Deputy Chief of Commune Police successfully started a business with specialty tea

TPO - Regretting the ugly appearance of the custard apples that traders criticized, Mr. Nguyen Tan Dau found a way to turn them into custard apple tea with the brand name "2 Dau" famous throughout the West. From zero, now, Mr. Dau has a monthly revenue of tens of millions of VND, creating jobs for local people and spreading the spirit of creative entrepreneurship to the community.

The hardships of starting a business from scratch

Sharing with PV Tien Phong , Mr. Nguyen Tan Dau (in Giong Rieng commune, An Giang province) said that at first, his family only grew custard apples to sell, and had no idea of ​​making custard apple tea. However, when harvesting, traders only selected the beautiful fruits, while the crooked and ugly fruits were left behind. After discarding the ugly fruits, the number of beautiful fruits that could be sold was not much, reducing the efficiency of the garden, so at one point the family considered destroying the custard apple garden.

Mr. Nguyen Tan Dau next to the soursop garden - the raw material for producing 4-star OCOP tea.

Mr. Dau's parents were also farmers. Growing up in the fields, he understood the hardships of farmers, and the times when agricultural prices were unstable and output was stagnant. That was what motivated him to find a new direction to create stable output and increase the value of agricultural products. Through research, Mr. Dau learned that soursop could be dried to make tea. He traveled to Co Do ( Can Tho ) to visit production facilities and learn the tea making process. "At first, I just tried it out and gave it away. Everyone who drank it praised it as delicious, so I boldly produced it to sell," Mr. Dau said.

At first, everything was new. Mr. Dau had never done business before, did not know how to promote, market, design packaging or register a brand. Thanks to the support of district and provincial professional agencies in terms of technology, legality, labeling and self-learning on social networks, he gradually perfected the product.

In 2020, with an area of ​​3,000m² growing 300 soursop trees, Mr. Dau started experimenting with making soursop tea. After many adjustments to color, quality, and design, the 2 Dau soursop tea product was born and was quickly accepted by consumers. To have a product that meets the requirements, he focuses on the selection of raw materials - fruit that is too old will turn black when dried, and young fruit will make the tea bitter, so he must know how to choose the right fruit. Each step such as washing, peeling, slicing, shredding, and especially drying is carried out meticulously, ensuring food hygiene and safety.

Currently, Mr. Dau sells soursop tea on social media platforms combined with distribution to supermarkets and souvenir shops. Each month, his facility supplies about 100kg of soursop tea, bringing in a profit of 30-35 million VND.

Mr. Dau increases the value of soursop by processing it into tea.

Few people know that Mr. Dau graduated from the People's Police University and is currently the Deputy Chief of the Giong Rieng Commune Police (An Giang Province). Before that, he was the Secretary of the Youth Union of the Giong Rieng District Police, and brought the soursop tea model to the youth startup competition. "The first time I competed in a startup competition, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, I competed online and won a consolation prize. Then the Provincial Youth Union supported me with a high-tech dryer. Later, the Provincial Farmers' Association continued to send me to compete and I won first prize in the 2022 startup competition," Mr. Dau shared. With his efforts and success, Mr. Dau was awarded many prizes by the provincial and district authorities for his contributions to local economic development.

Spread the model, create jobs for the community

Nguyen Tan Dau's soursop tea facility currently provides regular jobs for 3 workers, up to 10 at peak times, with an income of 100,000 - 200,000 VND/person/day. To expand production, he is renovating the garden to plant 500 soursop trees on an area of ​​5,000m², ensuring a clean source of raw materials. He also shares his experience with other young people in other localities.

"There is a friend who used to live in Kien Giang, then came to Tra Vinh to do the same thing as me. Now his Minh Chau soursop tea product also has 3-star OCOP status," Mr. Dau proudly said.

Every month, Mr. Dau's facility supplies the market with about 100 kg of soursop tea, bringing in an income of 30-35 million VND after deducting expenses.

The 2 Dau soursop tea product is made entirely from fresh fruit, without using any colorants or preservatives, has a refreshing taste, has the effect of purifying the body, increasing resistance, supporting sleep and is designed with environmentally friendly packaging. Currently, the product has achieved 4-star OCOP certification (2024), and is available on many shelves in the Mekong Delta. The product continues to receive support from local authorities and the Farmers' Association to expand production, contributing to increasing family income and creating jobs for people.

Talking to Tien Phong , Ms. Le Thi To Quyen - Vice Chairman of the Commune Fatherland Front Committee, concurrently Secretary of the Giong Rieng Commune Youth Union, said that Mr. Nguyen Tan Dau's soursop tea production model is considered very effective. It not only creates jobs for local workers but also increases the value of the commune's agricultural products. This is also one of the typical examples in the youth start-up movement, daring to think and dare to do.

"I believe that Mr. Dau's story will motivate many young people to boldly start a business, promote the potential strengths of their hometown, and actively contribute to the local socio-economic development," said Ms. Quyen.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/pho-truong-cong-an-xa-khoi-nghiep-thanh-cong-voi-tra-dac-san-post1763246.tpo