CEO of Song Huong Foods: Taking a break from Mobile World to pray for the safety of fish sauce and to clear the name of the eggplant

Aiming to become the number 1 eggplant company in Vietnam and turn the eggplant into a " culinary symbol", Mr. Nguyen Le Quoc Tuan said: If we see something good for society, we will do it.

After working for more than ten years at Mobile World Corporation, reaching the position of Director of Accessories, Mr. Nguyen Le Quoc Tuan encountered a life change and embarked on the path of vegetarianism and Buddhist chanting. He quit his job and returned to take over Song Huong Foods - the fish sauce and pickle production company that his aunt and uncle had built for 25 years.

Mr. Tuan decided to choose eggplant as his main product - a dish that he believes "can only be grown in Vietnam", and is suitable for a vegetarian boss. However, according to folk beliefs, eggplant is a fruit that is not good for health.

Before you came to manage Song Huong Foods, the company was focusing on fish sauce products, why did you switch to eggplant?

The first time I saw the process of making shrimp paste and anchovy paste, seeing the fish living peacefully and then dying in just one minute, tens of thousands of them, I couldn't eat or sleep for almost a month. My aunt said: "Of course it's good that you become a monk. But this fish sauce company is 25 years old, and you've only been a vegetarian for a few years. Should we close the company? And if we don't make fish sauce, others will."

I was convinced, but on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month, the whole company ate vegetarian food to pray for the safety of the fish sauce.

That is why I decided to choose a non-killing product to develop vigorously even though it was not my strength. At that time, my company had four vegetable dishes: eggplant, pickled onions, pickled vegetables, kimchi, and later I added ground chili.

Among them, eggplant is a very delicious dish and it is also almost the only fruit that Vietnam can grow and sell all year round. I chose eggplant to develop and invested very enthusiastically. Right when the Covid-19 epidemic happened, eggplant sales skyrocketed from 4-5 billion to 30 billion and then the growth rate was calculated by times.

In fact, not only eggplants but also canned foods are popular during the epidemic season because it is very convenient for customers to buy and store. Song Huong Foods eggplants are delicious, stimulate the taste buds, and are reasonably priced.

However, many people think that eating eggplant is not good for health?

Yes, people still say that "one eggplant is worth 3 cups of medicine", meaning that eating eggplant will cause arthritis, bone pain, and other diseases. If you search on Google, you will see a lot of information like that. When I decided to develop eggplant into a main product, I met a famous culinary expert for advice, he absolutely did not agree to work with Song Huong Foods, also because of the above viewpoint.

I thought , "Oh my gosh, what can I do with all this negative information?" But when I was stuck, I was introduced to Associate Professor, Dr. Trinh Khanh Son - Vice Dean of the Faculty of Technical Education, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology - who specializes in researching fermented products.

Mr. Son said: "Consumers only follow experience, they see that it is not good so they spread the word, but they forget that raw eggplant is different from cooked eggplant" . According to research, eggplant contains a substance called anti-nutrient. If you eat a lot of raw eggplant or under-salted eggplant, it will hinder the absorption of nutrients, leading to muscle fatigue.

But Song Huong Foods eggplant is eggplant fermented for 21 days, it is not eggplant soaked in vinegar, it is good for human health.

What do you have to prove it?

I spent money to do a research project, was granted a certificate on the difference in nutrients between raw eggplant and fermented eggplant. Then, in conjunction with the Association of Consumers of High-Quality Vietnamese Goods, I held a seminar to announce the research.

Although it is very expensive, but because… I am so angry. I do not believe that fermented eggplant is not good for health.

I also tested myself by eating eggplants non-stop for 60 consecutive days, then went for a health check-up and did a detailed blood test to see if my sugar levels increased, if my bones were thinning, etc. During the talk show, I published the entire test to prove that I ate a lot of eggplants but my health was still good.

If I find something good for my health when making food, I will confidently do it. I will persevere like that for 1 year, 2 years, even 3 years, until 60% of the people asked answer "I believe eating eggplant is not harmful at all".

I have always dreamed that eggplant can become a symbol of Vietnamese cuisine. When I change people's perception of eggplant, I will try to convince the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Vietnamese Government to recognize eggplant as a national product, bringing pride to Vietnamese people and nutrition to every meal.

But this is just a dream.

How do you set out the path for Song Huong Foods?

Song Huong Foods is 25 years old, but before, my aunt and uncle did not care about the brand and processed for other companies, sold to some supermarkets or customers to carry and take away. An income of several billion/year for a family business of this scale is satisfactory.

In 2019, when I took over, I started branding and determined to export products to the US, Japan, and Taiwan markets. When the products under the Song Huong Foods brand are recognized by the most demanding markets, Vietnamese people will also trust them. And to be recognized by the demanding markets, I have to make the company number 1 in Vietnam for eggplant dishes. Therefore, I set a goal that Song Huong Foods products must cover all the largest supermarket systems in Vietnam.

