Deeply attached to lotus

Starting a business with lotus

Seven years ago, we learned about Mr. Tâm through an introduction from Lê Trần Thanh, the Chief of Police of Kiến Bình commune (now Tân Thạnh commune), about a young man who had made mistakes but had turned his life around. What's remarkable is that this young man not only brought benefits to his family but also opened up a new direction for lotus farmers in his hometown.

Mr. Vo Van Tam's facility is currently providing regular employment for 35 workers.

Besides continuing his family's lotus cultivation and fresh lotus root purchasing business, Mr. Tam also began researching formulas for processing products from fresh lotus roots, seeking out markets instead of relying entirely on wholesale markets in Ho Chi Minh City as before. After a period of research, he boldly launched his sour lotus root product onto the market.

It's important to understand that introducing a new product to the market is no easy task, as many processed products made from fresh lotus root already have established brands and a stable customer base.

Undeterred, he persevered, selling both online and at traditional markets. The vendors only paid him after he had sold all his products.

In addition, he also approached food companies and businesses to offer fresh lotus roots. These businesses required the lotus roots to be processed by thoroughly cleaning and cutting them into pieces, while still maintaining their crispness and whiteness – most importantly, absolutely no artificial colors or chemicals should be used.

Through research and experimentation, his method of processing fresh lotus roots has met the requirements. However, at this point, he is only processing for customers and has not yet built his own brand.

Mr. Vo Van Tam has achieved success with products made from lotus.

Mr. Vo Van Tam recalled: “My goal was to build the 7 Thuoc lotus brand, not just profit from processing for companies and businesses, because in the long run, we would be pressured by traders to lower prices. The cycle of "good harvest, low prices" repeated itself. Fortunately, through an acquaintance, I found traders in China who signed a contract to purchase all the products. On average, the facility exports about 75 tons of fresh lotus roots under the 7 Thuoc specialty brand each month, accounting for 70% of the production, with the rest supplied to the domestic market. To avoid being completely dependent on the Chinese market, I also sought partners in other markets such as Japan and South Korea. As a result, in 2024, I successfully exported fresh lotus roots to Japan, although the quantity is not yet large, it is a potential and reliable market.”

In the early days of our visit, Mr. Tam's fresh lotus root purchasing point was just a small gathering place with few workers. At that time, due to the lack of machinery, all work and labor had to be done manually. Back then, Mr. Tam only dared to dream that his product would become more widely known, and that he would have enough money to invest in cutting machines to ease the burden on his workers.

The 7 Thước lotus brand has established itself in the market thanks to the efforts of Mr. Võ Văn Tâm.

Returning after 7 years, we clearly see the development in both scale and quality. Accordingly, the purchasing points have expanded; cutting, washing, screening, packaging, and vacuum sealing machines are operating continuously; workers are busy; trucks are constantly coming and going,…

On average, the facility purchases more than 4 tons of fresh lotus roots per day. During the harvest season, this number reaches 7 tons per day.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Ha (Tam's mother) proudly said: "Initially, seeing my son's passion for lotus cultivation, I was both happy and worried. I was afraid he would fail and give up, falling into another path. But then, day by day, seeing him mature, find a job, have a stable income, and gain more and more trust from the people around him, I am very happy and grateful!"

Sharing the benefits

Coming from a farming family, Mr. Tâm understands the difficulties faced by lotus farmers better than anyone else. That's why he's willing to share his profits with them.

Mr. Tran Long Dinh (residing in Tan Thanh commune) said: “Previously, during the peak lotus root harvesting season, my family worried about traders forcing down prices or even refusing to buy. Since partnering with Tam, my family is reassured about the market and no longer fears traders forcing down prices. Especially at times, Tam even bought fresh lotus roots at twice the market price.”

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Huyen has a stable job and income at Mr. Vo Van Tam's establishment.

Not only does Mr. Tam's facility purchase goods at prices higher than the market rate, but it also provides regular employment for 35 workers, with incomes ranging from 5-12 million VND per month (depending on the job position).

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Huyen (residing in Tan Thanh commune) shared: “Previously, I worked as a factory worker in an industrial cluster. It was a tiring job, going to work in the morning and coming home in the evening, and I didn't have time to take care of my family, so I applied to work here for stability. Currently, I earn about 8 million VND per month, and more importantly, I have time to manage my family affairs.”

Tan Thanh commune is considered to have many advantages for developing lotus cultivation, as many areas have low-lying, waterlogged land.

Locals cultivate lotus as a monoculture or practice intercropping, planting one rice crop followed by one lotus crop. Although lotus cultivation is hard work, it yields profits 2-3 times higher than rice cultivation on the same area of land. The costs of fertilizer, pesticides, and labor for a lotus crop are also lower than for rice cultivation, at around 20 million VND per hectare.

On a 1-hectare lotus cultivation area, farmers harvest 40-50 kg of lotus roots every other day, selling them for 16,000-20,000 VND/kg. After deducting expenses, farmers earn a profit of approximately 60 million VND per crop per hectare.

Starting from a small purchasing point, Mr. Vo Van Tam has expanded his production scale.

Mr. Vo Van Tam added: “My view is that when the export market sells at high prices, we must buy the farmers' products at high prices. This way, farmers won't turn their backs on us and will feel secure in their production. This is also how we build brand and reputation in the market. To date, our processed fresh lotus root products have established the 7 Thuoc specialty brand; my sweet and sour pickled lotus root has been recognized as a 3-star OCOP product. In the future, I will establish a cooperative to share profits with farmers and contribute to building the 7 Thuoc lotus brand.”

After a setback, with a determination to rebuild his life, Mr. Tam has affirmed his value to his family and society, building his own specialty brand. Moreover, Mr. Tam's entrepreneurial story is a source of inspiration, spreading positive energy to everyone, especially those with a troubled past.

Kim Ngoc

Source: https://baolongan.vn/nang-long-voi-sen-a200992.html