Start a business with... burnt rice

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tra with products of Vu Gia Cooperative. Photo: BICH LIEN

Hometown products

Since 2019, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tra and a number of people have joined together to grow medicinal plants, turmeric, coconut... in the Vu Gia beach area to develop the economy . The production area that was formed was also the foundation for the birth of Vu Gia Cooperative in the same year 2019, with 7 members, managed by Ms. Nguyen Thi Tra.

Not only stopping at farming, in recent years, Ms. Tra and the members of the Cooperative have boldly researched and produced healthy food products such as: seaweed cakes with nutritious seeds, crispy rice with seaweed floss, brown rice bars with floss, dried chicken with lemon leaves... Thanks to that, Vu Gia Cooperative has an average total revenue of about 750 million VND per year, creating jobs for 8 members and 5 local workers.

Products of Vu Gia Cooperative participate in fairs and exhibitions. Photo: BICH LIEN

In 2024, Vu Gia Cooperative will continue to participate in the production of organic food from local agricultural products. The Cooperative will invest in machinery and technology to continue developing products with the flavor of Dai Loc countryside. "We want to turn Vu Gia products into familiar friends of Quang Nam people, aiming to expand the market to provinces and cities across the country" - Ms. Tra said.

The product "Dai Loc Crispy Rice" is one of the strong products that the Cooperative has registered for food safety and hygiene standards, HACCP standards (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points - an international standard on quality management systems) for the product.

The product has appeared on e-commerce sites. In May 2024, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tra represented Vu Gia Cooperative to participate in the Quang Nam Province Innovation and Startup Competition and won the Encouragement Prize with the product "Dai Loc Crispy Rice". The product continued to be approved to participate in the OCOP program in 2024.

The product "Dai Loc Crispy Rice" is packaged attractively. Photo: BICH LIEN

Bringing "burnt rice" from the homeland far away

Talking about the product “Dai Loc Crispy Rice”, Ms. Tra shared that as a native of Dai Loc, she realized that her hometown is a large rice production area, but the rice products are mainly sold raw, only a few products are deeply processed such as Dai Loc rice paper, Quang noodles, vermicelli, etc.

With the idea of ​​bringing hometown rice far and wide, she and the cooperative members started to research and test the product of burnt rice, investing in dryers, oil-separating fryers, vacuum sealers, rice steamers, centrifuge dryers, baking tools, etc.

After a period of research and testing, the first crispy rice products introduced to customers received positive feedback. “Crispy rice is one of the snacks that is loved by many ages, with a variety of designs and flavors.

The rice layer inside is crispy, the spices are rich, the outer packaging is beautifully packaged, eye-catching, the product design is suitable for consumer tastes. The product has a barcode, is HACCP certified, so it is increasingly trusted by consumers" - Ms. Tra said.

Production space of Vu Gia Cooperative. Photo: BICH LIEN

Up to now, with “Dai Loc Crispy Rice”, Vu Gia Cooperative has launched 3 types of products to the market: crispy rice with goat meat, crispy rice with pork floss, crispy rice with vegetarian pork floss. Each month, Vu Gia Cooperative supplies the market with 500-600 crispy rice products, each product is priced at 50,000 VND/box.

Vu Gia Cooperative is being supported by Dai Loc district and Quang Nam province's Industrial Promotion Center with a number of machines and equipment to improve production capacity from the industrial promotion program and the province's One Commune One Product (OCOP) program.

“The cooperative received good news that it was supported with a number of types of machinery and equipment such as high-capacity rice cookers, high-capacity dryers, modern vacuum cleaners, etc. This support will help the cooperative improve its production capacity, increase its competitiveness in the market and lower costs to reach consumers,” said Ms. Tra.

In addition to the support and assistance from the State, the Cooperative is making efforts to connect sales markets, promote trade, improve management capacity, apply science and technology, and improve productivity. “The direction of the Cooperative is to focus on developing organic rice paper products that can be used for diabetics... The Cooperative is also completing legal issues and finding directions for exporting products. Along with that, creating value chain and supply chain links towards sustainable development...” - Ms. Tra said.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/khoi-nghiep-voi-com-chay-3143247.html