African Business Chronicles

Chapter 82: The Flour Mill

June.

Bagamoyo Port, along the banks of the Little Rhine River.

As the fourth most important port in the East African colony—after Dar es Salaam, Mombasa, and Tanga—Bagamoyo has become a key area for development.

A factory building covering over 1,000 square meters has risen by the port. Constructed entirely from brick and concrete, its red walls starkly contrast the surrounding white Arab architecture.

Its design follows contemporary European architectural styles, making it stand out against the low, flat Arab houses nearby. Even the local Arab church appears small in comparison.

A tall smokestack juts out from the middle of the factory's roof, releasing thick black smoke into East Africa's bright blue skies—heralding the arrival of industry.

While the Zanzibar Sultanate had a few small-scale traditional workshops, like blacksmiths and tailors, they were all manual operations.

The Bagamoyo Flour Mill is the second recorded modern factory in East Africa to utilize large-scale machinery.

The first was the Tanga sisal processing plant, which has already found considerable success in the market.

Sisal is one of East Africa's competitive industries, with only Brazil and parts of Southeast Asia as major rivals.

However, flour production is a common industrial sector—especially in Europe and the United States, where such factories are countless, even if many are small, with just a machine or two.

The Bagamoyo Flour Mill uses steam power, generated by coal-fired boilers. The coal comes from mines recently developed in the East African interior, which powers the steam turbines that keep the factory's equipment running steadily and continuously.

All machinery is the latest model imported from the German states, shipped as parts from ports along the Baltic Sea and assembled at Bagamoyo Port.

Under the supervision of trained technicians, dozens of large metal machines were installed.

The workshop interior is clean and minimalistic, designed to facilitate sanitation and disinfection.

Lighting is provided entirely by Berlin Electric Company's own system, enabling round-the-clock operation. The generator is a product of Siemens.

Connected to the production workshop is a massive modern warehouse. The coastal climate in East Africa is quite humid, making food storage more demanding.

Thus, the warehouse was constructed using the best available technologies and plans of the time.

To prevent moisture and rodent infestations, the flooring is entirely made of concrete. A drainage system designed by professionals accounts for the local climate. Inside, various gauges monitor temperature and humidity, allowing workers to adjust conditions as needed.

The Bagamoyo Flour Mill is an extension of the agricultural sector. With the port's logistical advantage, wheat grown in the colony can be processed and exported directly as flour.

The staff includes specialized technicians hired by the Hohenzollern Company, while general machinery maintenance is handled mainly by slightly educated Austro-Hungarian immigrants, with some support from Chinese workers.

Chinese immigrants are primarily involved in transporting materials, packaging, and delivering finished goods.

These Austro-Hungarian and Chinese immigrants undergo basic training, including safety and hygiene education, as well as an introduction to how the machinery operates.

Flour produced at the Bagamoyo Mill will be stamped with the Hohenzollern Company logo and sold across Europe.

Returning Hohenzollern trade ships will bring it to Trieste, where it will be distributed through Austro-Hungarian commercial networks.

The flour also serves as promotional proof that East Africa produces its own goods—it's not a barren wasteland.

Bagamoyo was once one of East Africa's largest slave markets. After the Zanzibar Sultanate's defeat, it was absorbed by the colonial government.

Currently, only Dar es Salaam maintains a slave market for Arab traders. Markets in Mombasa, Bagamoyo, and other ports have been closed.

Back in the 18th century, Bagamoyo was East Africa's most important port. At its peak, over 50,000 native slaves were shipped from there annually.

Its decline began when the Zanzibar Sultanate started developing Dar es Salaam. Now, the East African colonial government is redeveloping Bagamoyo.

There are still too few good ports along the East African coast. While the current ones may suffice, as development and population grow, port resources will become increasingly valuable.

Factories in East Africa can currently only be built near the coast. This takes advantage of maritime shipping, allowing heavy European machinery to arrive and be installed.

As for inland areas—it's not feasible yet. Moving these large, clunky machines inland would be too costly.

These machines are delicate by modern standards. If they get rained on, stuck in mud, or banged up, repairs would be difficult in East Africa's current conditions.

Wheat, the colony's main staple crop, is already yielding impressive harvests. With more immigrants and land development, its potential will continue to grow.

Rice, while important, is mainly grown in the eastern coastal plains, which are closer to the ports.

However, since Europe is a wheat-dominant region, its agricultural machinery has evolved in that direction.

Even if Ernst wanted to import rice-processing equipment from Europe, it's nearly impossible. In his previous life, it wasn't until Japan industrialized that East Asia saw advances in rice cultivation and processing—Japan was the first to mechanize rice farming in the Far East.

Thus, focusing on wheat is Ernst's key entry point into the food processing market. It's simple, efficient, and East Africa's vast lands, ample rainfall, and open terrain are well-suited for it.

Currently, wheat cultivation already exceeds rice in East Africa—even though the rice-growing eastern region has a higher population than the western wheat region.

Wheat is easier to manage, more drought-resistant, and highly compatible with the tropical savanna climate.

East Africa's highlands are cooler than other tropical regions at the same latitude, allowing for above-average yields. The vast open space further enhances production capacity.

The Bagamoyo Flour Mill was founded on this potential—an agricultural processing plant aimed at extending the agricultural value chain, raising the colony's industry level, and maximizing profits.

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