Page 57 of When I Fall In Love

“It’s only one floor so we rarely use the elevator,” Hunter says as we scale the stairs.

“Why do you even have a second-floor office? Wouldn’t it make more sense to have everything on the first floor?”

“You’ll see. Most of our admin offices have views all over the production process. Looking into the factory the whole day makes it more real, as if we’re part of the process and not just the number crunchers or the HR function.” He glances my way as he reaches for my hand. “When you’re stuck in a cubicle the whole day, it’s easy to forget you’re part of a bigger operation.”

We reach the second floor and Hunter taps his card again to gain access. I smile as soon as I step into the bright, clean space. His signature branding is on everything, from the beautiful duck-egg blue seating area in the reception lounge, to the wallpaper with the same pencil sketches that I saw in the video on the company website. A glass-doored freezer with their products stands in one corner. It’s tastefully done in an organic kind of way.

“This way.”

We continue down a short corridor and then into a big office with one wall of floor-to-ceiling glass. Walking into the space is like tumbling slowly down a rabbit hole. It starts off with classic wooden furniture and a desk with several monitors, but beyond the glass wall, it’s all stainless steel and the low hum of machines.

I step closer. It’s massive. “Hunter—” I break off. I didn’t realize his factory was this… significant.

“Yes?” He comes to stand next to me and folds his arms over his chest.

“It’s huge.” I feel so stupid. As if I underestimated him. “What’s your turnover?”

He shrugs and names a number that makes my jaw drop. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

“Nope. Organic is growing. We can’t keep up with supply, to be honest. It’s a good market to be in.”

And as long as he can source his raw materials, it will be growing.

“This isn’t the whole space but there in the far corner you can see the big cylinder tanks. The raw milk goes into those and as soon as it arrives, we start to process it. There are a few pause points in production where we need to let the mix mature, but for the rest, it’s a constant flow day in and day out.”

Down in the factory there are several people in white coveralls and rubber boots monitoring the process. I’m stunned. “It’s a lot of stainless steel.”

“Yep. There are other sections of the factory you can’t see from here. Packaging, the bakery, the freezers and so on. The control room is on the first floor and there is also a lab and tasting kitchen where we play around.”

“Play around?”

“We develop new flavors all the time. Lucy has been coming up with fresh ideas since living in France.”

“How long is she still studying?” I glance at him. “Is she even planning to come back from France?”

“I hope so. We planned to open a couple of shops selling products directly, with the idea that she could have her own coffee shop brand once she’s back in a year’s time.”

“Lucky Lucy.”

Hunter chuckles. “She’s a workaholic and will take everything to the next level.”

“Where were you planning to set up shop?”

“Burlington to start off with, and a few other towns. For now, everything’s on hold.”

Nice. I don’t need to read between the lines here. Not only am I messing with Hunter’s business, I’m a setback for Lucy too. The hard-core lawyer in me has exited the building and for a second there I feel myself go marshmallow soft. “It will still happen.”

“Maybe. Sometimes I think selling up would be the easiest.”

“Really?” This piques my interest. “Have you had any potential buyers?”

“Over the years there have been a couple of big corporates who wanted a slice. Last year HTL Enterprises knocked on our doors.”

A cold shudder runs down my spine. “HTL Enterprises are a bunch of slimy sharks. We just worked on a hostile takeover with them that we couldn’t legally stop. More than half the workforce was restructured out… it was horrible.”

“I know. I have over eighty employees and I can’t just sell. I—” He breaks off and drags his hands through his hair. “It’s important to know who you get in bed with. For now, I’m the sole proprietor, but—”

But. If Collingwood Farm gets developed, he would have to reduce production or might need to contract with someone who wants a slice of his success for raw materials. Once they have a foot in the door, who knows where it will end.

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