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| Ms. Nguyen Thi Thai, Director of Hong Thai Tea Cooperative, has contributed to raising the level of Luc Ba tea products in the market. |
Hong Thai Tea Cooperative was established in 2018, with 7 initial members. Talking about the difficult early days, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thai, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors and Director of the Cooperative, shared: Compared to famous tea areas of Dai Tu district such as La Bang, Hoang Nong... Luc Ba tea is somewhat "less famous". The commune has hundreds of hectares of tea but people mainly cultivate on a small scale, do not invest much in fertilization and processing, so the products have low value and unstable output. There was a time when most people were no longer interested in the profession. But I believe that if we do it right, we can still make a good living with tea trees.
Mrs. Thai’s belief is well-founded, because she has decades of experience in making tea. From the days when she followed her parents to pick tea as a child, until she became a daughter-in-law in Luc Ba commune, she has continued the family’s traditional profession. With over 40 years of experience in the tea business, Mrs. Thai clearly understands customers’ “taste” for the product.
In 2018, based on the VietGAP Tea Production Cooperative of the village, Ms. Thai established the Hong Thai Tea Cooperative, with a charter capital of 1 billion VND and an initial raw material area of more than 1 hectare. At first, the Cooperative only connected output to help members, then the linkage gradually shifted to production and processing to create quality products.
After only a few years of operation, the cooperative has now grown to 18 members, with 5 hectares of tea produced according to VietGAP standards and has been granted a growing area code. This is an important step to ensure product quality and safety for consumers.
Not stopping there, in 2024, the Cooperative began testing an organic tea production model on an area of 2,500m2, aiming to develop sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture .
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| The tea area of Hong Thai Tea Cooperative is cared for and harvested according to VietGAP standards. |
One of the notable highlights of the cooperative is the product “Hong Thai Green Tea” which has achieved 3-star OCOP. This product is not only produced according to safety standards, but from the packaging to the brand story, it is also closely associated with local identity, carrying the distinct flavor of the Luc Ba tea region.
In addition to OCOP products, Hong Thai Tea Cooperative also has specialty tea lines such as shrimp tea, hook tea, nail tea, Long Van tea... Of which, nail tea is the most valuable product, sold for over 2 million VND/kg.
Other products are also highly appreciated by customers, with an average price of 500,000 VND/kg. Thanks to high quality and increasingly affirmed brand, the cooperative's revenue currently reaches 2-3 billion VND/year.
Not only a production unit, Hong Thai Tea Cooperative is also a place to connect and support each other in the community. Ms. Pham Thi Dong, a member of the Cooperative, confided: When joining the Cooperative, I was trained in new techniques, learned how to care for tea according to safety standards and was connected to consume products at higher prices. From just a secondary source of income, my family now lives well thanks to tea trees.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong said: In addition to sharing production experiences, cooperative members also help each other with tea picking, processing, packaging products and maintaining a stable source of customers. Thanks to that, many people like me have regained their passion for the traditional profession.
Talking about the future orientation of Hong Thai Tea Cooperative, “captain” Nguyen Thi Thai confided: I always wonder how to make the cooperative’s tea products not only delicious but also ensure safety and sustainability standards. Because today’s customers not only buy the product, but also buy the spiritual value and story behind it. Therefore, the Cooperative is aiming to expand the organic tea area, along with direct sales channels, through online shopping channels. At the same time, I have built a tea-drinking area and aim to attract customers to visit and experience the tea-making process. I hope that in the near future, this model will help members increase their income not only from tea trees but also from tourism services…
Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202506/gop-phan-nang-tam-cay-che-vung-ban-ngap-ca507a5/
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