Cao Lan young man spreads national cultural values ​​through OCOP products

With the desire to preserve and spread the value of traditional culinary culture, Cao Lan man Hoang Xuan Mau in Nghe village, Xuan Luong commune, Yen The district, Bac Giang has successfully built and developed OCOP products from the typical products of his ethnic group. Hoang Xuan Mau's model of promoting and enhancing the value of local products not only helps him get rich on his homeland, but also creates jobs for ethnic minorities where he lives.

Mr. Hoang Xuan Mau introduces the cooperative's products to visitors at the exhibition booth.

Born in 1994 in an ethnic family in the mountainous region of Yen The, Mr. Hoang Xuan Mau always wanted to preserve and maintain the typical dishes of his ethnic group.

Having studied at Polytechnic Vocational College but had to drop out due to difficult family circumstances, Mr. Mau applied to work for a restaurant in Hanoi. “I worked at the restaurant and found that I was suitable for this job, then gradually loved it and became passionate about it. The restaurant owner advised me to pursue a career in service and tourism . My life started from there,” Mau recalled.

After that, he continued to work as a restaurant and hotel manager in Hanoi for another 6 years. Realizing that many young people were starting successful businesses in their hometown, he decided to quit his job in Hanoi to return to his hometown to start a business. In 2019, with the accumulated capital, he decided to carry out the "Cao Lan Farm" project right in his hometown.

Pork and smoked sausage of Cao Lan Agricultural and Service Cooperative meet 3-star OCOP product standards

On an area of ​​nearly 3 hectares, Mr. Mau designed and built a traditional smoked meat factory and a food service area combined with ecological homestays to serve tourists. The typical highland landscape with lots of trees, cool air and a vegetable garden, an ecological livestock area providing fresh products has impressed many tourists when they first visit.

His farm mainly makes pork and smoked sausages according to the Cao Lan ethnic group’s own secret recipe. Thanks to the methodical way of making them, the dedicated service attitude, and the delicious traditional dishes cooked by the family, the number of tourists coming to “Cao Lan Farm” is increasing; an average of nearly 200 visitors/month. In addition, when coming to the farm, tourists can buy pork and smoked sausages as gifts.

To expand production, in July 2022, Mr. Mau established the Cao Lan Agricultural and Service Cooperative with 8 members who are Cao Lan ethnic households in the village; the cooperative is directed by him. At the same time, he completed the dossier to participate in the evaluation and classification of OCOP for Cao Lan smoked pork products.

Process of processing smoked pork products of Cao Lan Agricultural and Service Cooperative

Mr. Hoang Xuan Mau shared: To create quality products, our cooperative has searched and selected quality meat sources to produce products that meet the criteria of OCOP products. In particular, to preserve the traditional taste of the product, in the early days, he sought out the elderly in the community to learn from how to choose delicious lean meat, to marinating and hanging over the fire.

In late 2022, the Cao Lan smoked pork product of the Cooperative was evaluated, classified and granted a 3-star OCOP product certificate by the Provincial People's Committee. It was even happier when recently, in May 2025, the Cooperative had an additional Cao Lan smoked sausage product that received a 3-star district-level certification.

The scale of the pork drying kiln area of ​​Cao Lan Agricultural and Service Cooperative is about 200m2 with 4 drying kilns.

Mr. Hoang Xuan Mau, Director of Cao Lan Agricultural and Service Cooperative said: “As a Cao Lan ethnic person, the images of a blazing kitchen with smoky meat hanging on ropes mixed with the fragrant aroma of spices have been with me since childhood. Therefore, even though I grew up studying and working in the capital, that flavor urged me to return to my hometown to start a business with the traditional products of my people.

Currently, the scale of the cooperative's pork drying kiln is about 200m2 with 4 drying kilns. The output is about 280kg of finished smoked meat/batch. The cooperative regularly creates jobs for 05 seasonal workers with a monthly income of 4-5 million VND/person. During peak production periods, the income of workers is about 10-12 million VND/person.

Mr. Hoang Xuan Mau and his wife introduced the Cooperative's smoked pork product at the Conference on evaluating and classifying OCOP products of Yen The district in May 2025.

Mr. Ngo Quang Do, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Xuan Luong Commune, said: "Cao Lan Agricultural and Service Cooperative is one of the typical models in the youth start-up movement in the commune. With his boldness, daring to think and dare to do, Mr. Mau has contributed to increasing the value of agricultural products, creating jobs and income for a number of local workers."

Source: https://baodantoc.vn/chang-trai-cao-lan-lan-toa-gia-tri-van-hoa-dan-toc-qua-san-pham-ocop-1749438479933.htm