Women start businesses from homegrown products

ĐNO - In peaceful rural areas, where the pace of life is closely linked to agriculture, many women dare to think, dare to do, and choose to start a business from their hometown products. With the will to rise up and a creative spirit, they not only find a direction for themselves but also contribute to preserving and enhancing the value of local agricultural products, creating more jobs and improving income for people.

Ms. Luong Thi My Trinh left the city to return to her hometown to start a business, bringing many valuable contributions to the community. Photo: PHAN VINH

Exporting mountain flavors

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

In the early stages of her startup, while learning the trade and researching the market, Ms. Tho realized that the field already had many large brands and diverse products, making it difficult to create a unique identity without a different approach.

Ms. Tho recounted: "During a field trip to the Tra My region, I was introduced by the locals to sandalwood – a precious wood with a distinctive fragrance and considered a sacred wood in feng shui. The idea of ​​crafting handicrafts from this wood originated from there."

In 2015, Ms. Tho sought out villages bordering the forest, purchasing the roots and driftwood of the Dalbergia tonkinensis tree from the locals, then crafting them into bracelets, small statues, and feng shui items. Initially, all stages were done manually; she taught herself and experimented with polishing techniques.

With her Huynh Dan Mushroom brand, Ms. Huynh Thi Kieu Tho has affirmed her entrepreneurial path. Photo: PHAN VINH

Ms. Tho's products gradually gained popularity among customers, laying the foundation for the creation of the "Huynh Dan Mushroom" brand, specializing in high-value feng shui products. These products are not only available in many domestic handicraft stores but are also exported to China through trade promotion events.

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

Ms. Tho recounted: "The first batches were unsuccessful because cinnamon's properties are very different from other ingredients. I had to relearn almost everything, researching moisture content, essential oil ratio, and drying methods. The first batches were all ruined, but it was thanks to that experience that I understood the craft better."

Currently, Ms. Tho's facility produces approximately 5 tons of cinnamon products and nearly 2 tons of agarwood and sandalwood products annually. Agarwood incense sticks, incense cones, and agarwood and sandalwood bracelets are primarily consumed domestically; cinnamon, however, is exported to several Asian countries and Australia. The facility also provides regular employment for 10 local workers, mostly women.

Ms. Tho added: "I am finalizing my application to participate in the OCOP program, registering as a typical rural industrial product and focusing on the export market. This year, I received a small order from Australia for stickless cinnamon incense – 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, Luong Thi My Trinh (born in 1995, Lang Ngoc commune) began with a completely different choice. After graduating from the University of Foreign Languages ​​(Da Nang University), she had a stable job in the tourism and human resources fields in the city. However, every time she returned to her hometown and witnessed her fellow villagers having to sell their ginger gardens and banana plantations laden with fruit to traders at low prices, Trinh couldn't help but feel regret and a strong urge to do something to increase the value of local agricultural products.

Ms. Luong Thi My Trinh shared: "I thought that if there were a processing facility in my hometown, it would both help farmers find markets for their products and create jobs for the people, so the value of agricultural products would be completely different. That thought led me to decide to return to my hometown to start a business, even though many initially considered it risky."

In 2020, Ms. Trinh established the Dat Quang Green Agriculture Cooperative, specializing in the production and processing of organic agricultural products. Utilizing readily available raw materials, the cooperative focuses on three main product groups: ginger, bananas, and sugarcane. Among these, Bana banana snacks (awarded 4-star OCOP), "On the Hillside" young ginger candies, and raw sugarcane molasses are particularly popular products favored by consumers.

Ms. Trinh said: "The difference is that the cooperative doesn't use existing production lines but instead researches its own formula to create products with the distinctive flavor of the Tien Phuoc region."

The Dat Quang Green Agriculture Cooperative provides irrigation systems to households involved in agricultural production. Photo: Provided by the cooperative.

Currently, the Dat Quang Green Agriculture Cooperative, under the management of Ms. Luong Thi My Trinh, consumes approximately 1.5 tons of ginger and 2 tons of bananas per month. These products are supplied to domestic organic food chains and distributed through e-commerce platforms. The cooperative has partnered with over 30 farming households, with 90% of the direct labor being local women, contributing to stable employment and increased income for many families.

Not content with just production, Ms. Trinh also initiated the "Dat Quang Farm accompanies you to school" project, allocating 1% of her profits to support meals for underprivileged preschool children. This action, though small, carries great significance, demonstrating a business mindset intertwined with social responsibility, thereby spreading the spirit of sharing within the community.

Ms. Trinh expressed her wish: "The cooperative will create a close link between the 'four stakeholders': the State, producers, farmers, and scientists. This will lay the foundation for sustainable development, creating distinctive products with a local identity, not only establishing a position in the domestic market but also expanding internationally."

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