☕ 1. Import Stage – State Foreign-Trade Office
📦 Barter Agreement
- Partner nation: Brazil
- U.S. export given: 40 tractor-engine kits (made by our machinery guild)
- Value exchanged: equal-value contract (engines ≈ 88,000 NS$) ↔ 1 container (44,000 lb) green Arabica beans
No dollars, no Forex market, no hedge funds.
📑 State Costs per Pound
| Item | Container Cost | Cost / lb | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean freight (state charter) | 11,000 NS$ | $0.25 | Gulf port arrival |
| Port handling & inspection | 3,300 NS$ | $0.075 | State dock workers |
| Trade-office admin fee | 1,760 NS$ | $0.04 | 2 % barter-overhead |
| CIF landed beans | — | $0.365 / lb |
🔥 2. Roasting & Packaging – Coffee Guild
(Batch: roasting 10,000 lb greens → 8,500 lb roasted)
| Item | Qty | Unit Cost | Sub-total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green beans | 10,000 lb | $0.365 / lb | $3,650 |
| Natural gas (roaster) | 6 MMBTU | $6 / MMBTU | $36 |
| Roast-plant labor | 60 hr | $22 / hr | $1,320 |
| Bagging (12-oz foil, labels) | 11,333 bags | $0.11 | $1,247 |
| Plant lease & upkeep | — | — | $180 |
| Base cost | — | — | $6,433 |
| 5 % reinvest surplus | — | — | $322 |
| Total roast cost | — | — | $6,755 |
Unit cost (12 oz retail bag) = $6,755 ÷ 11,333 = $0.596 / bag
Equivalent cost per brewed 12-oz cup (15 g beans) ≈ $0.20.
🚚 3. Distribution & Café / Grocery Retail
| Component | Per 12-oz Bag | Per Café Cup |
|---|---|---|
| Freight co-op (electric truck) | $0.09 | $0.01 |
| Retail/Café labor & rent | $0.35 | $0.50 |
| Cup/Lid, condiments (café) | — | $0.09 |
| 5 % sales-point surplus | $0.02 | $0.03 |
| Final shelf price | $1.06 | — |
| Final café price | — | $0.83 |
Rounded reference prices posted weekly:
- Bag for home use: $1.10 NS$
- Fresh café cup: $0.85 NS$
👷♂️ 4. Wage–Price Parity Check
| Worker Type | Weekly Wage | Bags Affordable | Cups Affordable | % Income on Coffee* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barista | $720 | 655 | 847 | 8 % |
| Office Clerk | $780 | 709 | 916 | 7 % |
| Factory Machinist | $820 | 745 | 965 | 7 % |
| Teacher | $760 | 691 | 894 | 7 % |
* Benchmark: staple stimulants (tea/coffee) should remain under 10 % of wage. If exceeded, adjustment triggers (wage up or cost component down).
🔄 5. Money-Removal Cycle
- State utility fees (electric grid powering roaster + cafés) pull ~$0.04 per cup / bag back to Treasury.
- Luxury tax on gourmet variants (> $3 / cup) siphons surplus currency from high earners.
- 5 % trade-office fee on future consignments funds barter logistics, keeping imports debt-free and self-balanced.
🗝 Key Technical Insights
- Every penny accounted: beans, BTUs, labor hours.
- Barter ledger keeps trade balanced with no dollar outflows.
- Surplus fixed at 5 % across stages → no profiteering spikes.
- Wage board parity insures even low-tier workers can enjoy coffee.
- Utility + selective taxes drain excess currency to prevent inflation.
Thus, an imported treat remains plentiful, affordable, and inflation-proof — all while the nation stays free of foreign-exchange bondage.
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