Enhance the value of agricultural products of Tien land

DNO - Sowing seeds from seemingly discarded agricultural materials, Ms. Hoang Thi Thuy Nga (born in 1989, Lanh Ngoc commune) has gradually created a chain of OCOP products with her own brand and has been welcomed by the market.

Ms. Nga has implemented start-up projects to increase the value of agricultural products in her hometown of Tien. Photo: PHAN VINH

Sowing seeds in the countryside

Coming from the tourism industry, after working in the city for a while, Ms. Nga realized that the market trend is increasingly favoring purely natural products. However, precious local agricultural products are mostly sold in raw form, and even ingredients such as grapefruit flowers and grapefruit peels are often discarded after each harvest season.

Ms. Nga shared: "Pomelo flowers used to bloom white all over the garden, but then they fell off. In the past, our grandparents had the habit of drying pomelo flowers to drink instead of tea, but only for their family. I think if we can standardize the recipe, add more ingredients to suit modern tastes, maybe we can turn it into a product with real commercial value."

Moc Thanh Tra products are made from grapefruit flowers using traditional tea brewing methods combined with some new ingredients for a gentle scent. Photo: Provided by the character

That thought prompted her to return to her hometown, starting with the establishment of Nhan Tam Agricultural - Trade - Service Cooperative in 2022. The first product of the Cooperative is Moc Thanh Tra grapefruit flower tea, with a formula combining grapefruit flowers (75%), red apples (20%) and stevia (5%). The tea has a slightly bitter taste from grapefruit flowers, a sweet aftertaste from red apples and stevia, a gentle aroma, and is considered to have the effect of cooling, supporting digestion and helping to sleep well.

Each year, the cooperative purchases about 500 kg of fresh grapefruit flowers and produces nearly 100 kg of dried tea. The tea is packaged in 100g boxes, selling for 40,000 VND/box, with an average profit of 30%. In 2024, the product will be certified as a 3-star OCOP, marking the first step in the journey to identify the Tien land agricultural product brand on the green consumption map.

[ VIDEO ] - Ms. Hoang Thi Thuy Nga shares the reason for returning to her hometown to start a business with agricultural waste:

Not stopping there, Ms. Nga continued to exploit the potential of seemingly worthless parts of the grapefruit. After separating the segments, the grapefruit peel that was discarded at restaurants and cafes was collected, processed and transformed into a new product called Tien grapefruit jam.

Tien grapefruit jam products are trusted by customers because they are purely natural. Photo: PHAN VINH

Grapefruit pulp accounts for 60%, combined with orange juice (20%) and cane sugar (20%), through many stages of cooking, simmering, and drying to create a refreshing jam, both naturally sweet and bringing a feeling of lightness when consumed. Every 3kg of fresh grapefruit peel will yield 1kg of finished jam. Each 300g box is sold for 120,000 VND, the product is also recognized as a 3-star OCOP product in 2025.

From the seed of the Uoi tree to the green dream

In early 2025, Ms. Nga continued to affirm her own direction with a new product called UPAY - cooling tea that sows green life. The product is developed from bay ươi seeds, a precious specialty found in abundance in Quang Nam but has long been only exploited naturally and sold wholesale at low prices.

The pulp extracted from the seeds of the Uoi bay tree has high nutritional value and helps to cool the body. Photo: PHAN VINH

“

I used to display Uoi seeds at fairs, many people liked them but hesitated to buy them. Partly because of the high price and the complicated preparation method. Meanwhile, the demand for cooling from natural products is very high. From there, I thought of making a line of instant products that both retain the original value and are easy to use."

Ms. Hoang Thi Thuy Nga

After nearly a year of researching the formula, testing freeze-drying technology and mixing ingredients, she created a line of instant tea powder that can be mixed with cold water and used immediately.

The main ingredients include bayberry seeds, combined with chia seeds, passion fruit and cane sugar, all of which are purely natural and good for health. Each box contains 10 packs, with a trial price of about 200,000 VND, and is currently available at some direct distribution channels and fair booths in the country.

UPAY product - cooling tea is continuing to complete packaging and labeling. Photo: PHAN VINH

The UPAY project - cooling tea won second prize at the Quang Nam Startup Talent Search Contest 2025, becoming a pioneer product in enhancing the value of native tea seeds.

Notably, UPAY does not simply stop at creating commercial products, but is also considered by Ms. Nga as the first step to establish a closed value chain for the ươi tree, which is gradually disappearing due to uncontrolled exploitation. Ms. Nga is collaborating with forest planting organizations to re-incubate ươi seedlings after production.

[VIDEO] - Ms. Hoang Thi Thuy Nga shares about UPAY Project - cooling tea:

"In addition, I also spend a lot of time perfecting the design, improving the packaging and expanding the consumer market, creating more livelihoods for the local people, who are directly involved in the process of exploiting, processing and preserving the precious medicinal resources of the land of Tien. I take real value as the foundation, so that each product carries the spirit of green living, healthy living from the homeland" - Ms. Nga added.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/nang-cao-gia-tri-nong-san-xu-tien-3265038.html