Starting a business with Gynostemma pentaphyllum
As a retired medical professional, Mr. Phan Xuan Tien, Director of Thuy Mai Clean Medicinal Herbs Cooperative, continues to explore, research, and cultivate medicinal plants. In 2018, he decided to buy Solanum torvum (Solanum torvum) seedlings to propagate. Initially, only 60% of the seedlings sprouted. Undeterred, he and his children continued to learn cultivation techniques online and consulted successful models in various localities. Their efforts paid off; after a short time, he successfully propagated, planted, and cared for the Solanum torvum plants, ensuring their continued healthy growth.
After harvesting, Mr. Tien uses the Solanum torvum plant to make extract, dries it, and sells it on the market. Realizing that the supply from his garden was insufficient, he began purchasing raw materials from other localities, borrowed additional capital to buy processing machinery, and expanded his business. With an initial investment of over 300 million VND, he recovered his capital within just one year.
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| Members of Thuy Mai Clean Medicinal Herbs Cooperative processing products - Photo: XV |
In 2021, Mr. Tien decided to establish the Thuy Mai Clean Medicinal Herbs Cooperative with 10 members. To ensure a stable supply of raw materials, the cooperative planted over 2.5 hectares of Solanum torvum (Solanum torvum) and collaborated with local farmers to cultivate and purchase Solanum torvum according to VietGAP standards. On average, the cooperative purchases more than 20 tons of Solanum torvum annually through this collaborative model.
Mr. Tien shared: “To ensure sustainable and efficient production, the cooperative always prioritizes product quality. The entire area for growing Solanum torvum applies the VietGAP process. The processed products use 100% raw materials from Solanum torvum plants, without the use of pesticides or preservatives, therefore they are very popular with customers.”
Helping the product reach a wider market.
Since becoming fully operational, the Thuy Mai Clean Medicinal Herb Cooperative has focused on improving product quality and expanding its medicinal herb garden. Currently, the cooperative has increased its medicinal herb cultivation area to 8 hectares, including: Gymnema sylvestre, Rhus chinensis, Gynostemma pentaphyllum, and Perilla frutescens. Simultaneously, it has partnered with and provided seedlings to 50 households in the former Bo Trach district and the provinces of Ha Tinh and Nghe An to cultivate medicinal herbs according to VietGAP standards. Recently, the cooperative also invested in machinery to build an additional processing facility to produce new products from medicinal herbs.
Thanks to that investment, the cooperative has launched 12 products, including: Solanum torvum extract, Gymnema sylvestre extract, Rhus chinensis extract, Gynostemma pentaphyllum extract, Solanum torvum tea, Gymnema sylvestre tea, Rhus chinensis tea, Perilla tea, Perilla facial mask powder... Two products of the cooperative achieved OCOP 3-star rating: Gymnema sylvestre extract and Rhus chinensis extract, and two products achieved OCOP 4-star rating: Solanum torvum tea bags and Solanum torvum extract.
Currently, the cooperative is also preparing documents for perilla tea and spoonwort tea to achieve 3-star certification. The cooperative's products have high medicinal properties, attractive packaging, are environmentally friendly, and have many uses, such as: preventing and treating liver diseases, diabetes, high blood sugar, insomnia, supporting the treatment of thyroid cancer, and beauty care for women… therefore, they are very popular in the market.
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| The area for growing medicinal herbs by Thuy Mai Clean Medicinal Herb Cooperative is constantly expanding - Photo: XV |
To reach a wider market, Thuy Mai Clean Medicinal Herbs Cooperative has promoted and introduced its products to supermarkets, pharmacies, pharmaceutical establishments, and consumers both within and outside the province. Recently, the cooperative has also introduced its products to foreign countries such as Thailand, Laos, and France… “Many of our products are bought up by supermarkets, pharmaceutical establishments, and pharmacy chains. Soon, we will export an order of about 1 ton of dried Gymnema sylvestre to France. Before that, we also sold retail to customers in many countries around the world ,” Mr. Tien shared.
With the achievements in the cultivation and processing of medicinal herbs, Thuy Mai Clean Medicinal Herb Cooperative has received numerous certificates of merit, commendations, and awards. These include third prize in the 3rd Quang Binh (formerly) province's "Innovative Startup" competition in 2024 with the project "Improving livelihoods for people in the white-necked langur conservation area through a medicinal plant development model." Recently, the cooperative was honored by the Quang Binh (formerly) Provincial Cooperative Union for its outstanding achievements in the collective economic development and cooperative movement of the province.
Thanks to its effective model of cultivating, processing, and selling medicinal plant seedlings, the cooperative achieves an annual revenue of over 1 billion VND, creating regular employment for 10 members with an income of approximately 7 million VND per month and helping 50 affiliated households earn a decent income. In 2024, the cooperative also sold 16,000 medicinal plant seedlings of various types to a project for planting under the canopy of natural forests in Tuyen Phu commune (an area protected for the white-necked langur species).
Ms. Hoang Thi Ha, team leader of the Thuy Mai Clean Medicinal Herbs Cooperative's production team, shared: "Since the cooperative started operating, I and many members have had regular work and stable income. Besides processing medicinal herbs, I also utilize my 0.5-hectare garden land to grow Solanum torvum, creating jobs and increasing my family's income by about 40 million VND per year from selling medicinal herbs."
According to Dinh Tien Dung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Le Commune: “Thuy Mai Clean Medicinal Herb Cooperative is the largest unit specializing in growing and processing medicinal herbs in the area. Since its operation, the cooperative has contributed to preserving valuable medicinal herbs and increasing income for the people. In the future, the People's Committee of the commune will continue to promote and support the cooperative in expanding its area and processing facilities, as well as the procedures for recognizing and upgrading its products to OCOP standards.”
Xuan Vuong
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/kinh-te/202509/nang-tam-vuon-duoc-lieu-5160109/
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