Chapter 23: Cheap and Good Quality Isn’t Found Only at Daiso

“Pardon? Oh…… Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. It’s not a large farm, so it’s not very well-known.”

“How many heads do you raise?”

“About 2,000?”

I quickly did the math in my head.

2,000 heads meant it was a medium-sized farm.

In our country, farms that raise between 1,000 and 5,000 heads are the most common size.

There are also over 100 places that raise more than 10,000 heads.

If it was 2,000 heads, based on a 6-month rearing period, about 330 heads would be shipped every month.

Since one pig yields 14kg of pork belly…… that’s 4,600kg per month.

Even with a conservative estimate on the yield, it was over 3,000kg per month.

If our shop could just sell 50kg of pork belly a day, that would be 1,500kg a month.

If things really take off, even up to 100kg…….

Then it would be 3,000kg per month.

It’s enough!!

No, rather, it’s plenty.

However, Boss Shim said he only manages to sell a few orders a day.

Then, what about the rest?

‘He probably hands them over to other places for cheap…… or his younger brother disposes of them through other routes.’

To think he was selling this kind of quality without getting its proper value.

Even if it was someone else’s business, it was a real shame.

This time, I flipped the pork belly this way and that, examining it closely again.

No matter how I looked at it, the fat layers were at an excellent level by 2025 standards.

“Boss, how much are you selling this for right now?”

Boss Shim hesitated.

“I’m giving it for 2,300 won per 100g. That’s 23,000 won per kg.”

“What? 2,300 won??!!”

Boss Shim let out a long sigh.

“Actually, when my brother calculated the production cost, he said we need to get at least 2,500 won. What with the feed costs and labor costs…….”

“But why 2,300 won?”

“It’s because I’m not good at sales…… If I ask for 2,500 won, everyone says it’s too expensive and won’t buy it.”

Min-jae cut in.

“Hyung, then you’re selling it at a loss?”

Boss Shim smiled bitterly.

“Even then, people say it’s too expensive and ask for it at 2,200 won…….”

“Then, what about the remaining volume?”

“My brother hands it over to another wholesaler…… but I don’t know much about that part.”

Boss Choi, who was watching from the side, clicked his tongue again.

“Then, isn’t Boss Shim’s place completely in the red?”

“Yes…… my brother works with almost no income. But since it’s still in the red…….”

Boss Shim’s shoulders slumped even further.

I did the math again.

It was more expensive than Mega Meat, but since the quality was overwhelmingly better…….

“Boss, would it be possible for me to see your brother’s farm in person?”

Boss Shim looked startled.

It seemed I was the first person to show interest in his brother’s farm.

“The farm?”

“Yes, after seeing the meat, I’m curious about the farm…… would that be okay?”

Boss Choi and Min-jae had puzzled expressions on their faces.

“Jun-ho, is there really a need to go that far? You’ve already seen the meat anyway.”

“Exactly, hyung. Let’s just take a rough look and go. Icheon is far to get to. The shop is empty, too.”

But my thoughts were different.

I had to confirm whether this quality was just a fluke seen in this piece of meat, or if it was truly a special farm.

If the information I saw was true, this was an opportunity I shouldn’t miss.

“No. I have to see it for myself.”

Boss Shim, while flustered, quickly took out his cell phone.

“I’ll try contacting my brother right now. Just a moment…….”

Min-jae approached and poked me rapidly in the side.

What a troublesome guy to bring along.

He’s like a nagging mother-in-law.

“Hyung, have you lost it? Leaving the shop empty to go all the way to Icheon? What are you going to say to your father? That you went to look at pork belly and ended up going to see a farm?”

“It’ll really only take a moment.”

“A moment? It’s 11:00 AM now, if we do a 3-hour round trip plus the farm tour…… we won’t even be able to prepare for the afternoon business. We came out without even organizing the boxes.”

“The farm tour won’t take long.”

“The online orders will be piled up like crazy…… Haa…… if the shipping gets delayed…….”

Stopping mid-sentence, Min-jae shoved his reluctant face right in front of my eyes.

