The startup journey of a retired teacher

Retired teacher perseveres in learning to drive incense

Ms. Truong Thi My Dung, 58 years old, Head of the Cooperative Group "Producing biological incense from grapefruit peel and lemongrass", used to be a Biology teacher at Pham Viet Chanh Secondary School (My Thanh Commune, Giong Trom, Ben Tre).

In 2021, in the context of the Covid-19 outbreak, with a lot of free time at home, she wondered what she could do to make a meaningful difference. Wanting to make use of her free time and help local women earn extra income, she began to hatch the idea of ​​starting a business.

During her teaching, she learned that there are some chemicals that can effectively repel mosquitoes, but if used frequently, they can affect human health, especially children.

Folklore often uses smoked grapefruit peel to repel mosquitoes or grows lemongrass to repel insects. From these experiences, Ms. Dung came up with the idea of ​​making mosquito-repelling incense.

The project "Biological incense from grapefruit peel and lemongrass" won the Southern Regional Encouragement Prize at the "Women's Creative Startup and Green Transformation" competition in 2024

"When I retire, I have a lot of free time, so I want to research and create environmentally friendly products, as a small project to leave behind for future generations. My goal in starting a business is not to focus on profit but to protect the environment and pass on good values," said Ms. Dung.

Recalling the first days of starting her business, Ms. Dung said that due to lack of experience, the incense sticks she made were often large and long, making them difficult to use and preserve.

In the coming time, to help the cooperative develop sustainably, the provincial Women's Union at all levels will continue to support in many forms. Specifically, if the cooperative needs to borrow capital, the Union will introduce suitable sources, such as the Women's Economic Development Support Fund of the Provincial Women's Union. If it is considered to have potential, the cooperative can be supported to upgrade to a cooperative, through a program in coordination with the Cooperative Union, to receive guidance and create necessary conditions. In addition, the Union will connect with the provincial Department of Science and Technology to help the cooperative access machinery, support packaging improvement, register OCOP products... to improve the quality and competitiveness of the products. This is not only a direction of support for Ms. Dung's cooperative, but also a general direction in supporting and developing other cooperatives across the province."

Ms. Vo Ai Hoa, Vice President of Ben Tre Provincial Women's Union

"Mosquito repellent incense needs a long burning time. If you make it short, it will burn out quickly, but if you make it big like I did at first, it won't be convenient. Back then, I thought "good wood is better than good paint", only paying attention to the quality of the materials.

But when I put the product into actual use, I realized that no matter how good the ingredients are, if the product is bulky and difficult to use, it will be difficult to reach consumers," Ms. Dung shared.

Members of the cooperative "Producing biological incense from grapefruit peel and lemongrass" carry out the product packaging stage. Photo: PNBT

After drawing on her own experience and receiving many sincere suggestions from women and the President of the Ward Women's Union, Ms. Dung decided to switch to making biological incense to serve the spiritual life and ancestor worship culture of Vietnamese people.

Continuing to utilize waste products and local materials such as grapefruit peels and lemongrass, Ms. My Dung began researching the formula to create incense sticks. After more than 4 months of experimentation, she finally came up with the product.

"Making incense sticks was also very difficult. At first, I dried the grapefruit peel, but there was too much white part so the incense was not fragrant. After that, I learned from experience and removed some of the white part. Mixing the incense powder also took a lot of time. If the ratio was mixed incorrectly, the incense sticks would be bad and would not be fragrant when burned," said Ms. Dung.

Gradually accumulating experience, Ms. Dung decided to bring incense powder to someone with a specialized machine to help with the incense cart. Since then, the incense sticks produced have become more even and beautiful. After 4 years of persistently pursuing the startup project, up to now, Ms. My Dung's biological incense products made from grapefruit peel and lemongrass have been known and trusted by many people.

With the characteristic of not using flavorings, colorants or fire-inducing agents, each incense stick can burn continuously for 80 to 90 minutes, the product is environmentally friendly.

Create jobs for many local women

With the active support of the Women's Union of An Hoi Ward, in July 2022, the Cooperative Group "Producing biological incense from grapefruit peel and lemongrass" in Ward 7, An Hoi Ward, was officially established. The group has 10 members, of which Ms. Dung takes on the role of group leader.

Organic incense products

The cooperative's organic incense products are made from natural ingredients in a 3:1 ratio, meaning 3kg of grapefruit peel combined with 1kg of lemongrass can produce about 3,000 incense sticks. During peak months, the group can sell about 90-100kg of incense to the market. During rainy months or months when grapefruit is not in season, sales are lower.

The establishment of the cooperative has created stable jobs for about 20-30 female workers, including those who supply raw materials, with an average income of 600,000 VND to 2 million VND per month.

In addition, the cooperative also raises funds to support female members in difficult circumstances in the area.

Ms. Dung added: "The cooperative prioritizes purchasing grapefruit peel from local women at a higher price than the market price. While the market price ranges from 15,000 to 20,000 VND/kg of dried grapefruit peel, we buy it at 30,000 - 40,000 VND/kg. This is a practical way to help local women earn more income. We feel happy when we can help someone."

Currently, the cooperative does not have the conditions to invest in modern machinery. Therefore, the production process still faces many difficulties, especially depending on the weather.

"We mainly take advantage of production during the sunny season. During the rainy season, we face difficulties because there is not enough sunlight to dry the materials, which can easily cause mold and affect the quality of the products. The desire of the cooperative members is to build a spacious factory, apply modern technology and have a young workforce so that the cooperative can develop more sustainably," Ms. Dung shared.

Although the scale is still small, the cooperative has made a practical contribution to the implementation of the Project "Supporting Women to Start a Business", while creating jobs for many members and poor women in the locality. With the efforts of the members of the cooperative, the project "Biological incense from grapefruit peel and lemongrass" won the third prize in the Women's Startup Competition organized by the Women's Union of Ben Tre province in 2021.

By 2024, the project continued to reach the final round of the Southern region and won the regional Encouragement Prize in the "Women's Creative Startup and Green Transformation" competition organized by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union.

Ms. Truong Thi My Dung is one of 7 representatives from the Southern region honored at the "Vietnamese Women Confident in Doing Business" award - an award presented by Unilever Vietnam International Company Limited in collaboration with the Vietnam Women's Union.

Through startup competitions, the cooperative's biological incense products have been present in many provinces and cities in the Southern region, opening up many development opportunities for the group in the future.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/hanh-trinh-khoi-nghiep-cua-ba-giao-ve-huu-20250513110304616.htm