1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 41 The Generous Rich Man
There were so many people in front of the stall that Ronan didn't notice Olivier's arrival.

Olivier almost 'shook' his huge palm onto his face, and Ronan realized that this big guy seemed to be a little fatter than the last time they met.

"Ronan, my good friend!" Olivier opened his arms, as warmly as old friends who had not seen each other for many years.

"Mr. Olivier?" Ronan said in surprise, "What a coincidence."

"Yes, what a coincidence, we meet here!" Olivier's tone was so natural, as if he met a friend on the way to buy bread. It was completely invisible that he had just run hundreds of meters with his fat body.

"I'm a bit busy now. Let's have a couple of drinks next time." Ronan nodded at him and turned to serve other customers who asked questions.

Olivier 'suddenly' discovered the big truffle on the stall and pulled Ronan's head back again:

"Oh my God, you picked this?"

"Yeah, good luck this week." Ronan shrugged with a smile.

Olivier continued:
"How much is it? I need this for my restaurant."

Ronan patiently explained the sales rules that he had repeated countless times to him, but because they were acquaintances, he explained them in more detail:
"Large truffles cannot be sold by weight, and I don't have time to go to Avignon or Marseille to find a formal market notarization, so I simply put it up for auction here. Whoever offers the highest price before 11:30 noon will be the owner, and multiple bids are allowed."

"Interesting way of selling." Olivier stroked his beard.

It seems that Ronan has no idea about the market price of premium truffles.

If it was Lucas, he would definitely mark a very 'expensive' price, and even if it sold slowly, he would definitely find a buyer because Provence has no shortage of rookies like Ronan.

Since Ronan wants to make quick money, now is his chance!

"Then let me make an offer too," Olivier said calmly.

"Okay." Ronan picked up the notebook and waited expectantly for the quote.

"How heavy is it?"

"1293 grams."

Olivier thought for a few seconds and then said:
"20000 francs."

This truffle could be sold for 25000 francs in the market in Marseille, and with luck it could even sell for more than 3 francs.

Ronan hesitated for a moment and did not write anything in the notebook. Instead, he said to Olivier:

"Okay, I get it. You can go hang out somewhere else or have a cup of coffee. I'll announce the results at 11:."

Olivier noticed that Ronan's reaction was not right:
"Why don't you write it down?"

Ronan put the book down:
“I only record the highest price”

What this means is that the price you offered is not enough.

Olivier thought for a moment and offered another price:
"25000 francs."

Ronan remained indifferent.

Olivier was a little surprised. Was there really a fool who would buy it at the market price in the market of Mena Village?
However, he guessed that his bid was not far from the highest bid, so he made another bid:
"30000 francs."

This price is already in line with the market price in Marseille.

Ronan smiled and shook his head at him.

Isn’t it the highest yet?

"May I know what the highest price is now?" Olivier asked with a frown.

Ronan opened the book and turned it over to show him:
“It’s not really a secret.”

Olivier rubbed his eyes:
"37000? How could anyone offer 37000 francs?"

This is higher than the market price in Marseille!
Is this person crazy?

"Who came up with this?" Olivier asked speechlessly.

He really wanted to punch that idiot.

He was determined to get this truffle, but his heart was bleeding after spending so much on it!

Ronan pointed diagonally forward:

"That gentleman is drinking coffee over there."

Olivier left the noisy crowd and walked in the direction Ronan pointed.

Mad!
Olivier swore that he would give that guy a good lesson when he saw him.

Let that rookie stop being so arrogant.

But when he pushed open the door of the cafe angrily, he was surprised to find that all the people sitting inside were familiar faces, and there was not a single stranger.

"Taylor, Arthur, Noah, Isaac." Olivier stood at the door in a daze, "You all are here?"

These are all restaurant owners like Olivier.

The young man named Taylor smiled and said to the others:
"Look, we have a new member in our 'League of Losers'. Olivier, tell us what price you quoted?"

Olivier sat down heavily on his chair and looked at them with wide eyes.
"Tell me! Who paid that damn price? Are you guys crazy about being on the Michelin Guide?"

If these people offered 37000 francs, Olivier would understand.

Like him, they also came here with the dream of "soaring into the sky".

Everyone laughed for a while, and looked towards the farthest corner, which was so remote that no one noticed it when Olivier came in.

"That price was quoted by Mr. Jacques," someone reminded.

Mr. Jacques?

Olivier almost fell off his chair. That was the owner of a real Michelin restaurant!

And it has two Michelin stars!!
The auction went smoothly.

The people at Olivier's table raised the price several times, but no matter how much they offered, the man named Jacques would raise the price to get it back.

In the end, this truffle, which was worth 2.5 to 3.5 francs in the Marseille market, was sold for 41000 francs.

