Ms. Dang Thi Ha Quyen packages and labels coconut candy products at the facility. Photo: Ngoc Han.
After many years of perseverance, Ha Quyen coconut candy products have now established a foothold in the market and have been recognized as 3-star OCOP products.
Start a business with little capital
Sharing about her entrepreneurial journey, Ms. Dang Thi Ha Quyen said that more than 10 years ago, to earn extra income besides farming, with an initial capital of only 500,000 VND, she and her husband bought raw materials to make coconut candy to sell.
Due to lack of capital, at first she only processed coconut candy by caramelizing sugar with coconut and pouring it on grilled rice paper, then gradually added other spices to make the candy more delicious. She thought that the handmade product would be difficult to sell, but unexpectedly, when she brought it to the market, many people bought and praised it as delicious. Taking advantage of her hard work, the Ha Quyen brand of coconut candy was born from there and gradually became a daily rustic dish of local people.
From the initial successes, realizing the increasing demand for the product, in 2014, Quyen and her husband boldly borrowed capital from the Social Policy Bank, opened a workshop and hired more workers to make coconut candy.
After a period of production, to meet the diverse needs of the market, the facility continued to improve, combining many other ingredients such as: malt, pineapple, ginger, sesame, cashew nuts, peanuts... to create many more types of coconut candy, different cake sizes, including shredded pineapple coconut candy, sliced pineapple coconut candy, sliced coconut candy, cashew candy and peanut candy...
According to Ms. Quyen, because the product does not use preservatives, the facility is very careful and meticulous in all stages, especially in finding clean and safe raw materials with the motto of putting reputation first. To have a delicious and flavorful piece of coconut candy, it takes a lot of time to prepare the ingredients and the preliminary processing stages from peeling, shredding, slicing, mixing the ingredients with malt, baking rice paper, pouring the candy onto the cake to wrapping the finished product for preservation.
“Although there are many different types of improvements, the flavor of each type of coconut candy always retains its original essence, suitable for the needs and tastes of modern consumers. Although the profession of making coconut candy is simple, it is an art, requiring patience, diligence and meticulousness. Therefore, when enjoying it, diners will feel the sophistication, rich flavor and the heart of the candy maker,” Ms. Quyen shared.
Boldly invest and build your brand
From simply making coconut candy, Ms. Dang Thi Ha Quyen has strived to successfully start a business with 6 products recognized as 3-star OCOP. This is a remarkable result in the process of starting a business with perseverance and effort. Not only enriching herself, Ms. Quyen also helps many women in difficult circumstances to have jobs, contributing to poverty reduction in the locality.
Ms. Mai Thi Hoai Giang - President of Hoa Thanh Commune Women's Union
After the product became widely known and the number of coconut candies sold increased, Ms. Quyen continued to invest hundreds of millions of dong to expand the production scale, purchase equipment and machinery to reduce manual steps such as baking rice paper, shaving coconut, packaging; proactively approach technology, apply scientific and technical advances, invest in product packaging design, register trademarks, barcodes, complete legal procedures, quality inspection..., ensuring that products circulate on the market in accordance with regulations.
In addition, to build the brand, when learning about the OCOP Program, with the support of the commune women's association, Ms. Quyen boldly registered to participate in the evaluation and in turn, 6 coconut candy products of the facility were all certified with 3-star OCOP.
With delicious quality and affordable prices, Ha Quyen coconut candy products have been available on the shelves of stores and supermarkets in and outside the province; in particular, many customers who have trusted the products have imported them to sell and then become agents. Currently, the facility supplies about 1,000 candy products of all kinds with high quality standards and diverse designs every day. Ms. Mach Thi Lieu, a trader in Hoa Thanh commune, said: I often buy large quantities of coconut candy from Ms. Quyen's facility to sell at district markets.
Customers who buy it all praise it for its delicious taste, soft and chewy candy, sweet and not harsh on the throat or sticky on the teeth. Moreover, the price is also affordable (10,000-20,000 VND/cake), so it is often purchased by regular customers.
Recalling the difficult time when she first established the facility, Ms. Quyen said: To achieve success, my family encountered many difficulties, especially when expanding production scale, which happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, and at times had to stop production due to social distancing. But with the determination to do it, I have more motivation to try. Currently, the monthly revenue of the facility is about 200 million VND, creating stable jobs for 6 workers with an income of 5-6 million VND/month.
“In the coming time, the facility will continue to expand production scale, improve quality and design, try to have 3-5 more products that meet OCOP standards and have a few products that are eligible for export,” Ms. Quyen expressed.
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