Green aspiration among Phu Thinh tea hills

Members of Hai Yen Tea Cooperative harvest tea.

Born in 1976 into a family with more than half a century of experience with tea plants, Ms. Yen has been familiar with the endless green tea hills since childhood. But in her memory, those were also the hard days of her parents, “taking labor for profit”, when the products were made without technique, of uneven quality, and of low value.

“Looking at the bags of tea my parents made, with so much effort but not much to sell, I kept feeling uneasy. If we don’t change, our hometown tea will only be around the countryside market forever,” Ms. Yen recalled.

From that concern, a desire was born and grew to bring Phu Thinh tea out of the vicious circle, affirming the true value that heaven and earth had bestowed. In 2018, Ms. Yen and a number of households boldly established Hai Yen Tea Cooperative. The initial path was not smooth due to limited capital, lack of modern processing equipment, limited market knowledge, while many households still maintained the habit of small-scale production.

Ms. Yen said: The hardest thing is to change the mindset. Many people do not believe that making clean, VietGAP tea can sell at a high price. I have to go to each house to persuade, explain, then advance capital, support product consumption to reassure people.

With perseverance, from 7 members with more than 1 hectare of tea at the beginning, the cooperative has now built a stable raw material area, including 5 hectares of organic tea and 10 hectares of VietGAP tea, and linked with more than 30 production households. Each year, the cooperative supplies about 180 tons of fresh tea buds, bringing the product to many provinces and cities such as Hanoi , Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Khanh Hoa, etc.

Display and introduce Hai Yen tea products to consumers.

Not only in the domestic market, the cooperative's tea products are also chosen by many customers as gifts for relatives and partners abroad. Ms. Hoang Thi Thu, a household associated with Hai Yen Tea Cooperative, shared: "Thanks to the brand, the value of tea trees has increased significantly. Revenue from each sao of tea increased by 20-30%, my family has the conditions to invest in modern machinery to serve production."

From the green tea fields, the first product of the cooperative that made its mark was Ben Xuan green tea. The name evokes the old ferry on the Cong River, a place associated with the legend of Coc and Cong and the winding water embracing the fertile tea hills.

Ms. Yen named it “Ben Xuan” with the hope that Phu Thinh tea will sail smoothly to the open sea, becoming the pride of her hometown. Each tea bud is picked when the dew is still on, processed with modern machinery, giving the cup of tea a mild astringent taste that spreads, leaving a sweet aftertaste in the throat.

Along with Ben Xuan green tea, Hai Yen shrimp tea is also the pride of the cooperative. Each stage of processing this product is associated with the word "tinh": refined, pure, delicate. Therefore, when brewed, the tea exudes a pure aroma, the green-yellow water shimmers, making the connoisseur stunned.

Ms. Ha Thi Yen (left), Director of Hai Yen Tea Cooperative, who contributed to raising the brand of Phu Thinh tea.

Ben Xuan green tea and Hai Yen shrimp tea are also products that have achieved the 4-star OCOP standard of the Cooperative, becoming typical products of Phu Thinh tea region. But for Ms. Yen, the result is not the final destination.

Ms. Yen shared: The brand is just the first step. I want to aim for the product to be consumed more widely throughout the country and, if possible, to expand abroad. But this also requires the cooperative to have large resources, strict processes and more professional human resources.

To prepare for the future, Hai Yen Tea Cooperative is looking for investment partners, expanding online sales channels, testing deeply processed product lines such as tea bags, herbal tea, and training people in organic production.

“I hope Phu Thinh becomes a clean, safe tea area, saying no to toxic chemicals. Each tea bud not only has economic value, but is also a source of cultural pride and a green environment,” said Ms. Yen.

From the red tiled roof at the foot of the hill, from the tea buds still covered with dew, Ms. Ha Thi Yen's aspiration is still spreading. Although the road ahead is full of challenges, she believes that with perseverance, faith and community strength, Phu Thinh tea will one day stand shoulder to shoulder with famous brands. And when mentioning Thai Nguyen , people will remember not only the immense tea hills, but also the Tay woman with the dream of bringing her hometown tea to the "big sea".

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202509/khat-vong-xanh-giua-doi-che-phu-thinh-f836e89/