The utility connections.
The road.
And the distance from the proposed suppliers.
Then he asked to see the cost model.
For three hours, he challenged nearly every assumption.
Energy costs.
Yield losses.
Labor productivity.
Batch failures.
Transportation charges.
Maintenance reserves.
And how she intended to survive if the main pilot customer delayed its order.
She answered what she could.
When she didn't know, she said so.
By the end, the investor looked impressed.
Not by the business's certainty.
By her willingness to acknowledge uncertainty.
He offered a limited investment in exchange for a minority equity interest, subject to documented terms and satisfactory due diligence.
She didn't accept immediately.
Her attorney reviewed the proposal.
They negotiated governance rights, future financing conditions, and how major business decisions would be made.
The investor received a meaningful minority stake.
She retained operational control.
And the agreement prevented either party from treating the farm's underlying real estate as freely transferable company property.
It wasn't a perfect deal.
She would share future profits if the company succeeded.
But she would also share the risk.
And she wouldn't have to jeopardize every remaining asset to pursue the pilot.
When the financing finally closed, she sat alone at the kitchen table staring at the confirmation.
The numbers weren't enormous compared with the multimillion-dollar projects she'd evaluated in her former job.
But they were enough.
Enough to repair the shed.
Acquire the required pilot equipment.
Obtain professional engineering and compliance support.
And give the idea a genuine test.
She looked toward her father's photograph.
Then laughed softly.
“You'd better be right about this, Dad.”
The photograph didn't answer.
She smiled.
Then whispered, “Because we're actually doing it.”
Construction began six weeks later.
The old packing shed changed slowly.
First came cleaning and demolition.
Damaged wall panels were removed.
The floor was repaired.
Electrical systems were upgraded.
New drainage and wastewater handling arrangements were installed according to the approved design.
Ventilation and dust controls were specified.
The facility was divided into sections so incoming raw material wouldn't be handled in the same way or place as finished product.
Then the equipment arrived.
A reception and separation system.
A washer designed for the approved material stream.
A controlled dryer.
Covered conveyors.
A screening unit.
A packaging station.
And instrumentation needed to monitor the process.
The fine-milling stage would initially be handled through a qualified contract processor.
The retired engineer supervised technical commissioning.
The young woman managed contractors, budgets, and schedules.
And every evening, she walked through the shed with a clipboard, documenting the work still unfinished.
The project exceeded its original timeline.