Work as a worker and start a business at the same time

In the countryside of Tan Tay (Tay Ninh province), Ms. Tran Thi Thu Huong is one of the few young people who chose to start a business with the traditional profession of distilling cajuput essential oil. Her project “Gai Chien cajuput essential oil” won first prize in the “Creative Women, Start-ups in 2025” contest organized by the Women’s Union of Long An province (now the Women’s Union of Tay Ninh province) at the end of May.

Carefully preserving every drop of eucalyptus oil from our homeland.

Tan Tay, Thu Huong's hometown, used to be covered with Melaleuca forests because the climate and soil here are ideal for this medicinal herb to grow. Melaleuca trees are not only resistant to alum and drought, but also produce essential oils with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, often used by people to treat colds, coughs, insect bites or to keep children warm.

Ms. Thu Huong said that since ancient times, many people in the area have been making melaleuca oil. Her parents-in-law have also been involved in this profession for nearly 40 years. But then the area of ​​melaleuca forests gradually shrank.

People switched to growing crops with higher economic value. The incense burning kilns gradually became less active, and the few households still practicing the trade produced only enough for their own use or to sell around the neighborhood.

Worried that the traditional profession might disappear, Ms. Huong and her husband decided to start a business, building a cajuput essential oil brand in a professional and sustainable way. The business household "Gai Chien Cajuput Essential Oil" was officially established in 2022, with the name meaning to continue and pay tribute to the profession's teachers, her parents-in-law.

"Cajeput oil is a type of essential oil extracted from the leaves of the cajuput tree. When pressed and distilled, the leaves of this tree produce 100% natural oil, called cajuput essential oil or cajuput oil. My husband's parents have been in the cajuput essential oil distillation business for a long time, but they are now old, and production is limited to small-scale furnaces. So, my husband and I decided to learn the trade and do it more systematically," said Ms. Huong.

Ms. Tran Thi Thu Huong (on the left) introduces her products.

Currently, Ms. Huong works as both a garment factory worker and a businesswoman. During the day, she works at the factory, and in the evening, she takes the time to pack orders and interact with customers on social media platforms.

"When I started my business, I was also pregnant. Because I understood the psychology of mothers who want to find safe and benign products for their children, I was determined to make products with the heart of a mother. I personally think that I have to proactively search, study, and invest in another job so that when I am no longer a worker, I can still be financially independent," Ms. Huong shared.

Ms. Thu Huong said that the biggest challenge when starting the business was finding raw materials. Natural melaleuca leaves were becoming increasingly scarce, so she and her husband had to travel deep into the forest to find melaleuca trees, collect the seeds, and bring them back to plant on their land.

After each harvest, the couple would plant a new crop, adjusting the planting schedule so that after about 3 to 3.5 months they would have the raw materials for the next batch. Gradually, they became self-sufficient in their raw material supply. Distillation equipment was also a challenge. Initially, the old furnace and small stills didn't yield much oil.

Melaleuca tree raw material area

Ms. Huong recounted: "Although we learned the trade very carefully, the first batches yielded very little oil. But then my husband and I learned from experience, adjusted our techniques, and improved the cooking pot. Now, on average, we can produce 2 liters of essential oil from 1 ton of leaves per day."

Currently, her husband is in charge of the technical part of cooking, while Thu Huong is in charge of oil refining, packaging, marketing, sales, and brand building. The process of distilling cajuput essential oil requires patience and meticulousness, going through many stages from selecting raw materials, preparing, cooking, to filtering and bottling.

Ms. Huong explained: "The process of selecting raw leaves is the most important step, determining the quality of the melaleuca oil. This step requires practical experience to produce batches of high-quality melaleuca oil."

After harvesting, the melaleuca leaves are carefully selected and placed in a pot with water in a ratio of 1:2 (1 part water to 2 parts leaves). The mixture is then boiled continuously for about 5-6 hours over a moderate heat, neither too high nor too low. Excessive heat or low heat will affect the quality of the melaleuca essential oil.

The steam carries the essential oil, and as it passes through the cold environment, it condenses into droplets. On average, 1 ton of leaves yields 2 liters of finished essential oil through distillation. The average selling price ranges from 800,000 to 1,000,000 VND per liter.

Currently, the product is bottled in various sizes (10ml, 30ml, 50ml, and 100ml) to suit the needs of different customer groups. Ms. Huong also focuses on improving the packaging and designing labels that are both eye-catching and have a simple, approachable feel.

Tea tree essential oil product. Image courtesy of the interviewee.

"I pursued this profession not only for economic reasons but also out of pride in preserving the traditional craft of my hometown and family," Ms. Huong said.

Seek opportunities for growth through startup competitions.

Ms. Thu Huong actively learned and participated in programs supporting women's entrepreneurship. In 2023, her project participated in a district-level entrepreneurship competition and won third prize. In 2025, when competing at the provincial level, she excelled and won first prize.

"Through each competition, I learn more knowledge and gain experience from the feedback of the judges and experts to improve my product. Most importantly, I get to introduce my product to more people," Huong shared.

In early 2025, "Gai Chien cajuput essential oil" was certified as a 3-star OCOP product. This was a turning point, recognizing the persistent efforts of Ms. Huong and her husband. To expand the output of her products, Ms. Huong marketed the products to pharmacies and chain stores selling products for mothers and babies to put the products on the shelves, while maintaining retail channels through social networks.

Starting her business while working as a factory worker and gradually building her brand, Tran Thi Thu Huong's journey is a persistent effort to spread the fragrance of cajeput oil far and wide.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/vua-lam-cong-nhan-vua-khoi-nghiep-20250815192417066.htm