Starting a business with lotus seed noodles

Hue lotus seed noodle products Hong Toan are invested in both quality and design.

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Starting from making traditional noodles, Ms. Hong realized the increasing demand for healthy, nutritious food; meanwhile, the locality has a large area of lotus cultivation but the output is unstable, farmers have difficulty selling. From there, she came up with the idea of combining lotus seeds with rice noodles, creating a product that is both novel and imbued with the culinary identity of the Ancient Capital.

“In Hue, everyone is familiar with traditional rice noodle soup, and Hue lotus seeds are also very famous for their delicious, rich, and crumbly texture... An idea flashed through my mind: why don’t I combine the two to create a product that is both delicious and good for my health,” Ms. Hong said about her “brainchild.”

Previously, this 41-year-old woman opened a 200m2 dry noodle factory with an initial investment of about 500 million VND. Thanks to support from local authorities and start-up programs, the factory's products gradually affirmed their brand in the market. After a period of making traditional noodles, Ms. Hong continued to purchase local ingredients such as pumpkin, gac fruit, butterfly pea flowers, purple leaves... to produce more dry vegetable noodles.

Working by hand was not enough to meet the demand, so she invested in a vegetable cutting and grinding machine and a freeze dryer with a budget of 120 million VND; then, she received support from all levels and sectors with an additional 51 million VND to develop the product.

When vegetable noodles had a certain position, she boldly experimented with making more noodles from lotus seeds. Unlike traditional noodles, lotus seed noodles have the advantage of being easy to digest, rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. The product is suitable for many people, from children, the elderly, to vegetarians or those who need to control diseases such as diabetes, digestive disorders... so it is quite popular with consumers.

“My hometown is at the end of the Bo River, a low-lying area, with some areas of land that are difficult to produce, so farmers have switched from rice to lotus. From that reality, I thought I had to do something to help farmers stabilize their output after harvest, so I invested in producing Hue lotus seed noodles,” Ms. Hong confided.

Rise to affirm the brand

Currently, her Hong Toan lotus seed noodles are available in many kindergartens, stores, and traditional markets in and outside the city. Ms. Hong is connecting with supermarkets and convenience stores, aiming at the national market and export.

“My dream is to make lotus seed noodle soup a typical product of Hue, then expand to the international market, so that when people mention Hue cuisine, they will not only remember beef noodle soup, mussel rice but also Hong Toan lotus seed noodle soup,” Ms. Hong shared.

However, Ms. Hong's path to starting a business was not easy. The factory was far from the center, transportation encountered many obstacles, and there was fierce competition from big brands, so to gain a foothold in the market, she had to apply many creative methods. She put quality first, reputation was the key to success, along with reasonable prices, so the products produced by her facility were gradually accepted by the market.

Ms. Phan Thi Phuong My, Vice President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, President of the Women's Union of Quang Dien commune commented: "Ms. Hong is a very dynamic and creative female member in production and business. Not only stopping at developing the family economy , Ms. Hong contributes to creating jobs for rural workers, helping people consume agricultural products in the Quang Dien region. Currently, Ms. Hong's noodle production workshop is creating jobs for 7 local workers with an income of 3-6 million VND/month. Ms. Hong's project to produce Hue lotus seed noodle has entered the semi-finals of the Hue City Creative Startup Competition in 2025.

Article and photos: Thao Vy

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/kinh-te/khoi-nghiep/khoi-nghiep-voi-mi-soi-banh-canh-hat-sen-158536.html