I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1431 Industrial Chain

This is also why Joseph initially asked the engineering design institute to strongly support Schramm.

Previously, the traditional method of oil extraction involved heating raw materials such as rapeseed and flaxseed to break down their cell walls, and then using a waterwheel to drive a screw to squeeze the raw materials and extract the oil.

Due to the limited power of the waterwheel and the relatively crude mechanical mechanism, multiple pressings are necessary, and a certain amount of water must be added to soak the raw materials in order to ensure that most of the oil is extracted.

The primary culprit for oil spoilage is oxidation.

Traditional pressing processes are very slow, causing the raw materials to be exposed to air for extended periods. In other words, the lifespan of freshly pressed oil is essentially reduced by more than half.

Furthermore, traditional pressing methods require repeated squeezing of the raw material, which results in a lot of material debris being mixed into the oil. This debris contains a large amount of protein, making it very susceptible to spoilage.

Therefore, oil extracted using traditional methods is difficult to preserve for more than a month, and most people buy it from oil mills whenever they need it.

Oil mills could only be built by the river, and the production volume at each time could not be large, otherwise the pressed oil would spoil if it was not sold. As for merchants, they were even less willing to transport and sell edible oil.

This has led to persistently high prices for cooking oil. Even residents of big cities like Paris can only afford to eat oil during the few months when rapeseed or olives are harvested each year. During the other seasons, they can only supplement their diet with oil by cooking cured meat.

Schramm's steam oil press uses a hydraulic device to drive the pressure plate, and the terrifying pressure can squeeze out more than 92% of the oil from the raw material in just over ten minutes.

At this point, the oil in the raw materials has not yet undergone oxidation.

Meanwhile, the steam oil press can dry the raw materials in just one pass, avoiding the impurities from mixing into the oil when the raw materials are repeatedly "kneaded".

In addition, the high efficiency of steam oil presses ensures that the raw materials are pressed before they cool down, further guaranteeing the oil yield.

All of these advantages represent a complete revolution for the edible oil industry.

Now, olive oil from the Provence region is being sold in large quantities to Paris, Lorraine and other places—the “premium pure oil” in glass bottles can easily be kept fresh for 8 months.

Rapeseed oil from western regions can last for up to 10 months without spoiling.

This led to the burgeoning business of edible oil trafficking, and more than a dozen oil shops sprang up in Paris.

On this basis, the price of cooking oil in Paris is only slightly more than 60% of what it used to be, and it continues to decline.

Joseph casually asked, "Brittany must have built large oil mills, right?"

Delat and the Speaker exchanged a glance, and Delat said somewhat awkwardly, "No one has invested in an oil press yet, Your Highness. That's why we have to buy the oil press ourselves."

Joseph couldn't help but wonder: "I remember that Brittany has high yields of rapeseed and flaxseed, so why didn't they build an oil mill?"

Mayor Saint-Malou hurriedly explained, "Your Highness, in the past, the rapeseed produced here was all bought up by merchants from Paris or Poitou."

Joseph nodded: "I suggest you mortgage the cannery to get some funds, and I'll have the Industrial Development Fund invest some money to build an oil pressing plant to utilize the rapeseed and flaxseed resources here."

"The extracted oil can be supplied to canneries, helping them reduce costs and improve the quality of canned goods."

"Canneries can produce tin cans for oil mills, and even handle the canning and sealing directly. Then, the edible oil and canned goods use the same transportation channels to be sold in major cities like Paris and Bordeaux, significantly reducing transportation costs."

This is the supply chain model of later generations.

Rapeseed planting, oil extraction, harvesting, and food processing form an industrial chain. Canneries do not need to maintain an oil extraction workshop, while oil extraction plants save on the cost of glass bottle bottling—the price of tin oil drums is only a little over one-third of that of glass bottles, and they can be stacked more than ten layers high for transportation, which is very convenient.

Saint Malou and the others immediately looked at Manager Delat.

The latter's eyes were already shining, and he nodded repeatedly, saying, "This, this is a brilliant idea!"
"With slight modifications, the edge-sealing machine can be used to seal oil tanks. Even for larger tanks, such as those containing 6 to 7 kilograms of oil, it's not impossible, but it requires the assistance of the edge-sealing machine manufacturer..."

"As for our side, if there's an oil press nearby, we could even add flaxseed oil to all the canned goods, and the cost wouldn't exceed 4 denier!"

Joseph continued, following the train of thought: "If the production of canned goods and cooking oil is large enough, I believe that someone will be willing to invest in the railway here, and you won't even have to wait for the Ministry of Transportation's plans."

He himself never expected that a casual visit to Saint Malou would lead to the design of a behemoth in the grain and oil industry.

These industries are enough to more than double the size of Brittany's economy in a short period of time!
Just as the Saint-Malou council was excitedly discussing a bill to raise funds for the oil mill, Joseph's convoy had already set off again for Brest.

Inside the carriage, Queen Mary exclaimed in amazement, "I never imagined there was such a large factory in the world. They say that almost the entire city now depends on this factory for its livelihood."

Joseph smiled and nodded: "Yes, Mother, that is the power of industrialization."

“A once inconspicuous fishing village can quickly develop into a wealthy city with the help of machines.”

"Once the oil press is built, the people here will be able to easily earn 30 francs a month."

A monthly income of 30 francs is already very close to that of a worker in Paris. It's equivalent to creating an area with the economic level of Paris in a border province like Brittany.

Of course, Parisians' incomes are also rising, especially after the opening of various railway lines, some skilled workers can even earn a monthly salary of 50 francs.

Queen Marie Antoinette suddenly recalled her years in power, during which, let alone building a giant factory in Brittany, even Paris's finances nearly collapsed...

She chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Luckily, I started 'slacking off' a long time ago, otherwise it would have mostly delayed your display of this amazing talent."

Then she remembered something else: "Oh right, I just heard Count Emmanuel say that you have more patents on these machines than your father?"

Joseph waved his hand: "Actually, most of the time I only provided some ideas. Father is the best mechanical master!"

He then changed the subject, asking, "Have you ever gone beachcombing before?"

"Huh? What's that?"

"Enjoy nature's bounty by the sea. There are still a few days until the warship's launching ceremony; let me take you to Brest for some beachcombing."

(End of this chapter)