Female accountant loves noni fruit

Quang Nam Realizing the potential of noni fruit, Ms. Nhung quit her accounting job, researched and processed many products herself, with an annual revenue of 2.5 billion VND.

At the end of April, at a nearly 300-square-meter production workshop in Tam Ngoc Commune, Tam Ky City, Ms. Bui Thi Tuyet Nhung, 42 years old, was busy purchasing noni fruits from households. "Noni fruits must be processed immediately when ripe, otherwise they will spoil if left for a day," she explained.

Ms. Nhung was born into a farming family in the Vu Gia riverside area, Dai Hong commune, Dai Loc district. After graduating from high school, she worked as an actress and folk singer for a while, then settled down as an accountant. She also studied pharmaceutical engineering with the desire to develop her hometown's medicinal herbs.

After many years of research, I found that the noni tree has many uses. Noni is processed into many products in the world , but in Vietnam it is only used in oriental medicine. When I was a child, I witnessed my grandparents using noni to treat high blood pressure, aching bones and joints, back pain, dizziness, insomnia...

Noni fruit is white when ripe and contains many active ingredients that are effective in health care and disease prevention. Photo: Son Thuy

In Quang Nam, noni trees grow wild and are planted around gardens to create shade. The trees do not require fertilizer or pesticides, but grow well and produce fruit all year round. With the thought that noni trees would be easy to grow en masse, Ms. Nhung had the idea of ​​starting a business.

In 2017, she quit her accounting job to start doing it. The idea was supported by her husband and relatives, but also received a lot of skepticism. They said that no one would take the ripe noni fruit that fell off the tree, if you wanted it, you could just pick it, why would you spend money to buy it? To turn noni into a profitable product, people had done it a long time ago, not hers.

Not denying the suggestions, she decided to start a business. In Quang Nam, no one has turned noni fruit and roots into products. After two years of planting, the tree bears fruit, and a mature tree can harvest about 20 kg of fruit in a month. Products from noni fruit are not only sold locally but also to many provinces and cities, and can be exported.

In 2019, Ms. Nhung turned her nearly 300 m2 garden into a workshop. At first, she did it the traditional way, buying noni, washing it, slicing it, draining it, and drying it in the oven to make dry noni to soak in wine or make tea to drink.

To have an objective view of the product, she gave it to her relatives and friends to use. They said that the noni fruit had an unpleasant smell, but when used, it was completely different. The smell was no longer strong, the noni tea was golden yellow and sweet to drink. Not satisfied with the products, she researched noni juice herself. "This is the product that took the most effort and time," she said.

From 6-8 kg of fresh noni soaked and fermented for a year, put through a machine to filter out one liter of juice. "To have a product to sell for 280,000 VND/liter, I poured it out and redid it many times. Each failed batch gave me experience and after two years I found the secret to making noni juice," she said.

Ms. Bui Thi Tuyet Nhung (right) is checking the noni fruit put into the dryer. Photo: Son Thuy

She set up a website, used social media platforms to promote her products, and opened sales agencies in Hoi An City, which attracts millions of foreign tourists each year. With the motto of "reinvesting sales", she decided to go slowly, reinvest profits, and not borrow.

She has invested VND2 billion to build a nearly 300 m2 workshop at home and a workshop in Tam Ngoc commune. She has cooperated with nearly 50 households growing noni trees, purchasing about 6 tons of fruit each month at a price of VND8,000/kg. In addition, she has established a noni processing cooperative with a charter capital of VND1 billion, creating jobs for 10 workers, earning VND6.5 million per month.

Passionate about noni fruit, Ms. Nhung has processed it into 8 products that have been recognized as 4-star OCOP (one product per locality). Her project to awaken the value of noni trees won second prize in the Quang Nam province's creative startup project in 2021. Her goal is to connect with people to expand the area of ​​noni cultivation. The products are not only sold domestically but also reach the Asian and European markets.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Yen, President of the Women's Union of Tam Ky City, assessed that Ms. Nhung started her business at an old age, encountered many difficulties but was not discouraged, and researched her own products. She has cooperated with many households to grow noni trees, creating more jobs for local people.

Son Thuy

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