks slowly.
I open my mouth, but before I can get a word out, he snaps his fingers.
揙h, wait! Are you trying to go national? I know people who can help with that.?
I clear my throat. 揘o, not exactly. We抳e had ample opportunities for that, but I have better quality control sticking to the West Coast. We抎 have to refine new drinks for Midwestern and East Coast tastes, and that means Wired Cup becomes another Green Mermaid knockoff. Perish the fucking thought,?I growl under my breath.
That wins me a rough laugh.
揟ell us how you really feel! So why the new direction then? Hasn抰 Wired Cup stood by its legacy flavors for decades? You抮e obviously after something special with the new drinks,?he says pointedly.
I brace for a backhanded insult.
If he calls my coffee reliable, there抯 no goddamned chance he gets a campfire roast in any of his resorts. No matter how much money he showers on me.
揂nd what do you think that legacy is??
揃old, consistent flavors, right??He cocks his head. 揂 taste everybody knows and remembers.?
I抣l let that consistent comment slide.
揑 might be able to work out a deal with exclusivity based on the new beverage line梚f you抮e really interested,?I say with a nod.
The thumbs-up he gives me comes with a wolfish smile.
揇amn right I am. There抯 one big catch梕verything at the resorts is locally sourced. We抮e pushing sustainability hard for the green crowd, and I抦 a man of my word. That coffee can抰 be sourced from anywhere outside the islands.?
Fuck.
That gives me serious pause.
Pure Kona coffee is expensive and in short supply, even if I do own significant farms there. And our common Hawaiian blends are at least thirty percent Kona bean mixed with others, unlike many others with the label that have far less Kona bean.
Then again, if Winthrope wants to pay out the ass for pure Kona coffee, this could be lucrative.
揑 can do that,?I say. 揟hough I抦 sure you抮e aware that pure Kona blends don抰 come cheap??I hope my eyes aren抰 full of dollar signs.
揟hat抯 part of the charm, isn抰 it? Fortunately, the average Winthrope guest puts experience over price. If their day begins with a fourteen-dollar coffee drink pressed exclusively from the best Kona beans, they抣l pony up.?
As a man who抯 life-deep in the coffee business, he抯 right. High-end Kona blends are worth the hype. It would be hard for even the most unsophisticated palette not to know the difference between a pure Hawaiian blend and your run of the mill mix.
I need to think this through, though. Taking on a project like this while I抦 in the middle of a big launch could stretch us paper thin.
揗y card,?Winthrope says, pushing a hefty piece of aluminum into my hands. 揓ust scan the QR code for my contact.?
There抯 a crowd flowing around us now. A few other people butt in, complimenting the new coffee before the next session starts. When I look back, there抯 no sign of Brock Winthrope.