Let's start over, Your Majesty.

Chapter 75 The Blue Ocean Market for Beverages

"Huh? Why didn't you say so earlier?" Leon said.

"Oh? That's such a pity, meow. This is my dad's specialty, hand-drip coffee," Mika said regretfully.

Caesar glanced at the portly cat-like owner behind the bar, his lips twitching. Although he knew it wasn't the same concept, he still couldn't accept it.

"Um, do you have anything else to drink?"

“Oh, then you can try this,” Mika pointed to a drink called Gugu Tea at the end of the menu.
"This is our secret drink, but whether it tastes good or not is subjective; some people love it, while others can't stand it," Mika said.

Hearing her say that, Caesar hesitated for a moment, but still ordered a drink called Gugu Tea, which was very cheap, only 3 daca a cup.

A large glass was quickly brought to him.

When he saw the cup of "tea," he was slightly stunned, and for a moment he had a hallucination.

This cup of "tea," in terms of its color, aroma, and even the tiny bubbles rising within, looks remarkably like the brand I remember.

He picked up the cup and took a sip.

Instantly, the taste from his memory was awakened, and for a moment he seemed to return to that distant afternoon in his past life, holding the cold bottle and listening to the popping sound coming from under the cap.

Even the taste is so similar, but this one I'm drinking now is much more bitter, probably because no sugar was added, and it's not fizzy enough either.
However, the most basic flavor is almost the same, with that kind of cheap and addictive quality that is captivating.

I never expected to be able to get him a Coca-Cola here!

Although sparkling water is a beverage in the world, a representative brand has yet to emerge, leaving this market untapped and representing a vast blue ocean.

The potential of Coca-Cola has already been witnessed in the past. It is one of the most valuable brands. Even though marketing plays a large part, it would not have achieved such success without the solid foundation of the product itself.

"How is it? Pretty good, right?" Mika said.

Caesar nodded: "It's just a bit too bitter."

"This is our family's traditional recipe, and some people just like that bitter taste! Haha!"

Just then, the owner behind the bar suddenly came over and said with a big smile,
"This recipe was passed down from my grandfather, but I've made some improvements by adding sparkling water to make it even more refreshing!"

"Forget it, it's bitter and pungent, drinking this is like torture," Leon said, waving his hand.

“I already said some people like it and some people don’t!” Mika said to him.

Caesar, holding the cup, asked, "Boss, what are the ingredients for this tea?"

"There are many ingredients, but the main one we use is a kind of fruit from my hometown called brown fruit. Let me tell you, we can drink it as medicine back home. After drinking it, you'll feel energetic and won't feel tired at all when you're working," the boss laughed.

"It's actually similar to how coffee keeps you awake; Dad's exaggeration is way off," Mika said.

"Is the price very cheap?" Caesar asked.

"That's true. The cost isn't high either. You can make a big can at once, otherwise I wouldn't be able to sell you eight calories, right?"

"Do you have syrup? And sparkling water?" Caesar asked again.

The boss asked his wife, who was in the kitchen, to bring out a jar of syrup.

Without hesitation, Caesar added several large spoonfuls of syrup and poured in a whole glass of sparkling water.

"Wow, you're eating something so sweet?" Leon was dumbfounded.

Caesar took another sip after mixing the ingredients.

That's right. Although it's not quite the same as the original in some respects, it's exactly the same taste I remember, with a similarity of nearly 95%.

He took a cup, poured a small amount, and pushed it in front of Leon.

"Try it." "No, it's definitely too sweet."

"This coffee is on me."

Leon picked up the cola and took a big gulp.

After putting it down, his expression was distorted by the carbon dioxide, but after he recovered, his eyes lit up.

"That's interesting. After adding sugar, the original bitterness is neutralized, which creates a certain layering of flavors, and it also seems to make the bubbles more palatable."

Caesar turned to look at the boss and said seriously.

"Boss, have you ever thought about marketing this drink?"

"What you're saying is that this is a niche drink, prepared for people who like the taste. Most people think it tastes strange," the owner said, waving his hand.

"Besides, our business is small, and we only occasionally recommend it to customers. We don't have the time or energy to do much marketing."

So, there's a reason why Coca-Cola is only spreading on a small scale right now, and its flavor hasn't really taken shape yet.

However, the current era is definitely influenced by environmental factors, as in recent years, a trend of rejecting alcohol has emerged, with many celebrities speaking out to boycott alcoholic beverages.

This perfectly fulfilled one of the key conditions for Coca-Cola's market expansion under the Prohibition era.

“Then how about you sell me this formula?” Caesar said.

"No way, this is my family's recipe. I would never pass it on, even if it rotted in my hands." The boss immediately waved his hand.

"How about I invest? I'll help you with the marketing and sales afterwards, I'll provide the capital, and I'll cover any losses," Caesar said with a faint smile. "Of course, we'll need to sign a legally binding contract with an official seal."

This was a huge opportunity that he didn't want to miss. There was a whole gold mine waiting for him to dig for. If everything went smoothly, it could probably solve his funding problems directly.

The boss frowned, looking at the boy who appeared to be around ten years old, but finally smiled.

"Hehe, thanks for your support, young man. But if you can come to the store a few more times in the future, that would be a great help to me."

"Here's ten thousand gold coins, consider it a deposit." Caesar pulled out a stack of dark green banknotes from his bag, and everyone around was stunned. Only then did the shopkeeper realize that the child was not joking.

"Wow, you're serious?" Leon stared dumbfounded at the stack of banknotes.

"You..." The boss was at a loss.

"What you say is possible, but how will you, a child, manage?" The boss looked at him hesitantly.

"There's always a way; people are never intimidated by difficulties," Caesar said with a faint smile.

"If you're willing, we can sign the contract tomorrow."

Leaving the coffee shop, Leon still couldn't believe that he had just brought Caesar there for a coffee and ended up spending 10,000 gold taels.

"Are you alright? Could there be something in that tea that made you lose your senses?" he asked blankly.

"I didn't know you were so rich, but you can't spend money like this."

"Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine," Caesar said.

He was certainly gambling, but given the current situation, he had no way out if he didn't gamble.
At least from his forward-thinking perspective, Coca-Cola definitely has huge market potential in this era, and it's never a bad idea to give it a try.

However, he lacks sufficient understanding of modern product marketing procedures, and given his limited time, it would be quite strenuous for him to handle the entire buying and selling process single-handedly.
Therefore, he needed a loyal subject, Peyton Hayward.

What he needs to do now is to register a trademark as soon as possible and choose a brand name that is no less impressive than Coca-Cola's.

(End of this chapter)