Reviving the traditional molasses making profession

(Baoquangngai.vn)- With the determination to get rich on their homeland, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy (38 years old) and her husband, Mr. Doan Duc Uy (40 years old), residing in My Thanh Bac village, Nghia Thuan commune (Tu Nghia) boldly restored the traditional method of producing molasses, combining modern machinery to increase the value of sugarcane.

Struggling with traditional products

After getting married, Thuy and her husband lived in Ho Chi Minh City with a stable job that many people dream of. Born in the land of sugarcane, Thuy and her husband could not help but regret when the sugarcane growing and sugar cooking profession that once made Quang Nam famous at home and abroad gradually faded away. After a while of thinking, in 2016, Thuy and her husband decided to leave the city and return to their hometown to find a way for sugarcane.

Portrait of Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy with molasses products.

Ms. Thuy confided that in the past, sugarcane cultivation brought double the income compared to rice cultivation, but when the output for sugarcane was no longer guaranteed, farmers gradually reduced the planting area. Therefore, if a profession that creates output for sugarcane could be developed, it could help people expand the sugarcane growing area and increase income.

That means doing, the young couple not only researched information through the Internet and newspapers but also "knocked on the doors" of households still involved in the local sugar cane industry to understand the traditional sugar cane industry and went to large-scale sugar cane production facilities across the country to learn more.

After 4 years of preparation and experience accumulation, Thuy and her husband used all their savings and borrowed more from relatives and friends to invest in machinery, build facilities, and embark on the project of reviving sugarcane products and preserving the traditional flavor of molasses.

The sugarcane peeling process is done by machine.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy (left) checks the sugarcane juice after it is pressed through the machine.

Sugarcane is pressed through a juicer before being concentrated.

After many failed experiments, in 2021, the natural molasses product called Mien Xanh Molasses was officially launched on the market through online sales. In the first year of operation, Nguyen Thi Thuy and her husband earned a profit of 200 million VND. They have proven that perseverance is the key to success.

Increase the value of sugarcane

With a completely natural production process, Mien Xanh Molasses ensures the criteria of cleanliness, safety and pure nature, meeting 3 no's: no chemical additives; no colorants, flavorings; no preservatives.

To produce a complete molasses product, raw sugarcane must go through 5 stages including: classifying sugarcane, selecting large, straight, quality plants; peeling sugarcane; squeezing sugarcane juice; distilling to concentrate sugarcane juice after a cooking process lasting 10 - 12 hours; and sieving to remove remaining residue after cooking. After sieving, the sugarcane is cooled and then sealed for storage. Standard molasses can be kept for 1 - 2 years. Different from the sharp sweetness of refined sugar, molasses has a golden brown color, a mild sweetness, is more fragrant and has many health benefits.

Molasses after going through the concentration process is filtered to remove the residue.

“With the desire to continue to bring the name of Quang Nam far and wide with traditional products, our top priority is prestige and quality. That is why Mien Xanh Molasses products have so far created trust with consumers, and are present in many provinces and cities in the country and abroad,” Ms. Thuy shared.

Currently, Ms. Thuy's facility consumes 1.5 - 2 tons of sugarcane per day with a finished product of 150 - 200 liters of molasses. Bringing in a profit of more than 800 million VND/year. Not only enriching herself, Ms. Thuy also creates jobs for 4 regular workers in the locality, bringing in a significant source of income for many farmers in Nghia Thuan commune, Nghia Thang commune (Tu Nghia) and Hanh Minh commune (Nghia Hanh) who grow sugarcane and participate in production linkages.

Ms. Pham Thi Lien is excited that her sugarcane fields have stable output.

As one of the households participating in growing sugarcane in association with Ms. Thuy's molasses production facility, Ms. Pham Thi Lien, residing in An Nhon village, Nghia Thang commune, Tu Nghia district, happily expressed that because of the proximity, it is very easy to sell sugarcane after harvest, saving on transportation costs. With 1 hectare of sugarcane, after deducting expenses, I earn 70 - 80 million VND/year. In the near future, I plan to increase the sugarcane growing area to 2.5 hectares, supplying Ms. Thuy's molasses production facility to earn more income.

Talking about her upcoming plans, Ms. Thuy shared, we plan to use electric cookers instead of traditional cookers; utilize by-products as organic fertilizers; expand raw material areas and launch 4 new products. Along with that, we will improve the factory, production process and raw material areas according to organic standards. From there, we will increase domestic market share and target the export market, putting traditional Vietnamese molasses on the world spice map.

Article and photos: T.NHAN

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