Green Startup with Loofah: From Lecturer to Entrepreneur

Ms. Ngoc Thu's environmentally friendly loofah products are well received by the market and have been exported - Photo: DOAN NHAN

Green start-up with loofah is being successfully implemented by Ms. Vo Thi Ngoc Thu, a former lecturer from Da Nang. From the dream of bringing Vietnamese loofah to the world , she created the Moc Xo brand, producing many environmentally friendly products and exporting them to demanding markets such as the US and France.

Green startup ideas with loofah from the loofah trellis in my hometown

Sitting in the middle of a warehouse full of loofahs, Ms. Thu quickly checks each roll of loofahs and shows off that she is rushing to prepare a new export shipment. Loofahs are usually used as dishwashing bundles or thrown away, but through her skillful hands and willingness to research, Vo Thi Ngoc Thu has transformed them into many environmentally friendly products, and more importantly, has entered the world.

Her previous job as a lecturer gave her the opportunity to learn about eco-friendly products from international websites. It was here that she realized that loofah is quite popular in many countries with high living standards. While in Vietnam, it is a waste or only used very little.

"Why don't I try it? If the world has a need, Vietnam can absolutely create high-quality and creative products from loofah," Ms. Thu recalls the moment she came up with the idea to start a business.

Thinking is doing. In 2022, she decided to experiment on a small scale, starting to grow squash on an area of about 1 hectare. She researched the standard fiber processing process. The first products were introduced on her fanpage, website and sent to e-commerce platforms to find ways to approach the market.

Some of the first loofah product lines included bath sponges, exfoliating pads, coasters, slippers, and more sophisticated ones, embroidered loofah bags. But starting a business was never easy. She was only familiar with teaching and had little business experience.

The biggest difficulty at that time was capital. Ngoc Thu borrowed from the bank to realize the idea, maintain production and pay interest. With favorable timing and good calculation skills, the cash flow was not interrupted, and Thu was able to build a factory, develop products and expand the scale.

Moc Xo is a pioneer in embroidered loofah bags and is proud to be one of the manufacturers with the most loofah product lines on the market today.

Ms. VO THI NGOC THU

From the countryside to the world

Ngoc Thu's Moc Xo brand currently has distributors in all provinces and cities nationwide. Products are also sold through fanpages, websites and e-commerce platforms. Moc Xo loofah bags are available at many souvenir shops in tourist destinations. In particular, many products from here have been exported, conquering demanding markets such as the US, Canada, Australia, UK, France, Korea...

Asked if she still remembers the first time her products crossed the border? Ngoc Thu smiled and vividly recalled her feelings when her first order went to the US. "At that time, I was very nervous because I didn't know how the customers would respond.

It wasn't until I received an email praising the beautiful, good quality product that I was so happy that I couldn't stay up all night, just wanting to be able to make more products right then and there!", she laughed.

To ensure the source of raw materials, Moc Xo cooperates with local farmers to expand the growing area. She goes to the countryside to meet people, understands more about the natural conditions of each place, and then guides them on how to grow and process loofah to meet the initial standards.

She wants to strongly develop raw material areas in the Central region, especially in Da Nang and Quang Nam , to create more jobs for her hometown people.

Recalling the first time she went to a district in Quang Nam to find raw materials, people looked at her with suspicion because no one thought that loofah fiber could be sold. "When they saw me holding each fiber and talking about how to process it, they started to believe me more. Now, many households growing loofah to supply raw materials for me have a fairly stable income," Ms. Thu boasted.

Inspiring startups

Ngoc Thu's story of starting a business with loofah products is not only passed on by women but also known by many young entrepreneurs in Da Nang, becoming an inspirational story of perseverance and creativity, giving them more motivation to turn their ideas into reality.

Thanks to the right direction, Moc Xo loofah has somewhat affirmed its position. The loofah growing area has been expanded to many provinces from Da Nang, Quang Nam to Dak Nong, bringing the total area of raw materials to more than 50 hectares. Not stopping at a few familiar products, the young entrepreneur has created many new product lines to meet diverse consumer tastes.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khoi-nghiep-xanh-voi-xo-muop-tu-giang-vien-den-doanh-nhan-20250320102048105.htm#content