We have been working hard for 3 consecutive years from 2019 to 2021, trying to become number 1 in all 3 major chains: Winmart, Bach Hoa Xanh, Coopmart. According to the data I have, currently, the eggplant market share of Song Huong Foods in WinMart is 80%, in Coopmart it is at least more than 50%, and in Bach Hoa Xanh it is 100%.

Currently, 95% of our revenue comes from the domestic market. I expect that next year, export revenue will contribute at least 30% and increase to at least 50% in 5 years.

In terms of products, pickles (eggplant, kimchi, pickled onions) account for more than 60% of revenue, fish sauce accounts for 30%, and 20% is related to cakes. In pickles, eggplant accounts for more than 50%.

How did you become number 1 in those supermarket chains?

I always tell my employees that my partners are my sellers, I have to support them from the smallest things, the products must be provided most fully, the best discounts. When working with Song Huong Foods, they have no complaints, nor do they have to worry about anything because I promised to do it. If they feel secure, they will buy Song Huong Foods' products to sell.

In the future, how do you plan to develop the eggplant segment?

I will divide coffee into 3 segments: high-end, mid-range and low-end. I plan to develop more organic coffee to sell in the high-end segment.

Song Huong Foods' eggplants are grown in Tay Ninh and Cu Chi. I have tried growing them in many areas in the South, but only the eggplants from Tay Ninh and Cu Chi are the best. When people recognize that fermented eggplants are good for health, I will develop this organic eggplant segment.

You have created a Tiktok channel with nearly 100,000 followers. Do you intend to build trust for customers and businesses with Tiktok?

I remember when I was a student, I had to ask which restaurant the owners cooked their own food in order to eat there. So when I started my business, I also tried to create the image of a boss who sells fish sauce and eggplant and eats eggplant every day with a compassionate heart.

My Tiktok account is about a kind person, a Buddhist who does business, hoping that viewers will understand me deeply. They think "this guy sells fish sauce and has such a beautiful image, so he definitely won't do anything bad". That's how I connect business and personal branding.

But nowadays, many people also build an image of "practicing" but in reality do not have the moral behavior and speech of a Buddhist. Therefore, it tarnishes the image of a practicing businessman, and when mentioned, people even say it is fake. What do you think?

Actually, in every livestream, I see a lot of comments saying that they are "borrowing Buddha's clothes" to be easily deceived. People will say that about others based on their own minds. Moreover, I understand that people have experienced too much real-life evidence so they no longer believe in those who speak the truth. That is obvious.

But I believe that if I am a real person, someone who has experienced life's events, is young and chooses the path of vegetarianism, chanting Buddha's name, and enjoying little, then the things I spread to life and society will naturally be real. And if it is real, I am not afraid, and do not waste time proving or explaining.

Only those who are selfish and work for fame will pay attention to whether anyone is criticizing them or not, and will easily fall because of negative comments.

If you want to know whether the kindness of the person in front of you is real or fake, you don't need to believe what they say or see what they do. Look at the results of that person, at the lives of their parents and children.

People can deceive each other through words and actions, but they cannot deceive each other through results. Results - that is the clearest proof of how people live right or wrong, live a truly kind life or a fake kind life, bring benefits to others or intentionally show off to bring benefits to themselves. My words, actions and results are still intact on the internet, everyone can verify whether my family, business, and results are "ok" or not.

I built the Tiktok channel not for my own benefit but simply because I feel like I'm doing something beneficial for society, the community and those with affinity.

Having been with Mobile World for about 11 years, besides your aunt and uncle calling you back to run Song Huong Foods, is there any other reason why you quit your job?

I am a vegetarian, recite Buddha's name, and do not go out at night. At TGDĐ, as one of the senior managers, sometimes after meetings I go drinking and socializing. Those activities are against my personality, so I want to be the boss, want to start a business so that I can make decisions. At that time, my need was to become a monk, not for money anymore.

If you ask me what my biggest regret in life is, I would still say that I left TGDĐ too early. I regret that I still love TGDĐ, and I regret the colleagues I have been with for more than ten years. But regretting that, in fact, fate and fortune come, and when that happens, it ends.

Why did you become a monk?

When a person changes, it is mostly because they encounter some incident in their life. Buddha taught that suffering is the greatest teacher in life, so when suffering occurs, we should stop, look back, to correct ourselves, to learn a great lesson of life, to help us suffer less.

The years of living a life of wealth and enjoyment also cost me so I had to change, forced to practice, live a life of goodness and repentance to help the rest of my life and that of my loved ones to be peaceful.

The greatest luck in every person's life is that the incident comes early and we have the opportunity to remake our life. Because life is different from life, life is a long period of human life, including ups and downs in life. Life is temporary moments, there is victory and there is defeat, if someone thinks about life, then they will not be defeated by temporary moments of life and lose their whole life.

After more than 6 years of practicing at home, everything I have experienced has helped me to be confident and determined for this journey.

According to Economic Pulse