Royal Industry Great Expansion

As reforms and construction were in full swing in Spain, Carlo was already deploying his own propaganda empire.

Back in Italy, Carlo had previously had Loren acquire Spanish newspapers, albeit on a very small scale.

Now that he was the King of Spain, it was time to expand his newspaper holdings in Spain and establish influential newspaper organizations similar to Italy Sun.

The concept behind the name Italy Sun was excellent, and coupled with the extensive promotion of monarchism, the Sun Newspaper had already gained some traction in Spain. It was only natural for Carlo to directly copy the name.

In October 1869, the Spanish Sun was officially established in Madrid, becoming Carlo's first major industry in Spain.

The development potential near Madrid was not much worse than that of Northern Italy. Carlo's expectations for the new Spanish Sun were to become a major newspaper with a daily circulation of 20,000 copies within two years.

In addition to the Spanish Sun, which was intended to build his reputation, Carlo also had Loren quietly acquire more than a dozen smaller newspapers to expand the number of outlets in his propaganda empire.

These newspapers were also distributed throughout Spain, capable of influencing a greater number of Spanish households.

Beyond the propaganda layout, Carlo also officially began a major expansion of royal assets.

To implement his plans in a Spain facing internal and external challenges, sufficient funds were indispensable.

While newspapers could bring in a little money, they were merely a drop in the bucket for the extremely expensive royal palace.

The Bourbon Dynasty's former lands and most of its property had been confiscated by the government. Apart from taking over the Royal Palace of Madrid and some other castles and estates, Carlo did not acquire much in terms of valuable industries and land.

Currently, the income from Carlo's assets was barely enough to cover the expenses of the royal palace, and this was without him even establishing a royal guard.

Whether for the establishment of the royal guard or for future, larger reforms and expansions, investing in more industries was essential.

As the first step in expanding royal assets, Carlo set his sights on the food and wine industries.

Food, needless to say, was a necessity for human survival, a consumable with a basic guaranteed market.

And the status of wine in the West was self-evident. As an alcoholic beverage favored by the upper class and indispensable to the lower class, wine had no problem with sales in Europe; banquets among nobles alone could consume vast quantities of it.

Later, Spain would become the world's third-largest wine-producing region, and it was inherently well-suited for the wine industry. The wines produced by Carlo's winery would essentially have no trouble selling, as a king's private winery would naturally possess more prestige than ordinary wineries.

In mid-October 1869, United Foods was officially founded in Madrid. Carlo acquired a flour mill in Madrid and planned to expand it into a food processing plant.

What would be produced?

Carlo already had a plan in mind: something akin to fast food from later generations.

It wouldn't be overly complex, perhaps two slices of bread with some meat paste and jam in between, focusing on good quality at a low price.

In this regard, food industry practitioners of later generations had already paved the way. Carlo had many methods to reduce food costs while making the food appear substantial and taste good.

As for the food safety issues that would be a major concern in later generations, there were no such worries in this era.

Of course, as king, Carlo could not disregard the safety of the Spanish people. All products under United Foods would at least guarantee no fatal poisoning; at worst, it would be diarrhea due to food quality.

A low-priced food item that included meat and vegetables was believed to be popular in Spain, where incomes were not high.

Carlo could also take the opportunity of establishing the food factory to set a benchmark for Spanish enterprises. When Spanish workers envied the welfare system of royal enterprise employees, it would be time to enact Spain's labor laws.

Although labor laws would gain favor with workers, they would be opposed by major capitalists and factory owners.

Without absolute confidence or substantial worker support, Carlo did not intend to push for the enactment of labor laws in the early stages.

After all, those major capitalists were also supporters of monarchism. To confront them without possessing his own strength would be akin to digging his own grave.

The United Foods factory was thus quietly established. It would take some time before official production began, and Carlo did not intend to heavily publicize his food factory before it garnered a positive response.

Compared to the food factory, Carlo put more effort into promoting his winery.

Fortunately, Queen Isabella's several wineries were well-preserved and were not distributed to farmers as land.

After all, the true value of a winery lay in the grapevines themselves; the land's value was not as significant as imagined.

Also, because Carlo voluntarily gave up that land, Primo ultimately decided to hand over Queen Isabella's remaining wineries to Carlo, at least to ensure a portion of the royal family's income.

This greatly facilitated Carlo's plans. After all, starting a wine processing plant from scratch would require not only a significant time investment but also substantial capital.

Cultivating his own grapevines would take a long time, or purchasing mature saplings would also require considerable financial investment.

With several established wineries and vineyards now in hand, Carlo only needed to rebrand them and establish his own private wine brand.

Carlo intended to split his wine enterprise into two parts.

The first wine enterprise would be named Royal Winery, and future wines sold would bear the titles of Royal Supply and Reserve, targeting the mid-to-high-end market, with the primary customers being wealthy capitalists and nobles.

The second wine enterprise would not have the word "Royal" in its name; it would be called Iberian Estate, and its wines would focus on value for money, targeting ordinary Spaniards with less disposable income.

Through a strategy of targeting both high-end and low-end markets, Carlo could ensure his wine industry quickly captured a significant share of the Spanish market.

Relying on the Spanish market, Carlo would be in an advantageous position, able to advance or retreat as needed, and seize more of the European wine market, thereby rapidly achieving his profit goals for the wine industry.

The wine industry was more profitable than newspapers. If he could capture a considerable portion of the Spanish market, it would ensure that when Carlo established the royal guard, he wouldn't even be able to afford equipment.

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