The aspiration to carry the seeds of the Urai tree far and wide.

Consumers are increasingly interested in green and environmentally friendly products, opening up opportunities for the uoi seed, a specialty forest seed from Central Vietnam, to be revived in a new way.

Ms. Hoang Thi Thuy Nga inspects products on the production line for Sterile Sterile Seed Powder - Photo: VT

Starting with raw materials that were previously only sold in their raw form, Ms. Hoang Thi Thuy Nga from Lanh Ngoc commune ( Da Nang city) has gradually built a brand of instant uoi powder called Uoi Bay, opening up a path of entrepreneurship linked to the conservation of local resources.

Concerned about the specialties of my hometown.

The Sterculia foetida seed, also known as the flying Sterculia foetida or stone tree, is a natural medicinal plant primarily found in forests throughout Central Vietnam and the Central Highlands. A large woody tree, reaching 20-30 meters in height, the Sterculia foetida only bears fruit approximately every four years, making its already limited supply even scarcer.

In traditional medicine, the seeds of the Sterculia foetida tree are known for their ability to clear heat, detoxify, and cool the body. These values ​​have made Sterculia foetida seeds a sought-after commodity for traders. There was a time when dried Sterculia foetida seeds were bought for millions of dong per kilogram and were mainly sold raw to China.

High prices and low yields have led people to venture deep into the forest to gather the seeds, sometimes even secretly cutting down trees for the fruit, and some have been prosecuted for this practice. However, the issue of livelihood and market access for these seeds remains a major concern. As a tourism professional, after many years working in the city, Thuy Nga realized the paradox: valuable local agricultural products are mostly sold raw, while the market demands deeply processed, convenient, and purely natural products.

"I used to display the Sterculia foetida seeds at fairs, and many people liked them but hesitated to buy them. Partly because of the high price, but mostly because the preparation of these seeds is quite elaborate," Ms. Nga recounted.

Thus, the idea of ​​making instant wild yam powder was born. The challenge was to preserve the original value of the forest seeds while also fitting into modern life. Nearly a year of research into the formula, experimenting with soaking, drying, and blending the ingredients, was undertaken.

It wasn't until early 2025 that Ms. Nga and her colleagues at the Nhan Tam Agricultural , Commercial, and Service Cooperative launched their soluble uoi powder product.

Sterile palm seed powder is made entirely from natural ingredients combined with cane sugar and passion fruit. Freeze-drying technology helps preserve the flavor and active ingredients. When used, sile palm seed powder can be mixed with water like tea.

There is still much work to be done, but I believe that by choosing genuine values ​​as the foundation, each product made from local specialties will carry the spirit of green living and healthy living from our homeland.

Ms. HOANG THI THUY NGA

Environment and community go hand in hand.

The story of the four-yearly fruiting forest seed and the resulting Uoi Bay product is a testament to the effort to sow the seeds for sustainable development, where the economy, environment, and community go hand in hand. Uoi Bay is envisioned as a closed-loop value chain.

Ms. Nga established the Nhan Tam Cooperative to purchase, process, and dry-store the seeds of the Urai tree in a warehouse with a long storage period to ensure a stable supply of raw materials year-round. With the existing machinery, the processing capacity reaches several tons of seeds per month. The good news is that after about a year of operation, the cooperative has recouped its investment in machinery.

In the first six months after its launch, Uoi Bay didn't focus on profit but rather on increasing market awareness. Starting in Da Nang, the product has begun to spread to many other localities.

Ms. Nga said that the difference of Uoi Bay lies in its goal of preserving and regenerating the dwindling uoi tree population. Instead of short-term exploitation by cutting down trees for fruit, the project persuades local people to protect the trees and maintain a stable annual supply of seeds.

This will raise awareness of the value of forests and ensure a market for the produce, giving people peace of mind for sustainable development. The cooperative plans to plant approximately 1,000 new agarwood trees to create a long-term source of raw materials and reduce pressure on natural forests. At the same time, it will create more jobs and stable livelihoods for local people in the harvesting, processing, and production stages.

However, the entrepreneurial journey is not without challenges, especially starting from a small rural area where the cooperative lacks strong communication, resulting in slow progress. "Investing in additional freeze-drying machines, weighing machines, and nut shelling machines requires a significant amount of capital, and we are being cautious about raising funds and must prioritize perfecting the production process and standardizing quality," Ms. Nga said.

Uoi Bay instant powder has become available and is gradually gaining acceptance in the market - Photo: CHAU SA

Enhancing the value of local specialties.

The project won second prize in the Quang Nam Startup Talent Search 2025 competition and was highly praised by the judges for its long-term development potential, linked to local resources and green consumption trends. Mr. Nguyen Viet Toan, Director of the Da Nang Innovation and Startup Support Center, assessed this as a very promising startup model encompassing many values.

However, to expand the market towards export, the Uoi Bay product needs to register under the OCOP program, establish production and packaging standards, and address many other issues. "We should collaborate with research institutions and biotechnology departments to optimize costs and ensure food safety. Brand protection and patent registration should be done early to avoid risks when the market expands," Mr. Toan said.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khat-vong-mang-hat-uoi-bay-xa-2026010309141595.htm