Starting a business with... burnt rice

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

Traditional Vietnamese products

Since 2019, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tra, along with several others, has been cultivating medicinal plants, turmeric, coconut trees, etc., in the Vu Gia coastal area to develop the local economy . The formation of this production area also served as the foundation for the establishment of the Vu Gia Cooperative in the same year, with 7 members, led by Ms. Nguyen Thi Tra.

Not content with just farming, in recent years, Ms. Tra and the members of the cooperative have boldly researched and produced healthy food products such as: seaweed crackers with nutritious nuts, crispy rice with shredded pork and seaweed, brown rice bars with shredded pork, and dried chicken with lime leaves… As a result, the Vu Gia Cooperative has an average annual revenue of approximately 750 million VND, creating jobs for 8 cooperative members and 5 local workers.

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

In 2024, Vu Gia Cooperative continued to participate in the production of organic food from local agricultural products. The cooperative invested in machinery and technology to further develop its product line with the rustic flavors of Dai Loc. "We want to make Vu Gia products a familiar friend to the people of Quang Nam , aiming to expand the market to provinces and cities nationwide," said Ms. Tra.

The "Dai Loc Crispy Rice" product is one of the cooperative's flagship products, registered for food safety and hygiene standards, including HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points - an international standard for quality management systems).

The product has appeared on e-commerce websites. In May 2024, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tra, representing Vu Gia Cooperative, participated in the Quang Nam Province Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition and won the Encouragement Prize with the product "Dai Loc Crispy Rice". The product was subsequently approved to participate in the OCOP program in 2024.

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

Bringing the "crispy rice" dish from our hometown to distant lands.

Speaking about the "Dai Loc Crispy Rice" product, Ms. Tra shared that, as a native of Dai Loc, she noticed that her hometown is a vast rice-producing region, but the rice products are mainly sold in their raw form, with only a few products being processed further, such as Dai Loc rice paper, Quang noodles, vermicelli, etc.

With the idea of ​​bringing local rice to a wider market, she and the cooperative members began researching and experimenting with crispy rice products, investing in various types of drying machines, oil separation and frying machines, vacuum packaging machines, rice steamers, centrifugal dryers, baking tools, etc.

After a period of research and testing, our first batch of crispy rice products received positive feedback from customers. "Crispy rice is a popular snack enjoyed by people of all ages, with a wide variety of designs and flavors."

"The rice inside is crispy, the seasoning is rich, the packaging is beautiful and eye-catching, and the product design suits consumer tastes. The product has a barcode and HACCP certification, so it is increasingly trusted and used by consumers," said Ms. Tra.

Production space of Vu Gia Cooperative. Photo: BICH LIEN

To date, with "Dai Loc Crispy Rice," Vu Gia Cooperative has launched three types of products: crispy rice with goat meat, crispy rice with shredded pork floss, and vegetarian crispy rice with shredded pork floss. Each month, Vu Gia Cooperative supplies the market with 500-600 crispy rice products, each priced at 50,000 VND per box.

The Vu Gia Cooperative is currently receiving support from Dai Loc District and the Quang Nam Provincial Industrial Promotion Center in the form of machinery and equipment to enhance its production capacity, under the province's industrial promotion program and the One Commune One Product (OCOP) program.

“The cooperative is delighted to receive support in the form of several types of machinery and equipment such as high-capacity rice cookers, high-capacity dryers, and modern vacuum packaging machines… 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.

Besides the support and assistance from the State, the cooperative is striving to connect with markets, promote trade, improve management capacity, apply science and technology, and improve productivity. “The cooperative’s direction is to focus on developing organic crispy rice products that can be used by people with diabetes… The cooperative is also completing legal procedures and finding ways to export its products. Along with that, we are creating value chain and supply chain linkages aimed at sustainable development…” - Ms. Tra said.

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