Gathering the golden drops of the sea.

Driven by a desire to promote the specialties of the My Thuy coastal region, after many years of planning, Mr. Tran Van No, born in 1970, residing in Hamlet 8, Dien Sanh town, Hai Lang district, successfully researched and produced My An fish sauce, achieving a 4-star OCOP provincial certification. The product is widely distributed to markets within and outside the province by My An General Production and Trading Joint Stock Company. Mr. No works in the construction and mining engineering industries, but he is deeply passionate about and knowledgeable in the production processes of traditional products from his hometown.

Representatives of My An General Trading and Production Joint Stock Company (first from the right) receive the certificate recognizing My An sea fish sauce as a 4-star OCOP product of Quang Tri province in 2022 - Photo: DC

Passionate about local specialties

Although his professional work is completely unrelated to general commercial production or processing, Mr. Nọ still has a special love for traditional craft villages and the products of his homeland.

He spent many years researching the production process of Kim Long wine and other specialties of the Hai Lang region. Currently, he is the Director of Mine Operations at VICO Quang Tri Investment and Mineral Joint Stock Company, and also a legal specialist at My Thuy Port, a subsidiary of My Thuy International Port Joint Venture Company.

Starting in 2016, Mr. Nọ nurtured the dream of creating a specialized, closed-loop process for producing Mỹ Thủy sea fish sauce and pondered how to overcome the limitations of traditional fish sauce production in the area. From then on, he invested more effort and time into this project.

“Initially, when people learned of my idea, many thought it wasn't feasible because the traditional fish sauce making village in My Thuy has been producing it using traditional handcrafted methods for generations. Furthermore, I'm not originally from My Thuy, so opening a closed-loop fish sauce production facility right there was seen as 'showing off my skills to experts.' However, I remained determined to pursue my plan,” Nọ recounted.

My An fish sauce products undergo quality checks and are extracted and bottled through a closed-loop piping system - Photo: DC

Also in 2016, Mr. Nọ spent a lot of time visiting scientific and technical research centers and traditional craft villages in many provinces and cities across the country, such as Ha Tinh and Nghe An, to learn about the process of producing clean fish sauce by the local people. He shared: "Through my research, I found that the traditional fish sauce production process of the people in My Thuy coastal area depends heavily on and is influenced by the weather, leading to the fermentation process not being guaranteed."

Traditional fish sauce fermentation in cement vats and tanks holds limited raw materials, is prone to environmental pollution, and does not guarantee hygiene. In 2017, after learning about a new production process using modern technology that overcomes these limitations, I decided to open a fish sauce production facility right in My Thuy village, Hai An commune, Hai Lang district, with an initial investment of over 200 million VND for 3 fermentation tanks and 5.1 tons of mackerel purchased from boats at Cua Viet port.”

According to Mr. Nọ, the production technology at his facility, which he researched himself, uses a temperature control system to maintain a stable temperature of 45-50 degrees Celsius for the fermentation vats, and a solar energy system to heat the fermentation process according to standards. Once the fish sauce is ready, a team of technicians checks its quality, extracts it, and bottles it through a closed-loop piping system.

Regarding the fermentation process, Mr. Nọ invested in fermentation tanks made of composite and stainless steel, each with a capacity of nearly 2 tons of raw materials. Each fishing season, the company purchases approximately 100 tons of mackerel from the Cửa Việt sea. With a completely closed production process, ensuring environmental hygiene, the time required to produce delicious fish sauce with the desired flavor and color is about 10 months to 1 year.

During the production process, Mr. Nọ hired many local laborers who had experience in making traditional fish sauce. He didn't keep his technology a secret, always sharing and explaining its differences and effectiveness so that many people could learn about and apply it.

In 2018, Mr. Nọ's production facility produced its first batch of 3,500 liters of pure fish sauce. "Seeing the first golden drops of fish sauce produced using the technology I own, I was happy because my efforts and those of my colleagues had achieved initial success. My An sea fish sauce is a product we have carefully nurtured from the sea of ​​our homeland and will bring to all corners of the country," he said emotionally.

Confident about the quality and safety of the fish sauce he produced, Mr. Nọ gave samples to many people in Mỹ Thủy to try. The encouraging thing was that most of the local people, especially those who had been in the profession for many years, highly appreciated the quality and color of the new product, made using a clean, closed-loop technology.

Efforts to establish the brand

Building on the success of his first production run, in 2019, Mr. Nọ invested in expanding his factory, purchasing seven more composite storage tanks, bringing the total to ten. He also invested in additional facilities and gradually perfected his production line to be more professional. At the same time, he continued to strive to adjust the salinity of the fish sauce and its packaging to suit the tastes of the majority of consumers. This helped stabilize product quality, allowing him to gradually reach a wider audience and bring the specialty of his hometown, Mỹ Thủy, to the market.

The fermentation vats of My An General Trading and Manufacturing Joint Stock Company use a solar energy system to heat the fermentation process - Photo: DC

On September 9, 2021, My An General Trading and Production Joint Stock Company was officially established. According to Mr. No, the name "My An" has many meanings. It's an abbreviation of the place where the company produces its fish sauce: My Thuy village, Hai An commune. Additionally, the name also means: "my" means beautiful, and "an" means food safety.

Regarding the workforce, Mr. Nọ selects employees who are truly dedicated and hardworking, and who have faith in the new product to be long-term partners. For many years, the staff of My An General Trading and Manufacturing Joint Stock Company have actively engaged in marketing and promotion, not hesitating to travel to remote villages and hamlets in the province to bring the product directly to consumers.

Thanks to efforts to develop the My Thuy brand of local fish sauce in the market, the company now sells between 7,000 and 10,000 bottles of various types of fish sauce each month.

In 2022, My An sea fish sauce was recognized as a 4-star OCOP product of Quang Tri province. Thanks to consistently ensuring food safety and hygiene, not using harmful additives, or artificial coloring, the product has a shimmering straw-yellow color and a unique aroma that cannot be mistaken for other types of fish sauce.

Although production has only recently stabilized, My An fish sauce, with its savory and delicious flavor, is loved by many consumers both within and outside the province. Currently, there are two types of fish sauce available: pure and pre-mixed, for consumers to choose from. To date, the company produces approximately 18,000 liters of fish sauce annually, generating revenue of about 900 million VND.

Mr. Nọ added: “Although the company still faces difficulties in reaching many customer segments, we are very excited that My An sea fish sauce is now available in many markets, stores, and supermarkets selling clean food throughout the province; and is widely distributed to markets outside the province such as Hanoi , Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, Thua Thien Hue province... In the future, we will strive to adjust the salinity according to customer feedback, introduce the product into supermarket systems and retail distribution nationwide so that more and more people can enjoy the rich, unique flavor of the Quang Tri coastal region...”.

Hoai Diem Chi

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/kinh-te/chat-chiu-nhung-giot-vang-cua-bien/183989.htm