Ms. Le Thi Lien shared that the people of Thanh Son hometown where she lives mainly live on farming, in which green-skinned grapefruit is grown by many people.
Her family also grows 7 hectares of grapefruit. After more than 10 years of growing grapefruit, she has realized that the market for fresh grapefruit is very unstable, always facing the story of "good harvest, low price, good price, bad harvest". In her mind, she always thinks about diversifying grapefruit products to increase the value of agricultural products, not being forced to lower prices by traders each harvest, and also creating jobs for people, especially women in difficult circumstances in the area.
"In 2019, when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, grapefruits were ready for harvest but could not be sold. There were a lot of ripe grapefruits, every day I sent people to pick and squeeze them for everyone to drink but it was still impossible. At that time, I immediately thought of fermenting grapefruit juice for use," Ms. Lien recalled. The launch of fermented green-skin grapefruit products also had many difficulties.
At first, she followed the recipe given by a friend but failed. Not discouraged, she continued to ask acquaintances and then went online to find more information and knowledge. After many attempts, she was able to create a complete fermented green-skinned pomelo product based on the traditional fermentation process: Pomelo segments combined with rock sugar are fermented in earthenware jars for natural fermentation, without using additives. According to her, this process is very complicated, because each pomelo crop and pomelo area has a different sweetness level, so the amount of pomelo and sugar must be changed accordingly, otherwise it will fail.
Ms. Le Thi Lien, owner of Lien's House business
According to Ms. Lien, at first, the fermented green-skinned grapefruit product was only used in her family and by some relatives. By the Lunar New Year 2020, with the encouragement of many people, she boldly made a larger quantity to sell to the market. It was a great pleasure that the product was loved and supported by many people. Not stopping there, taking advantage of the grapefruit peel, Ms. Lien also researched and processed the product of dried grapefruit peel and crispy dried grapefruit peel.
"When making fermented green-skinned grapefruit, it would be a pity to just throw away the grapefruit peel. Therefore, I researched and made additional products such as dried grapefruit peel and crispy dried grapefruit peel. Making dried grapefruit peel is really elaborate, from picking the grapefruit to the finished product, it has to go through 10 stages. It's hard work, but in return, I can increase the value of the grapefruit," Ms. Lien shared.
In 2024, Ms. Le Thi Lien boldly participated in the " Dong Nai Women Start-up Innovation" Contest organized by the Provincial Women's Union. Her project "Using locally available green-skinned grapefruit resources to create high-value, healthy products" won second prize.
Ms. Lien shared that this is a memorable milestone and also considered a turning point in her entrepreneurial journey. Because the competition has given more motivation and confidence to women entrepreneurs like her. Besides, when participating in the competition, she was guided by the judges and experts in many things, helping her products and business to become better and better.
"Thanks to the contest, more and more people know about Lien's House. I am especially grateful for the experts' comments, especially on naming the product. In addition, the experts also advised me to research and make more products from grapefruit to make the most of the raw materials," Lien shared.
Ms. Le Thi Lien (2nd from right), owner of Lien's House business, won second prize in the "Dong Nai Women Start-up and Innovation" Contest in 2024 organized by the Provincial Women's Union.
Don't just think about your own benefit.
From the first steps, up to now, products made from grapefruit under the brand name Lien's House are increasingly known to many consumers. In addition to being distributed at agents and stores in provinces and cities such as Dong Nai, Ho Chi Minh City, Vinh Long, Dak Lak ... the products are also introduced and sold on social networking platforms such as Facebook, TikTok ... In particular, fermented green-skin grapefruit products cost 150,000 - 170,000 VND / 500ml bottle; crispy dried grapefruit peel costs 75,000 VND / 150gr box; dried grapefruit peel costs 85,000 VND / 150gr box ... Recently, Ms. Lien has launched grapefruit peel tea products, made from young grapefruit peel.
According to Ms. Le Thi Lien, despite the advantages, product distribution also faces many difficulties. Currently, there are many similar products on the market, great competition, requiring manufacturers to constantly improve product quality to gain the trust of consumers. "In the coming time, I will continue to improve product quality, strive to achieve OCOP certification, as well as target other distribution channels to continue expanding the market," emphasized the owner of Lien's House business.
Products of Lien's House
The entrepreneurial journey still has many challenges ahead, but with the experience gained, Ms. Lien believes that to start a successful business, one must have passion and enthusiasm for the work one does. When starting a business in the agricultural sector, entrepreneurs must not only think about their own interests but must also understand the concerns of farmers and find new ways to solve the problem of "good harvest, low price, good price, bad harvest". Only by thinking about the interests of the whole community can there be sharing and motivation to start a business.
"When I started my own business, I encountered many difficulties because I did not receive any training and had to explore, learn and create on my own. But in return, I have faith and enthusiasm. I always want to create new products to increase income and create jobs for farmers and women," Lien shared. During her entrepreneurial journey, the owner of Lien's House business has always received encouragement and support from all levels of the Women's Union and women, with the only wish that she will continue to create new products.
According to Ms. Lien, in her entrepreneurial journey, she is happy to receive the sharing and encouragement of her husband and children. In the coming time, she will continue to expand the model of cooperation with households, instructing women to take care of grapefruit gardens according to organic processes. She hopes to receive financial support to continue investing in machinery for production.
"I am truly happy to be able to live my passion and be proud of the Lien's House brand that I created. I also hope that the entrepreneurial spirit will continue to spread among members and women so that they can boldly do good things in life and demonstrate their abilities," said Ms. Le Thi Lien.
SOME STARTUP SECRETS OF MS. LE THI LIEN
- During the startup process, you must set specific goals and always strive to achieve them.
- When starting a business with food products, product quality must be put first and consumer health above all.
- The startup journey will be more favorable with the companionship and support of the government, local organizations, especially the support and sharing of family members.
- Need to constantly learn and innovate to improve product quality, meeting consumer needs.
Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/mong-tinh-than-khoi-nghiep-tiep-tuc-lan-toa-trong-hoi-vien-phu-nu-20250723181539397.htm
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