A decade of spreading the scent of clean tea

After 10 years of working hard with Shan Tuyet tea trees in Tuyen Quang, there were times when Mr. Pho faltered, but the desire to bring the aroma of his hometown tea to those who appreciate clean tea urged him on.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Pho has been attached to Shan Tuyet tea trees for more than 10 years and has raised the brand of Tuyen tea. Photo: Dao Thanh .

Awakening the scent of tea in the middle of the forest

I met Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Pho, Director of Son Tra Cooperative, in the middle of the vast Hong Thai mountains ( Tuyen Quang ). The early morning clouds were drifting, the ancient green tea hills seemed to have just woken up. It was this tea area that had been with him through many rainy and sunny seasons, many hard days, so that today the warmth and abundance could return to the village.

Mr. Pho said that in 2014, when he started making tea, Hong Thai was still very poor. Shan Tuyet tea here has a strong aroma and a sweet aftertaste, but only those around the village know about it. In the lowlands or in the city, people still only remember Thai Nguyen tea, Suoi Giang tea... His path to starting a business was therefore even more bumpy.

At that time, the cooperative was still young, with limited processing techniques, little experience, unsatisfactory quality, and almost no output. Mr. Pho said: "It took me four or five years of struggling like that to find the secret to processing tea to have the right color, flavor, and aroma, and then I started thinking about building a brand."

To get the fragrant cup of tea today, he has hired countless experts to guide him. “Maybe they keep the profession, so each person only teaches me a little bit. I collect every little experience like picking up each drop of dew on the tea leaves” - he smiled but his eyes still shone with contemplation.

His capital was exhausted and his products could not be sold. One time, he had to pour hundreds of millions of dong worth of tea into the tree roots to make fertilizer. “Tears kept flowing. Looking up at the mountains, I saw how steep and long the road was…”, he said.

I asked him if he ever wanted to give up. He shook his head: “Never. Because I believe: somewhere there are still people who need to enjoy clean tea, real tea. Hong Thai Shan Tuyet tea is very special, the trees are all hundreds of years old, no chemicals, no human impact.”

That trust was rewarded. In 2019, the Shan Tuyet tea product of Son Tra Cooperative was chosen by the Prime Minister as a gift for the Malaysian Prime Minister. “That happiness is hard to describe in words. I know I am on the right path,” Mr. Pho said emotionally.

Shan Tuyet tea trees have contributed to bringing a prosperous life to Mong, Tay, Dao people... in Hong Thai commune, Tuyen Quang province. Photo: Dao Thanh.

Now, Shan Tuyet tea produced by Son Tra Cooperative is sold out as soon as it is produced. The tea buds that have accumulated the wind and rain of the great forest not only enhance the brand of the highlands, but also bring a more prosperous life to hundreds of Mong, Dao, Tay households... in his homeland.

Building quality from clean, green tea buds

In the early years of its establishment, Son Tra Cooperative purchased fresh tea for only 12,000 VND/kg. Low prices, limited output, small raw material areas, and people were reluctant to harvest because they did not have enough money to make a living.

But after 2018, the cooperative decided to raise the purchase price, ensuring that tea pickers could earn 400,000-600,000 VND per day. When people saw the profit, they voluntarily went to the fields, taking care of each tea plant as if they were taking care of their own corn or rice fields.

In 2019, the cooperative's products were selected to be introduced at the Government Office. This event seemed to add strength to the cooperative on its difficult journey. From a purchase price of only 12,000 VND, Son Tra Cooperative has now increased it to 30,000-70,000 VND/kg, opening up a stable livelihood for hundreds of workers in the highlands.

Many families have changed their lives thanks to Shan Tuyet tea trees. A typical example is Mr. Trieu Van Thanh's family in Pac Khoang village. Before, they only had enough rice to eat all year round, and sometimes they had to sell chickens, pigs, and even buffaloes and cows to buy new clothes or cure illnesses. But now, from tea trees, the family earns hundreds of millions each year. He was able to build a solid house, something he never dared to think of before.

The same goes for Mr. Ly Van Tha’s family, a Mong ethnic in Hong Ba village. The family is poor, with four children crammed into a small house on the mountainside. Having been involved with Shan Tuyet tea since 2014, his life has completely changed. With more than 2 hectares of tea, the family earns over 100 million VND each year.

Mr. Tha emotionally said: "Thanks to Shan Tuyet tea trees, we Mong people have money to buy rice, build solid houses, and buy motorbikes to take our children to school."

Not only helping people stabilize their lives, Son Tra Cooperative has also gradually affirmed its position in the market. Currently, the Cooperative has 4 OCOP products, including one 3-star product and two 4-star products. And the Shan Tuyet 1 bud 2 leaf tea product has completed the dossier to submit to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment for 5-star OCOP recognition.

Currently, Son Tra Cooperative has 4 tea products achieving OCOP star. Photo: Dao Thanh .

In addition to tea, the Cooperative also develops safe Hong Thai rice, Bao Hong tea, and Shan Tuyet tea bags, constantly diversifying its products to meet market demand. OCOP products have created a solid position, raising the value of highland agricultural products.

Mr. Tran Hai Tuyen, Head of the Department of Rural Development and Quality Management of Tuyen Quang province, commented that Son Tra Cooperative has become a bright spot, making positive contributions to the socio-economic development of the locality. These results contribute to building the reputation and brand of Tuyen tea industry on the national tea map and global integration.

In the middle of the vast Hong Thai forest, covered in mist and wind, Shan Tuyet tea buds seem to gather the essence of the mountains and forests, growing up with the hands of the Mong, Dao, and Tay people. From that green color, the flavor of the forest carries with it the dreams of changing prosperity with each tea picking season to each house.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/mot-thap-ky-lan-toa-huong-tra-sach-d784552.html