Homemade jelly is popular because it is delicious, cool, and refreshing.

Thu Hoai, a young person born in 2002, from Phuoc Vinh ward (Thuan Hoa district) searched for a source of sương sâm leaves to make jelly. Hoai said: “In the past, I liked summer drinks that were "healthy" and "trendy". That is, they had to be both good for health and fashionable. Over time, my preferences changed because I realized that the most important thing is that the drink must be suitable for the weather, health condition, eating habits and budget."

This year, Hoai experimented many times and found the right recipe to make heat-clearing jelly. The Gen Z girl said: “This summer, homemade heat-clearing jelly is being sought after a lot because it is made from natural ingredients, good for health, safe and does not contain preservatives. Jelly made from grass leaves is the most popular.”

According to Hoai, the way to make jelly from this type of leaf is very simple. Just use a blender to puree the leaves, then squeeze well and filter so that the jelly water solidifies and you're done. "Because it's a natural leaf, the jelly is both cool and nutritious and safe to eat. You can also add sugar and coconut milk as you like, so you can enjoy a delicious, cool and nutritious dish without worrying about gaining weight," Hoai said.

With skillful hands, not only jellies, many other summer drinks such as milk tea, fruit smoothies, fruit teas have been and are being made by young people. In particular, with their acumen, handmade products to cool down the summer also bring a significant source of income for many people. Like Thu Hoai, not only for family use, she also sells homemade jelly online. For the past half month, almost every day there have been customers placing orders, thanks to which Hoai has an additional source of income, averaging from 100 - 120 thousand VND per day.

Also having a “fate” with handmade products to cool down in the summer, Hoang Thi Hien, a 9X girl in Vinh Hung commune (Phu Loc district) has opened a beverage shop. In the summer of 2024, Hien's starting point was also homemade cooling jelly drinks sold on Facebook. Over time, Hoang Thi Hien also researched and quickly grasped new trends to meet customers' needs for experience, thereby opening up business opportunities for herself.

Hien shared: “In 2024, young people will favor hand-pounded lemon tea, soursop tea, and terracotta milk tea. This summer, in addition to the above drinks, TikTok and Facebook are very "hot" with the trend of mangosteen tea, passion fruit tea, and other tropical fruit teas and jellies. Therefore, we have to constantly learn and innovate to both maintain the quality of available cooling products and have more trendy drinks for customers to choose from.”

According to Hien, the closer to mid-summer, the hotter the weather, the higher the demand for cooling foods and drinks. Although quick to grasp trends, for the 9X girl, it is not only following trends but in the long run, the heart of sales focused on the quality and flavor of the drinks is what keeps customers coming back.

“I always try to carefully select the input materials to ensure quality and find the most delicious way to make them. I try to make sure that each drink and jelly meets home-made standards and ensures food hygiene and safety,” Hien said. Thanks to that, although it has only been open for a short time, Hien’s drink shop has been very popular with customers, and Hien’s income has increased significantly and is increasingly stable.

Article and photos: MAI HUE

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/kinh-te/do-giai-nhiet-handmade-154425.html