Continuously innovate and be creative in business.

With sincerity, perseverance, and a thirst for learning, Ms. Nguyen Thi Le Thanh hopes that the dishes of her hometown , Ninh Binh, will become known and trusted by many people.

Born and raised in Gia Vien (Ninh Binh), a place famous for its shrimp paste, in 2019, Ms. Nguyen Thi Le Thanh decided to start her own business with the product "Thanh Nguyen's Braised Pork with Shrimp Paste". Ms. Thanh shared that in the early days of her business, the challenge was finding a way to make braised pork with shrimp paste that was both high-quality, retained the flavor of her hometown, and also suited the tastes of most consumers.

Therefore, in her journey of researching and finding the perfect flavor, Ms. Thanh has had to throw away hundreds of kilograms of pork on numerous occasions. Determined to prioritize integrity in her business philosophy, she is always willing to listen to customer feedback to improve her products.

"Once, I stood in the rain just hoping a customer would agree to try my product again after being dissatisfied. And now she's one of my regular customers," Thanh recalled.

With the desire to ensure absolute product safety, and with the support of experts from the Institute of Food Technology, she launched a product of braised pork with shrimp paste that contains no preservatives. The product received OCOP 4-star certification, "Typical Rural Industrial Product at the Northern Region Level".

After some time, she developed the production facility into the Thanh Nguyen Agricultural Production and Trading Cooperative. In 2022, the Thanh Nguyen Cooperative faced many difficulties due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. To help the cooperative overcome these challenges, Ms. Thanh quickly sought a new direction:

Ms. Nguyen Thi Le Thanh (seated, fourth from the left) introduces her products to female members during an activity organized by the local Women's Union.

Promote the application of digital technology in online business; diversify business sectors by providing food to schools and industrial zones, and engaging in catering services.

In production, adhering to the principle of "reinvesting as much as possible," Ms. Thanh continuously upgrades machinery and equipment, and applies the advanced HACCP (Harmonious Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) quality management system to strictly control the production process and minimize product spoilage.

This has helped Thanh Nguyen Cooperative grow even further, achieving a revenue of 7 billion VND in 2023, three times higher than the previous year. The cooperative creates jobs for approximately 40 workers, the majority of whom are women.

In early 2023, Ms. Thanh decided to quit her government job and dedicate herself entirely to building the "Thanh Nguyen's Pork Stew with Shrimp Paste" brand. At the same time, she established a traditional Vietnamese rice restaurant in Hoa Lu Old Town (Ninh Binh). However, the restaurant business was not successful.

At this time, she received feedback from many overseas Vietnamese who wished for her braised pork with shrimp paste to be exported abroad, meeting the needs of those living far from home. Motivated by this, Ms. Thanh began exporting Thanh Nguyen's braised pork with shrimp paste to countries such as Cambodia, Laos, and South Korea.

One of the lessons Ms. Thanh learned from her entrepreneurial journey is "slow but steady," developing step by step and continuously improving her knowledge and skills in building a livestream sales channel, doing advertising and marketing for the brand, learning foreign languages, etc.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/khong-ngung-doi-moi-sang-tao-khi-kinh-doanh-dac-san-ninh-binh-20240619095435565.htm