Young people in Eastern Lam Dong renew their hometown products

The entrepreneurial spirit is spreading strongly, especially among rural youth. With creativity, daring to think, daring to do and aspiration to contribute, they are contributing to writing a new picture for the entrepreneurial movement in the East of Lam Dong.

Increase the value of dragon fruit

Having witnessed her family and farmers in her hometown struggling because the price of dragon fruit "hit rock bottom", sometimes the fruit ripened all over the field but no one bought it, Ms. Tran Thi Kim Linh in Phu An quarter, Ham Thang ward ( Lam Dong ) soon wondered: "Why is dragon fruit, the pride of her hometown, only stopped at raw materials?".

From that question, in 2009, she began her journey of researching deep processing, while still a student majoring in Food Technology at Binh Thuan Community College (old).

Dragon fruit processing stall attracts many young people

Ms. Linh began to research and explore with the hope of “breathing new life” into her hometown dragon fruit. The idea was there, but the journey to realization was full of hardships: unstable processing formula, limited capital, and so many failures that she almost gave up.

“But with the will and desire to escape poverty and dependence on traders, I did not allow myself to fall. Every failure is another opportunity to learn,” said Ms. Linh.

To create quality products, she pays special attention to input materials. Dragon fruit must be grown in a safe, organic way, without pesticide residues and with a clear origin. She proactively contracts with cooperatives in the area to purchase. After harvesting, dragon fruit is washed, peeled, chopped, mashed, mixed with sugar in the appropriate ratio and then naturally fermented for 30 - 45 days, depending on weather conditions.

Bao Long dragon fruit processed products participated in the exhibition at the event "Lam Dong - Convergence of quintessence, connection of emotions"

After nearly 10 years of perseverance, in September 2019, she established Bao Long Binh Thuan Production - Trade - Service Facility, with the first product being naturally fermented dragon fruit juice. Up to now, the facility has produced more than 20 deep-processed products from dragon fruit such as syrup, jam, tea, candy, dried dragon fruit... and is continuing to research the extraction of dragon fruit seed oil, a potential product that is environmentally friendly and good for health.

Products processed from dragon fruit

“Bao Long Binh Thuan products are now available in many provinces at home and abroad and are well received by consumers. I believe more and more that starting a business with passion and belief in the value of Vietnamese agricultural products is the right path,” Ms. Linh shared.

Not stopping there, she is implementing an agricultural tourism model, combining the experience of processing dragon fruit products and visiting local craft villages.

Ms. Linh is standing 5th from the right.

Thanks to that effort, she was honored to receive the Luong Dinh Cua Award in 2022 - a noble award from the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union for outstanding young farmers. Many products of Bao Long Binh Thuan have been certified with 3-4 star OCOP, achieved the title of typical rural industrial products at the provincial and southern levels, and won many awards at the province's Innovation and Startup Competition.

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I want to further spread the value of agricultural products, culture and people of my homeland to domestic and foreign tourists. In my opinion, to be successful, you must first believe in your products, do it with all your heart and put prestige and quality first.

Ms. Tran Thi Kim Linh, Phu An quarter, Ham Thang ward (Lam Dong)

To Golden Flower Tea from love for father

For Ms. Le Thi Ly in Nam Thanh commune (Lam Dong), the journey started from her own worries and love for her father, but opened up a new direction that was both poetic and humane.

Many years ago, during a medical examination in Ho Chi Minh City, Ms. Ly's father was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. From that day on, she and her family followed him to the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital for treatment, strictly following the treatment regimen.

While taking care of her father, she happened to read a document stating that yellow flower tea has antioxidant effects, helping to support the health of sick people. Thinking that “when sick, one prays to all directions”, she bought flowers to make tea for her father to drink every day, as a way to supplement the doctor's medicine. Miraculously, after a while, his health gradually stabilized.

Ms. Ly and her husband with the idea of ​​starting a business called Golden Flower Tea

“My father is still healthy and has rosy skin, even though he is 81 years old. Recent tests are all good,” Ms. Ly happily shared. The story seemed to stop at a stroke of luck in the family, but it was the recovery of her father that gave her and her husband the idea of ​​starting a business with golden flower tea products, taking advantage of the natural resources available in the forest area 418 - 419 Da Kai.

From that idea, the product “Flower shaping tea - golden health” was born with the additional effect of supporting and preventing diseases. Up to now, her startup product has been welcomed by customers in and outside the province.

Sharing about their entrepreneurial journey, both Ms. Linh and Ms. Ly said that, up to now, they do not dare to affirm that their model has been successful. They just hope that more people, especially young people, will join hands to continue writing new stories from their homeland's products, from familiar local values. For them, entrepreneurship is not only a story of making money, but also a journey of perseverance, learning and dedication.

The story of Ms. Tran Thi Kim Linh and her Le Thi Ly are just two of many entrepreneurial journeys written with the will, determination and will of youth. To continue spreading the entrepreneurial spirit, along with propaganda, training and experience sharing, all levels, sectors and local authorities are building many practical support policies such as tax incentives, loans, legal advice...

All of this is to create a favorable environment for people, especially young people in Lam Dong, to boldly start businesses and turn ideas into reality.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/nguoi-tre-phia-dong-lam-dong-lam-moi-san-vat-que-huong-397531.html