“No, but looking at this, the part-timer is worrying more about the shop than the boss. Isn’t this a bit of a perverted situation? Don’t you think so? Boss Choi?”

Min-jae squinted at Boss Choi and sent a wink, requesting help.

It was a signal for Boss Choi to stop me.

However, Boss Choi chuckled as if it were interesting and shrugged his shoulders.

“I suppose your smart boss has something he needs to check. I’ve experienced it a few times, and you can’t break Jun-ho’s stubbornness.”

Just then, it seemed Boss Shim had connected with his brother.

“Hello? Yeah, Young-su, it’s me. There’s someone here who came to see the meat…… and he says he wants to see our farm.”

A surprised voice leaked out through the phone speaker.

(What? Really? He wants to see the farm? Tell him to come. But when?)

Boss Shim looked at me.

“When are you available?”

“ I’ll go right now.”

Min-jae let out a gasp.

“Are you really going?”

“Of course.”

Boss Shim hung up the phone and returned to his spot.

“My brother says you can stop by now.”

“Yes, thank you. Please let me know the address.”

I pulled the arm of the hesitating Min-jae and stood up.

“Min-jae, let’s go.”

“Ah…… yes yes, I get it.”

“Okay. Boss Choi, you go on ahead. We’ll be back from the farm.”

“Hehe, this fellow really…… alright, I got it. Have a safe trip.”

While heading to the truck, Min-jae grumbled.

“Hyung, the round trip to Icheon will take at least three hours.”

“So?”

“You could have just bought the meat…….”

I said as I grabbed the steering wheel.

“Min-jae, good meat doesn’t happen by accident.”

“What does that mean?”

“The farm has to be special for the meat to be special. And…….”

I started the truck.

“It’s my gut feeling, but there’s something about this farm.”

“That gut feeling again…… well, since it’s right every time, I have nothing to say.”

The truck slowly pulled away from the front of the shop.

I entered the Icheon address into the navigation.

-Estimated time of arrival: 1 hour and 17 minutes-

Boss Shim was still standing in front of the shop, looking at us with an expectant expression.

His figure seen through the side mirror gradually grew smaller.

‘Brotherly Clean Farm, huh…….’

It was a farm whose name felt affectionate from the start.

The truck left the Icheon city area and entered a quiet country road.

Rice paddies and fields stretched out beside the road, and vinyl greenhouses could be seen occasionally.

Min-jae said as he looked out the window.

“Hyung, from here on, it’s real countryside.”

“The air is good.”

“You’re right. It smells completely different from Seoul.”

The navigation guided us.

-Turn right in 300 meters-

As we entered a narrow farm road, the sign for Brotherly Clean Farm came into view.

A simple sign made of wood.

“Hyung, it’s over there! Turn right here!”

After a short, sharp curve, the farm entrance appeared immediately.

The first impression was…… clean.

It wasn’t the image that came to mind when thinking of a pig farm.

“Oh? Hyung, it’s better than I thought?”

Min-jae seemed surprised as well.

The entrance was properly equipped with quarantine facilities.

A sign saying ‘Disinfection mandatory before entry’ was hung largely, and a disinfection tank was installed.

“Hyung, what is that?”

“It’s a vehicle disinfection facility. It removes bacteria stuck to the wheels.”

As the truck passed over the disinfection tank, disinfectant was automatically sprayed.

Chshhh— Chshhh—

“Oh, automatic!”

“They spent some money. The installation cost for that isn’t cheap.”

Upon entering the farm, the livestock sheds were visible.

About 10 pigsties were arranged at regular intervals.

Min-jae suddenly sniffed the air.

“Hyung, but there’s not much of a pig manure smell at the farm.”

“You’re right.”

“Usually, the smell is overwhelming even just getting near a farm.”

Just as Min-jae said, the smell here was certainly minimal.

I started to wonder what the reason was.

“Look at that. It looks like a ventilation facility?”

Large fans were spinning on the roof of each pigsty.

Whirrr— Whirrr—

The sound was constant.

“I guess they run those all day long.”

“The electricity bill must be huge.”

Looking around, trees were planted between the sheds.

Are those poplars?

Tall trees were acting as windbreaks.

