Desire to bring "homemade specialties" to the world

From traditional kitchen to modern factory

Sour meat is a "homemade specialty" in Muong families in Thanh Son district ( Phu Tho province). The meat is marinated with rice powder and naturally fermented, served with fig leaves, ginseng leaves... creating a unique, sour, fragrant flavor.

"Previously, this traditional dish was only produced on a small scale, by hand, and served within the village, or introduced to neighboring provinces through friends. Low production and simple packaging are the reasons why sour meat is difficult to reach a large number of consumers.

I used to worry a lot when I saw sour meat being popular but only limited to the local area. I thought, why can't our ethnic specialty go further?", Ms. Ha Thi Ngoc Diep recalled.

Workers at Thanh Son Sour Meat Cooperative are mostly local ethnic minority women.

It was that question that prompted her to establish Thanh Son - Phu Tho Sour Meat Cooperative in 2019, with the determination to improve local products.

Ms. Ha Thi Ngoc Diep's startup secret:

-Passionate and truly love the product.

- Be willing to learn from those who have gone before.

- Compete by maintaining brand reputation, always putting product quality first, following the correct production process, in which food safety is the key to improving product quality.

Initially, the cooperative faced numerous difficulties: lack of investment capital, limited production management experience, rudimentary machinery... But with the determination and consensus of the members, especially the management and connecting role of Ms. Diep, the cooperative gradually overcame the challenges.

Under Ms. Diep's management, the cooperative has gradually professionalized the entire production process. "We determined that to bring traditional dishes to the large market, the first thing must be food quality and safety. Therefore, the selection of raw materials such as clean pork with clear origin and the secret of mixing the rice bran and spices are carried out very strictly," Ms. Diep shared.

At Thanh Son Sour Meat Cooperative, there are currently more than 10 regular workers, most of whom are local ethnic minority women. Each person participates in a stage: one prepares, one mixes the rice bran, one packs... with a stable income of 5 to 6 million VND/month. "We don't just want to enrich ourselves, but also want the whole community to grow together. When people, especially women in the highlands, have jobs with a stable income, they will be less dependent and more confident," said Ms. Ha Thi Ngoc Diep.

In the cooperative's factory area, each processing and production area is clearly separated. The closed factory is invested with modern equipment such as mixers, slicers, vacuum machines, fermentation warehouses and cold storage for product preservation.

The product packaging has also been improved by Ms. Diep with full information on origin, expiry date, and QR code for the convenience of consumers. In particular, the product is diversified with many types: traditional sour meat, sour meat with garlic and chili... helping consumers have many choices to suit their taste.

Product of Thanh Son sour meat cooperative

Not only focusing on production, Ms. Ha Thi Ngoc Diep has also built a solid distribution system. From selling only in the region, the cooperative now has 15 distributors and 30 agents in 15 provinces and cities. The cooperative's products are now available on e-commerce platforms, bringing them closer to urban consumers.

Inspiring local women to start businesses

From a traditional dish, Ms. Ha Thi Ngoc Diep has constantly innovated and improved both the quality and design of the product. Thanh Son sour meat has become an OCOP product, contributing to introducing the culinary features of Phu Tho to food lovers everywhere.

Not stopping at current achievements, Ms. Ha Thi Ngoc Diep and the Cooperative are nurturing many plans for the future: building clean raw material areas, expanding factories to export standards, participating in international fairs, bringing products abroad to serve overseas Vietnamese and Vietnamese cuisine lovers.

Thanh Son sour meat cooperative has received support from Women's Unions at all levels and local authorities, participating in supply-demand connection conferences, trade promotion programs, and promoting products to many provinces and cities.

"We are learning modern production models and investing more in research and development of new products. I believe that if sour meat is kept true to its traditional spirit and improved with appropriate technology, it can absolutely have a place in the international market," Ms. Diep expressed her hope.

With her passion, perseverance and endurance, Ms. Ha Thi Ngoc Diep is inspiring women in the highlands to confidently start their own businesses, contributing to enriching their homeland.

In 2019, the sour meat specialty of Thanh Son sour meat cooperative was certified and awarded a cup by the People's Committee of Phu Tho province as a typical product of Phu Tho province. Since 2020, the product has been recognized as achieving 3-star OCOP of Phu Tho province, a turning point that helps the product reach supermarket systems such as Coopmart, Vinmart, Big C...

Cooperative address: No. 70B, Ha Son street, Thanh Son town, Thanh Son district, Phu Tho. Phone: 0974.701.180.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/mong-muon-dua-dac-san-nha-lam-ra-the-gioi-20250521132548344.htm