At 11:30, a middle-aged man wearing a tweed coat, black-framed glasses and with white hair on his temples came to the stall. Ronan had prepared the truffles in advance and even tied a bow on them for a romantic touch.

"You got it in the end." Ronan handed the truffle to Jacques with a smile.

This is the customer who came to the market last week specifically to buy giant truffles, and he came again today.

Jacques handed the check to Ronan:
"Please save these good truffles for me next time."

After being introduced by Olivier and others, Ronan already knew the identity of this important man.

There are more than 30 Michelin restaurants in Provence, most of which are one-star, five are two-star, and one is three-star.

Mr. Jacques is the owner of one of the two-star Michelin restaurants.

Michelin is a French tire company founded in 1889 by brothers Edouard and André Michelin.

The wheels follow the car, and the service follows the car - this is the business philosophy that Michelin originally followed.

In 1900, during the Paris World Exposition, the brothers decided to include information about restaurants, hotels, gas stations and repair shops in the Michelin Guide to serve driving travelers.

In the first 20 years, the Michelin Guide was distributed free of charge. By chance, they witnessed with their own eyes that the manual became a "foot" book - it was used by workers in a maintenance shop to prop up table legs.

This discovery led to two consequences. One was that Michelin suddenly realized the truth that "free = garbage"; the other was that from then on, people all over the world had to pay to get the Michelin Guide.

The Michelin Guide is divided into two types: red and green.

The Green Book is a guide for itinerary planning, attraction recommendations and roads.

The Red Book provides guidance on accommodation and meals.

The latter has been published in over 100 countries, with total sales exceeding 10 million copies, making it the world's best-selling food guide in the past 100 years.

It’s not easy to get on the Red Book.

Michelin employs a group of "iron-tongued and selfless" judges who pay out of their own pockets and visit restaurants incognito. The cooking level, service and even decoration are all among the things they examine. What's more stringent is that the Michelin Guide is updated every year.

Restaurants that are lucky enough to be featured in the Michelin Guide will receive at least one knife and fork logo, and up to five.

The star is a symbol of honor:
One star: preferred when there are many restaurants nearby.

Two stars: A delicious restaurant worth a detour.

Three stars: The best restaurants worth planning a special trip to try.

This shows that Mr. Jacques's status in the Provence catering industry is second only to one person.

"Can I ask you a question?" Ronan called out to Mr. Jacques who was about to leave.

Jacques leaned forward and said politely:

"of course can."

"Why did you buy it at a price higher than the market price? My friend who runs a restaurant said that the market price of this truffle is not that expensive." Ronan asked curiously.

Ten minutes ago, Olivier fiercely accused Jacques of "disrupting the market", and Ronan realized that even if this truffle was put on the market in Marseille, the price would not exceed 35000 francs.

Olivier fought for it in order to impact Michelin, so why would Mr. Jacques, who was already a leader, spend a high price to buy it?

Jacques tilted his head and thought for a moment:
“Maybe that’s why they don’t run Michelin restaurants.”

Ronan was stunned.

I didn't expect that Mr. Jacques, who looks gentle and refined, could say such domineering words.

Then he thought of something Olivier once said - many high-end restaurants in Nice and Marseille would purchase truffles at prices higher than the market price because those channels have a stable supply.

So they are not only willing to pay a high price for 'stable', but also for good quality truffles?
"Okay, I understand." Ronan smiled and said, "It's a pity that this year's picking season is over. If I pick the best goods next picking season, I will definitely keep them for you."

"Thank you." Jacques responded politely again.

He turned around and took two steps, then suddenly stopped and asked Ronan:

"Can I ask you a question."

"Of course." Ronan put down what he was holding and looked up in confusion.

"Why do you want to use the auction format? Is it because you heard that we are generous?" Jacques asked expressionlessly.

Hearing this question, Ronan didn't know whether to laugh or cry:
"In fact, I didn't think it would be sold at such a high price. I was even prepared to lose money. I started the auction because I wanted to make more friends."

Zoe's advice yesterday made Ronan realize the importance of "eating" in Provence.

Even if he doesn't sell things in the market in the future, it will be difficult to avoid this area.

What he lacks now is resources in this area.

If we can have huge upstream resources like Olivier, the road to future development in Provence will be much smoother.

Especially since these people are of such high quality.
Oh my god, Ronan really loves these rich people who only care about speed and quality without considering money.

A fixed-price transaction can only make you know one friend, but you can develop friendships with every participant in the auction.

Didn’t buy it this time?
Don’t be anxious, my friend. I will definitely think of you next time when something good happens!
I believe no one would refuse to make friends with a truffle hunter like Ronan.

Jacques smiled and waved goodbye to Ronan:
"Congratulations on having a new friend. My restaurant is in Bonnieux Village. I'll be there every day except Tuesday and Saturday mornings. If you have time, come over for a drink."

(End of this chapter)