Women start businesses from homegrown products

Trinh - On The Hillside — Ms. Luong Thi My Trinh left the city to return to her hometown to start a business, bringing many values to the community. Photo: PHAN VINH

Bringing mountain flavor for export

Unlike many young people of the same age, Ms. Huynh Thi Kieu Tho (born in 1994, Thanh Binh commune) early chose her own path, starting a business with agarwood - a long-standing tradition of Tien Canh land (now in Tien Phuoc district).

In the early stages of starting a business, while learning the trade and researching the market, Ms. Tho realized that this field already had many big brands and diverse products, making it difficult to create a unique mark without a different direction.

Ms. Tho said: "During a field trip to Tra My area, I was introduced to huynh dan wood - a precious wood with a distinctive fragrance and considered a sacred wood in feng shui. The idea of making handicrafts from this wood arose from there."

In 2015, Ms. Tho went to the villages near the forest, bought roots and driftwood from the people, then crafted them into bracelets, small statues and feng shui items. At first, all the steps were done by hand; she learned and experimented with polishing techniques herself.

Ms. Tho’s products have gradually become popular with customers, laying the foundation for the birth of the “Huynh Dan Mushroom” brand specializing in high-value feng shui products. They are not only available in many domestic handicraft stores but are also exported to China through trade promotion events.

When the market for sandalwood showed signs of slowing down, Ms. Tho shifted her focus to researching and processing cinnamon products. Taking advantage of the abundant raw material areas in Tra Van and Tra Leng communes, she boldly invested in producing cinnamon incense, cinnamon buds and cinnamon powder.

Ms. Tho recounted: "The first batches were not successful because the properties of cinnamon are very different from other ingredients. I had to learn almost from scratch, learn about humidity, essential oil ratio, and drying methods. The first batches were all ruined, but thanks to that, I understood the profession better."

Currently, Ms. Tho’s facility produces about 5 tons of cinnamon products and nearly 2 tons of agarwood and sandalwood products each year. Agarwood cones, incense, agarwood and sandalwood bracelets are mainly consumed domestically; cinnamon alone is exported to several Asian countries and Australia. The facility also creates regular jobs for 10 local workers, most of whom are women.

Ms. Tho added: "I am completing the application to participate in the OCOP program, registering typical rural industrial products and focusing on the export market. This year, I received a small order from Australia for the stickless cinnamon incense line - a product that is popular in the international market because it is environmentally friendly."

Creating value for the community

Also choosing to start a business in Tien Phuoc, but the journey of Ms. Luong Thi My Trinh (born in 1995, Lanh Ngoc commune) started from a completely different choice. After graduating from the University of Foreign Languages (Da Nang University), she had a stable job in the field of tourism and human resources in the city. However, every time she returned to her hometown and witnessed the scene of people having to sell ginger gardens and banana plantations full of fruit to traders, Ms. Trinh could not help but feel regretful and urged to do something to increase the value of local agricultural products.

Ms. Luong Thi My Trinh shared: "I think, if there was a processing facility in my hometown, which would help people have an outlet and create jobs for them, the value of agricultural products would be completely different. That thought made me decide to return to my hometown to start a business, even though at first many people thought it was risky."

In 2020, Ms. Trinh established Dat Quang Green Agriculture Cooperative, specializing in organic agricultural production and processing. Taking advantage of available raw materials, the Cooperative focuses on three main product groups: ginger, bananas and sugarcane. Of which, Bana Banana Snack (OCOP 4-star), "On the Hillside" young ginger balls and raw molasses are special products that are favored by consumers.

Ms. Trinh said: "The difference is that the Cooperative does not use existing production lines but researches its own formula, in order to create products with the characteristic flavor of Tien Phuoc land."

Support irrigation systems for associated households — Dat Quang Green Agriculture Cooperative supports irrigation systems for households that cooperate in growing agricultural products. Photo: NVCC

Currently, Dat Quang Green Agriculture Cooperative, under the management of Ms. Luong Thi My Trinh, consumes about 1.5 tons of ginger and 2 tons of bananas per month. These products are supplied to clean food stores in the country and distributed through e-commerce platforms. The cooperative has linked up with more than 30 farming households, of which 90% of the direct workers are local women, contributing to creating stable jobs and increasing income for many households.

Not stopping at production, Ms. Trinh also initiated the project "Dat Quang Farm with children to school", dedicating 1% of profits to support meals for preschool children in difficult circumstances. This action, although small, has great meaning, demonstrating the economic mindset associated with social responsibility, thereby spreading the spirit of sharing in the community.

Ms. Trinh expressed her wish: "The cooperative will create a close connection between the "four houses" including: the State, producers, farmers and scientists. From there, it will lay the foundation for sustainable development, creating typical products with local imprints, not only affirming its position in the domestic market but also reaching out to the international market."

Source: https://baodanang.vn/phu-nu-khoi-nghiep-tu-san-pham-que-nha-3306772.html