Starting a business with Phuc Dien traditional fish sauce

Mr. Bui Ngoc Phuc checks the batch of fish sauce being fermented at his warehouse. Photo: MY LINH

After many years working as a food sales person in Ho Chi Minh City, Bui Ngoc Phuc decided to leave the city and return to his hometown Tam Quang in 2014.

Returning to his hometown, his uncle passed on the family's traditional fish sauce making profession. Mr. Phuc said that at that time, the traditional fish sauce profession faced great pressure from industrial fish sauce due to factors such as speed, convenience, and cheapness... But he believed that if he wanted to do business for a long time, he had to maintain the roots, based on traditional values. After more than 10 years of development, the Phuc Dien fish sauce brand gradually appeared on the market.

Phuc Dien fish sauce has a dark brown color, strong aroma, and a protein content of 35-42 degrees depending on the type. Photo: MY LINH

Mr. Phuc said that Phuc Dien fish sauce facility produces about 10 tons of fish each year, producing about 5,000 liters of fish sauce, all using 100% traditional manual methods.

The main ingredients for making fish sauce are anchovies, which he carefully selected from Tam Quang Fishing Port, and sea salt. The fish must be fresh, without broken intestines, which would affect the quality of the fish sauce. Depending on the size of the fish, the fermentation time ranges from 6 months to more than a year. "From selecting the fish, salting the fish, fermenting the fish to bottling, there are no chemicals or additives," Phuc affirmed.

The special thing about Phuc Dien fish sauce is that it is kept pure, without adding rock sugar to soften the taste of the fish sauce like our ancestors did in the past. Bui Ngoc Phuc said that nowadays, many people have diabetes so the original taste must be kept to ensure that everyone can use it, and when using it, users can mix it according to their preferences.

Phuc Dien fish sauce currently has two types, including fish sauce brewed from small fish priced at 60,000 VND/500ml bottle and fish sauce brewed from large fish priced at 75,000 VND/500ml bottle. Mr. Phuc explained that although small fish are cheaper to buy and produce more water when brewed, the protein content is low so the selling price is lower. Currently, fish sauce brewed from large fish has a protein content ranging from 40-42 degrees, giving a darker brown color and a strong aroma, and is chosen by many customers.

The biggest difficulty of the Phuc Dien fish sauce production facility is currently limited financial resources, lack of investment capital for factory renovation, and lack of packaging system. The facility was once supported by the Military Region V Defense Economic Group with 50 million VND to develop the product, but to develop further, it needs larger resources.

Traditional fish sauce and specialties made from seaweed and fish from the Phuc Dien traditional fish sauce and seaweed production facility - Ky Ha. Photo: MY LINH

In addition, Mr. Phuc also shared that the product does not have a certification like OCOP, so it is difficult to bring the product to the supermarket. "Many distributors require OCOP before they will import the product. In reality, quality is still what determines whether customers will return or not," Mr. Phuc worried.

Although he faces a lot of competition from both industrial fish sauce and other traditional establishments, Mr. Phuc does not see this as an obstacle. On the contrary, he actively shares his experiences in the Nui Thanh District Creative Startup Association, and together participates in trade promotion fairs and product promotion.

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“The traditional fish sauce market has a chance to recover. Consumers are now concerned about health and product quality. We hope to receive attention from local authorities, especially creating conditions for Phuc Dien fish sauce to participate in the OCOP program, to reach more consumers in the future.”

Mr. Bui Ngoc Phuc

Besides fish sauce, Phuc Dien facility also produces and trades other Ky Ha specialties such as dried flying fish, dried marinated flying fish, seaweed, seaweed, seaweed jam... These products are all exploited and purchased from Tam Quang, Tam Hai (Nui Thanh) areas, helping to increase income and create seasonal jobs for local people.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/khoi-nghiep-voi-nuoc-mam-truyen-thong-phuc-dien-3155302.html