My Lady Chef { La Vita Series } - Volume 1

Extra Chapter: The Duchess explains The Value Of A Logo

Before Cafe Terra became famous.....

Pierce Roy, the man of affairs and secretary to the most powerful Duke in Illios has encountered so many business men.

Some were calculating. Some were greedy and money hungry.

Few were smart.

But after helping the Lady Alaina set up her cafe business. He has know learned....

that she may be smarter and more creative as a business woman.

Comparable or even....better than her husband.

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One of the reasons that led him to believe this was her skills at organization. Ever since she taught the head butler her way of keeping the books neat and implemented certain changes to the household.

The Mansion has never been so efficient. The normal time needed to review the house expenditures and budget summary requires a few days.

The duchess' method of book keeping reduces it to a mere day.

That impressed the man of affairs a lot.

But then the duchess introduced her cafe plans.

At most, Nobles would give a vague idea about they want and leave the planning to a secretary or a business partner of lower rank.

But her plan contains everything from a summary, to the overview, the proposed materials, sizing of the building, location proposals....

And even sketches of what the cafe exterior and interiors.

As well as a preliminary food menu, detailed explanation of the set meal concepts and even a small list of nearby local farms and bulk sellers to get a good discount with the purpose of keeping the food affordable for everyone.

But the uncanny thing was the sketch...of a symbol that should be embossed on everything. From the signage of the cafe, to the napkins, utensils, staff uniforms and even....the boxes.

It was a pretty sketch of a small sprout inside an intricate looking circle.

Simple but eye catching.

Below it read {Cafe Terra}

It was a warm afternoon when the duchess, an ethereal and beautiful woman with flowing silver blonde hair and blue green eyes gave Pierce the proposal.

All he could do was stare at the proposal which had no flaws...

except for the this symbol..

Which was baffling.

Noble owned stores do not have symbols.

"Your Grace, may I ask why is this symbol everywhere on your proposal?" the man of affairs asked the calm lady as they took tea on the main drawing room.

"Because I want my cafe to stand out." She answered. "To stand out, you will need a symbol....a logo as your brand identity. The more you use it on everything you use in marketing the cafe; the deeper the impression would be on customers."

She then went on the explain carefully about why a logo is important for a long term plan.

And Pierce thought that it was genius.

It is well known amongst the staff that the food the duchess makes is good. Her strong rein and involvement with the kitchen team improved the quality of meals.

The people working inside get to enjoy good food.

It is hard to get well cooked food outside of a few expensive establishments and gentlemen clubs.

If the cafe's food is half as good as the food that is now served to the servants in the mansion..

Then it would rake in a modest sum since there has not been a decent eating establishment aimed at the general public.

Which makes up for more than half the capital's population.

"This is a very solid plan, Your Grace. There are a few details missing for it be finalized but let's get the duke's approval for now."

"Please do so, Sir Pierce. I'll await my husband's answer." came the duchess' calm reply as she finished her tea.

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It did not even take a day before the duke threw money at his wife's business proposal.

The result after was....unexpected.

The logo of the sprout was soon associated with Cafe Terra and what it represents.

Good Food that can be purchased at an affordable price for the masses.

The meal set concept was a hit with the working classes especially single males and females who live alone in small one room apartments. The deliciousness and variety was an incentive for them to keep coming back.

And the idea of buying delicious cakes as a whole or as "halves" was a popular idea with the local wives who had no means to make them.

And to the local dock workers who often have no time to sit down and eat. The cafe started selling milk or jam buns with free chicory root coffee combo ( a cheap alternative to coffee which is expensive ) as long as they bring their own mugs.

That also became an instant hit and as a result, the allotted 200 milk and jam buns sells out everyday.

What surprised Pierce was that the roll cakes proved to be so popular that the duchess began launching more variety and these always sell out because the nobility buys them incognito via their servants.

Some younger nobles started coming to Cafe Terra for lunch or dinner in disguise.

At first, it was to check out what is causing all this fuss for mere food and they were reluctant to admit it a first but day after day, they keep coming back after eating there.

As a result, the cafe's popularity exploded.

It was not even 2 months before people were clamoring for a second branch to be opened.

But the duchess was unruffled by their pleas and just focused on on improving Cafe Terra's customer service and planning a wider outdoor seating area.

But I could tell from her smile that more plans are beginning to form in her head.

And I am sure that she is already planning the next big thing to expand her business.

She seems to be eyeing the empty building next door.

And make more money with her genius ideas.