“Hyung, what’s that over there?”

In the place Min-jae pointed to, there was a small building.

It was labeled ‘Feed Storage.’

“It’s a feed warehouse.”

“It’s huge. How much feed would it take for 2,000 heads?”

“Based on the pre-shipment stage, one pig eats about 2-3kg.”

“Whoa…… for 2,000 pigs, that’s massive.”

Just then, music could be heard from the pigsty.

It was classical. Is this Mozart?

Min-jae chuckled.

“They really play music for them! Do pigs even understand music?”

“It’s said to have a stress-reduction effect. Well, I don’t know for sure, but wouldn’t it be better than not doing it?”

“That’s fascinating…….”

Going next to the pigsty, there was a space like a playground.

A few pigs were roaming around in an outdoor area surrounded by a fence.

“Oh? The pigs are outside!”

“It’s a pig playground. I guess they take turns coming out to exercise.”

The pigs were playing by digging in the dirt.

They looked stress-free.

“Hyung, those pigs look completely happy. Though they’ll be shipped out soon…….”

“Indeed. It looks much better than being trapped in a cramped space.”

On one side of the farm, a compost treatment facility was also visible.

It was a closed type, structured so that smells wouldn’t leak out.

“They must have invested quite a bit for this level, right?”

“That’s why the production cost is high.”

Min-jae nodded.

“Hyung, but it really is clean. When I passed by the pig farm in my grandfather’s neighborhood, I couldn’t even breathe.”

“It seems they manage it well.”

I parked the car in a suitable spot and looked around for a moment.

Then, someone ran over from afar.

A man in his late 30s.

He had a face that resembled Boss Shim, but his skin was tanned by the sun.

“Hello! I’m Shim Young-su! I heard from my brother.”

His voice was booming.

He seemed to have a personality completely opposite to his brother’s.

Min-jae whispered in my ear.

“Hyung, the younger brother should be the one coming to Majang-dong.”

“Haha, true.”

Shim Young-su smiled brightly and offered a handshake.

I could feel the rough callouses on his palm.

“I’ll give you a tour of the farm.”

A voice full of spirit.

Unlike his brother, he was full of confidence.

‘The farm is good, and the person is good…….’

Min-jae said a word to change the awkward atmosphere.

“Coming here, I saw that you planted a lot of trees on the farm. Are you very interested in landscaping?”

“Ah, the poplars. They’re for a windbreak.”

“A windbreak?”

“Yes, they block the cold wind in winter and also cut off the scorching heat in summer. It saves 30% on heating and cooling costs.”

Min-jae marveled as he walked around the trees once.

“Wow, the trees were the air conditioner and heater.”

“But there’s something even more important than that.”

He pointed toward the village.

“There’s a village over that way, and if there are no trees, we get odor complaints. Poplars act as a natural filter.”

“Trees block smells too?”

“The leaves and branches filter out fine dust and odor particles. The government even gives extra points if you create this kind of shielding forest.”

I added a word.

“Poplars have deep roots, so they help with soil filtration as well, right?”

He had a surprised look on his face.

“Oh? Does a young boss like you know about that too?”

“I just looked up various things on the internet.”

As Min-jae looked up at the trees in wonder, he said.

“This is all money, too. It cost 20 million won just to plant the trees.”

“Whoa…….”

“Still, it’s some consolation when I think about the electricity bills saved every year and the fact that no complaints arise.”

He guided us toward the pigsty.

“Come this way. You have to put on quarantine suits first.”

In the quarantine preparation room, everything from boots to suits was organized by size.

It wasn’t just thrown together; it was being managed systematically.

“We disinfect and replace them every day. Pigs are weak to external germs.”

Min-jae asked as he put on the quarantine suit.

“But the smell is less than I expected.”

“I designed the ventilation system myself.”

He pointed his finger at the ceiling.

“Can you see? The air circulation rate is 15 times per hour. That’s three times more than a regular farm.”

“The electricity bill must be high.”

“I consider it an initial investment. The pigs have to be healthy so that we don’t spend money on medicine.”

He pulled out a file folder.

I could see records packed tightly inside.

