Sweet molasses of Mien Xanh

Born and raised in My Thanh Bac village (Nghia Thuan commune, Tu Nghia district, Quang Ngai province), Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy (40 years old) used to have a stable job in Ho Chi Minh City.

However, homesickness and concern about the traditional profession gradually fading away prompted her and her husband, Doan Duc Uy, to decide to return to their homeland in 2016 to restore the traditional molasses cooking profession.

"Molasses, just hearing the name reminds me of the old days, when my grandparents still made sugar cane and molasses by hand. I want to preserve the old flavor and bring molasses back," Ms. Thuy shared.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy shares about her journey to revive traditional crafts. Photo: Van Ha.

To restore the profession, Thuy and her husband learned molasses cooking techniques from the village elders and visited large-scale molasses production facilities across the country to learn more.

After 4 years of preparation and experience accumulation, Thuy and her husband used all their savings and borrowed more from relatives and friends to invest in machinery, build facilities, and embark on the project of reviving sugarcane products and preserving the traditional flavor of molasses.

Currently, the molasses production process at Ms. Thuy's facility includes many steps such as classifying sugarcane, peeling, squeezing juice, settling the molasses and cooking it in a large pan for 10-12 hours. After cooking, the molasses is cooled, settled and bottled.

Currently, Ms. Thuy's production facility creates jobs for 7 workers and cooperates with 10 households to grow more than 5 hectares of sugarcane in Nghia Thuan and Nghia Thang communes. Every day, the facility consumes 1.5 - 2 tons of sugarcane, producing 150 - 200 liters of molasses.

After cooking, the honey is left to cool and settle. Photo: Van Ha.

As one of the households participating in growing sugarcane in association with Ms. Thuy, Ms. Pham Thi Lien (Nghia Thang commune, Tu Nghia district) expressed: "Because we live nearby, it is very easy to sell sugarcane after harvesting. With 1 hectare of sugarcane, after deducting expenses, I earn 70 - 80 million VND/year. In the near future, I plan to increase the sugarcane growing area to supply Ms. Thuy's molasses facility."

In 2024, Ms. Thuy's "Green Central Molasses" project won the First Prize in the 5th Quang Ngai Province Innovation and Startup Competition in 2024. Currently, the 4-star OCOP product "Green Central Molasses" produced by Ms. Thuy's Green Central business is being favored and welcomed by the market.

The facility has signed contracts to supply molasses products to about 20 businesses and 60 agents in 30 provinces and cities nationwide. The facility's molasses products are also officially exported to New Zealand and unofficially exported to the US and China.

Mien Xanh molasses products are consumed in many places. Photo: Van Ha.

Ms. Thuy plans to expand the raw material area to 20 hectares, not only to increase output but also to improve the quality of molasses products with the desire to bring safe, quality products, contributing to protecting the health of consumers, preserving the cultural value of the sugar cane industry in her hometown of Quang Ngai.

Each bottle of molasses not only contains sweet flavor but also passion, pride and determination to preserve sustainable values ​​for future generations.

Source: https://nongsanviet.nongnghiep.vn/ngot-ngao-mat-mia-mien-xanh-d751513.html