MVF
is humming along. We produced our one-millionth kilo of blended flour
on March 20th. Always there are glitches-like when we found clumps in
our potassium chloride, one of the mineral additives we have purchased
from a new supplier. Not good! Can't have clumps of salt in our food.
So, we closed down the whole production line and declared a sifting
party-we don't have a machine for this. Hours later we had enough
mineral additives for our next week's production. When Wessel was
satisfied, we were back in production!
Then
there was the issue of cash flow. On top of our standing orders, we
received a large order from Burma. Just a few days before I'd repaid
loans, a month early. Now we didn't have the funds to buy rice and
soybean. We were maxed out.
But
you know what? Someone was looking out for us. We asked and a couple
of our suppliers gave us a month of credit. Now...our warehouse is
bursting with flour, waiting for their vaunted logistics teams to get
the shipments scheduled. We've made our deadlines. But our big
customers are...well...cumbersome, slow to pay.
Like
Dr. Seuss's little turtle, Mac, we're at the bottom of the pile and
we're squeaking. "We're dyin' down here!" Yurtle, the big Turtle up
top, says he hears us. But we're not so sure. Stay tuned. We feel a
burp coming on.
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