“We measure temperature, humidity, and ammonia concentration every day. If you don’t manage with data, you end up doing it by gut feeling.”

I couldn’t help but be impressed.

As expected of someone from a research background, he was approaching everything scientifically.

“Do you not use antibiotics?”

“I try not to use them as much as possible. Instead, I feed them lactic acid bacteria and keep the environment clean.”

When the pigsty door was opened, the pigs were visible.

They were moving in a much larger space than a typical farm.

“We allocate 1.5 square meters per pig. It’s wider than the legal standard.”

Min-jae asked.

“Then you have no choice but to raise fewer of them?”

“That’s right. But the quality becomes different.”

Shim Young-su pointed to one pig.

“Look at that fellow. His muscles are firm, right? Because he has space to exercise.”

His eyes sparkled.

He was like a father boasting about his child.

“If they get stressed, the meat becomes dry. It’s called PSE meat…….”

“Ah, I know that. Pale, Soft, Exudative.”

Min-jae cut him off and answered quickly.

“Oh? You know exactly what it is!”

“This much is basic common sense for a butcher.”

I blankly watched Min-jae, who didn’t even bat an eye while lying.

The swindler wasn’t me, but someone hidden very close by.

Shim Young-su explained even more passionately.

He showed another file.

It was the statistics for meat quality grades after slaughter.

“Last year, 91% were Grade 1 or higher. Grade 1+ was also 28%.”

“Is that high?”

It seemed the butcher’s basic common sense had run out.

“The average for regular farms is 76% for Grade 1.”

I became certain from his words and actions.

‘This man is the real deal.’

He wasn’t just working hard; he had proper knowledge and philosophy.

Shim Young-su pointed to one pig.

“This one is particularly gentle. You can try touching him.”

As the pig approached Min-jae, Min-jae was startled.

“Oh? Does he recognize strangers?”

“A pig’s IQ is higher than a dog’s. Around the level of a 3-year-old child?”

Shim Young-su said with a laugh.

“They even pass the mirror test. They look in the mirror and peel off a sticker attached to their own face.”

“Wow, really?”

“Since they’re smart, they also get stressed easily. If the environment is bad, it shows immediately. And the taste of the meat drops sharply.”

Min-jae reached out his hand first.

“Oh, he’s warm! His skin isn’t as rough as I thought?”

“I manage it every day. If they get stressed, their skin gets rough too.”

“Are they all the same breed of pigs?”

“Our farm uses the LYD three-way crossbreed.”

“LYD?”

Min-jae asked back.

“Landrace, Yorkshire, and Duroc. It’s the combination that best suits Korean tastes.”

Shim Young-su explained passionately.

“Landrace has a long torso, so it produces a lot of pork belly, and Yorkshire gives birth to many piglets. Duroc has good marbling.”

“Wow, lineage is more important for pigs than for people?”

“Of course! Jeju black pork tastes good but grows slowly. The three-way crossbreed is sufficient at 6 months.”

I also reached out my hand out of curiosity.

In 2157, there were almost no chances to touch real livestock.

Pigs that I had only seen and studied through holograms.

I wondered what it would feel like.

The moment my palm touched the pig’s back…….

!!!!

Information poured into my head like a tide.

[Living Pig – 108kg Finisher]
Breed: Three-way Crossbreed (LYD)
Current Weight: 108.3kg
Estimated Carcass Weight: 84.5kg
Appropriate Shipment Date: D-28
Estimated Yield by Cut:
Pork Belly: 14.2kg (Estimated Grade: Grade 1)
Pork Shoulder: 5.8kg
Front Leg: 11.5kg
Hind Leg: 19.8kg
Meat Quality Prediction:
Intramuscular Fat: ★★★★☆
Meat Color: Normal (Vivid red expected)
Water Holding Capacity: ★★★★★
PSE Probability: 5% (Very low)
Stress Index: Low
Exercise Amount: Appropriate
Feed Quality: Excellent (NON-GMO)
Antibiotic Use: None (Last 60 days)
Special Notes:
Probability of Grade 1 or higher at slaughter: 92%

‘Whoa!’

I pulled my hand away without realizing it.