I think the answer lies in the assumption that all of the world's producers had gotten to the Gulch at the end. More likely most of them had gone underground in their own countries in the same way that the intellectuals of the dark ages made their way into the monestaries. Ragnar would have known who and where they were and how to trade with them - using gold as a means of exchange..

The only answer I know of is trading, but I'm sure circumstances will lead to improvisation. Here's how I imagine a world of successful Gulches over a hundred years from now. I know many people say a Gulch must be secret, but I imagine them being trading partners and facing an on-going struggle to retain their autonomy.

Gulches called "free states" spring up in different places. Some of them go through a series crises when they have conflicts with the nations and multinational companies of the world. These crises shape their food. When US blockades jbrenner's community on St. Kitts is embargoed in a dispute over US expat income taxes, people occasionally smuggle in Hershey bars from FL, but eventually they grow their own sugar and make chocolate from scratch. It's odd that a taxation dispute lead to a new type of chocolate.

The tax dispute spreads to other allied free states. During the 20-mo siege of Abenzone, they averaged 600 calories per person per day. This is when they invented gasuppe, which is watery soup made with potatoes, a few mg of whatever amphetamine you have, and whatever meat you have that tastes like chicken. Long after the siege over 70% of the population drinks a little 120ml cup of gasuppe made with two oz of chicken and 15mg of dextroamphetamine for breakfast first thing every morning, and usually doesn't eat again until a large supper right before bed. Abenzoners consumed a lot of chocolate before the Siege, but now they consume less than other places.

The hundred or so people living in Zdorov'ye Station in low-earth orbit threaten to stop their drops of medical supplies they fabricate in zero-gee, but no interruptions occur.

Friedman City, 100 miles east of San Francisco, manages to stay out of the dispute. In addition to being famous for software, they're also a playground for the rich. They never had any shortage of chocolate.

Friedman City is the free state everyone loves to hate. You know a Friedmaner right away because the long E sound sounds like short I, making steal sound like still. But they all stand together when threatened by the old states because even after three generations they know a few bad decisions could mean they all get sucked back into the old states before they know what happened.

These days making chocolate is not as hard as it used to be. My wife is a pastry chef and really into chocolate. So, we go to the big trade show out here every year. These days you can buy table top bean to bar equipment. Which means that you only need the beans. That is where it gets complicated. They only grow between 20degrees north and south. In the US the only place that has been made suitable to grow the stuff is Hawaii even there its difficult because its actually right on the edge of being too far north. But, there is a pretty well liked artisan chocolate company there that holds bean to bar classes. As for the gulch, it would need to establish its own trade routes and play the part of Rome on the silk road.

Ragnar Danneskjöld would bring in the raw materials. Be a good cover for his other activities.

Oh my GOD ! Give me chocolate or give me DEATH !!!

Death by Chocolate.....

What is the point to life if there is no chocolate to sweeten it?

Figure it out !!!! It is a MORAL IMPERATIVE !!!!

I love thinking about a Gulch. IMHO a Gulch would be much more effective if it had trade with outsiders. It's the whole production possibilities frontier. You get really good at producing a few things, and then you can trade it for all the diverse things you want in the world. The premise of the book, though, is that the rest of the world would steal your stuff if they knew where you. In my Gulch fantasies, the Gulch is remote enough and its citizens are armed enough that it's easier just to trade with them than to steal. The looters would be constantly conniving to tax or confiscate what people in the Gulch produce. They tax the investors, which indirectly affects Gulch residents. But they can't go there and put a gun to their heads and demand they innovate.

I'll answer the question in another post.