Start a business from local products
After studying and working in Nha Trang ( Khanh Hoa ), in 2017, Ms. Do Thi Thu Thao (in An Hoa commune) returned to her hometown to start a business from available products. Realizing that many local specialties such as wild honey, sim fruit, etc. were still weak in packaging and labeling, she wanted to contribute to improving the quality of her hometown's agricultural products.
In 2018, she established Moc Thao facility, investing in perfecting the processing, packaging, and branding processes. Up to now, the facility has developed many product lines such as: Beest honey, sim wine, honey turmeric starch, tea vine, tea bags, male papaya flowers soaked in honey, beeswax candles... In which, Beest honey and sim wine meet the local 3-star OCOP standards.
According to Ms. Thao, “all beginnings are hard”, she has improved the quality and design, actively promoted at fairs, trade promotion events and learned livestreaming. With perseverance, her products have reached customers in many provinces and cities, even attracting the interest of international tourists.
Choosing to change careers from a pharmacist, having run two local pharmacies, Ms. Vo Minh Mo (An Lao commune) established the An Lao Service and Medicinal Materials Cooperative in 2024. When she realized that the cinnamon area in An Toan - where there are more than 170 hectares of wild cinnamon - had not been effectively exploited and people were starting to switch crops, she and her husband connected with people, built a chain of links to develop local products to increase value and create livelihoods.
The cooperative purchases more than 600 kg of raw cinnamon each month to produce products such as cinnamon buds, peeled cinnamon sticks, cinnamon bark scented candles, B're dipping salt, wild lemongrass, smoked meat, etc. Among them, An Toan pine cinnamon buds have achieved the local 3-star OCOP certification. Along with production, Ms. Mo promotes sales on e-commerce platforms and actively connects with other female entrepreneurs to support each other's promotion.
“As amateurs entering production, we almost had to learn from scratch - from how to make to how to sell. Output was also a difficult problem. Fortunately, with support from local authorities and predecessors, the cooperative gradually stabilized. We promoted sales on Shopee, Lazada, TikTok... and linked up with female entrepreneurs to introduce products together,” Ms. Mo shared.
Choosing her own path with the desire to put her hometown on the community tourism map, Ms. Pham Thi Kenh (owner of Co Kenh homestay, An Toan commune) and her husband boldly invested in building a homestay since 2019 to serve tourism . Currently, Co Kenh homestay is operating stably with 12 rooms, prices ranging from 200,000 - 400,000 VND/day. Guests mainly stay on weekends; during holidays and Tet, the facility often operates at full capacity.
“Many years ago, when I came to Da Lat and saw the homestay model developing well there, I thought that An Toan with its unique nature and culture could also do it. My husband and I discussed opening a homestay. Not long after, the Covid-19 pandemic hit, causing all plans to stall. But we always believed that with the available potential and the consensus of the community, tourists would eventually return to our homeland,” Ms. Kenh shared.
Go together to go further
From personal efforts, the entrepreneurial spirit of women in An Lao district (old) is increasingly spreading, forming a closely connected network, sharing experiences and promoting local products.
After a period of starting a business and gradually affirming the brand, at the end of 2024, Ms. Do Thi Thu Thao boldly opened the OCOP Moc Thao store right in the locality to conveniently promote and introduce products. Not only focusing on developing her personal brand, Ms. Thao also dedicated a part of the store space to display and connect to consume startup products from many localities, including traditional brocade products rich in identity.
Currently, OCOP Moc Thao store introduces many specialties such as: Herbal essential oil, Ong Hoang essential oil (My An Agricultural and Fishery Service Cooperative, Phu My Dong commune); cinnamon and medicinal products of An Lao Service and Medicinal Cooperative; purple sweet potato rice vermicelli (Vita LLC, Tay Son commune)...
In addition to the OCOP store, Moc Thao facility also actively connects consumption at other introduction points such as Nau Ecovalley, My Kenh homestay, Tien Vua Tea Cooperative - addresses that join hands to promote An Toan highland products.
“I want the store to not only be a place to sell products, but also a bridge to support women starting businesses - helping them have more conditions to access the market, exchange, share experiences and develop together. During the fairs, I always introduce products of other establishments alongside my own. This contributes to building prestige and raising awareness for local products,” Ms. Thao shared.
Not only supporting each other to reach customers through digital platforms, many women also accompany each other from the first steps in the entrepreneurial journey. As the Business Director of An Lao Service and Medicinal Materials Cooperative, Ms. Vo Minh Mo often works closely with local women entrepreneurs, especially in guiding administrative procedures, preparing documents, papers, books and consulting on product trademark registration.
Ms. Mo shared: “Many people have ideas or products but do not know where to start and are afraid of the procedures. I have experienced these difficulties, so I am always willing to share what I know - not only about the registration process, branding, but also about the production process - to help women feel more confident when starting a business.”
Not doing tourism in a “one-man-one-way” manner, Ms. Kenh proactively linked up with some households in the area to provide ingredients for the cuisine; at the same time, she cooperated with the gong and xoang dance teams of the village to serve tourists whenever requested.
“I hope that not only me or a few other homestay owners do tourism, but every local person contributes. Therefore, I connect with local households - helping them earn more income and raising community awareness in tourism development,” Ms. Kenh shared.
Local start-up models not only help women in the highlands confidently assert themselves but also open up a sustainable direction for the rural mountainous economy - a place that used to be difficult but is now gradually positioning itself with unique products and new ways of doing things.
Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/gia-lai-phu-nu-vung-cao-khoi-nghiep-mo-loi-sinh-ke-ben-vung-post562010.html
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