Ta Xua Youth develop tea brand

Mr. Lu A Chau (left) introduces Shan Tuyet Lam tube tea products.

Ta Xua has nearly 400 hectares of Shan Tuyet tea, many of which have grown naturally for hundreds of years on mountains over 1,500 m high. However, in previous years, the products were mainly processed manually, on a small scale, with uneven quality, simple designs, and limited competitiveness.

Faced with that reality, some young Mong people have renewed their thinking, changed their ways of doing things, and boldly invested in developing Ta Xua tea in the direction of commodities, from production, processing to promotion, expanding the market, and enhancing sustainable economic value.

Youth Union member Lu A Chau, Chung Trinh village, is one of the pioneering young people to find a unique direction for Ta Xua Shan Tuyet tea. In 2019, realizing that traditional dried roasted tea is difficult to preserve and easily loses its flavor, he researched and after many experiments, launched the product "Shan Tuyet Lam tube tea", a type of tea that is roasted by hand, naturally brewed, preserved in bamboo tubes, hung in the kitchen for 3-5 months, both preserving the characteristic flavor and creating a unique form.

Mr. Mua A Tong (right) checks the quality of tea.

Each tea tube weighs 170g, sells for 150,000 VND, is packaged attractively, easy to transport, suitable as a gift. Taking advantage of digital platforms such as Facebook, Zalo, Tiktok..., Mr. Chau expanded the market, selling 500-600 tea tubes per month, not only in Son La but also exporting to Hanoi , Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang... Mr. Lu A Chau shared: At first, it was very difficult due to lack of skills, broken goods sent, customers returned them. But I did not give up, I learned from experience while working, adjusted the packaging, chose sturdy bamboo tubes, and kept the quality of the tea; customers responded very positively.

In Be village, Mr. Mua A Tong chose to develop a high-end ancient tea line, targeting the middle and high-end market. Realizing that the hundreds of years old tea trees in the area have not yet been fully exploited, in 2020, he invested in processing high-quality tea, selecting the best tea buds, roasting by hand and slowly drying to preserve the essential oils. To build a brand and professional product design, he cooperated with a design and packaging facility in Phu Yen, helping Be village ancient tea products have a unique appearance, welcomed by many customers.

Mr. Mua A Tong said: Every month, my family sells nearly 100 kg of dry tea, priced from 600,000 to 1,400,000 VND/kg depending on the type. For sustainable development, I am mobilizing a number of households to join together to establish the Ban Be Ancient Tea Cooperative, to be self-sufficient from raw materials to processing, packaging, and consumption. Thereby, tea products will have consistent quality, reduce intermediate costs, and increase profits for growers.

Shan Tuyet tea products in bamboo tubes.

Although they chose their own paths, the story of the two young men shares the same goal of transforming Ta Xua tea from a traditional product into a local specialty. They are proactive in production, market building, digital technology application and gradually developing a sustainable business model. Their efforts have contributed to the local tea products being certified as “Ta Xua Bac Yen Tea” in 2024.

Mr. Do Van Xiem, Chairman of Ta Xua Commune People's Committee, said: In the coming time, the commune will focus on expanding the tea area, preserving indigenous tea varieties, encouraging the establishment of cooperatives and groups to link production, processing and consumption; at the same time, developing tea trees associated with community tourism in a sustainable direction.

From simple things like tea tubes and tea bags, the young Mong people in Ta Xua are continuing to realize their aspiration of turning Shan Tuyet tea trees into a cultural symbol and a driving force for sustainable development for their homeland.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/kinh-te/thanh-nien-ta-xua-phat-trien-thuong-hieu-che-YlFH4zlNg.html