From a small kitchen to the OCOP market

In the middle of the sunny and windy Western Nghe An, where rice and corn fields stretch out one after another, there is an inspiring start-up story of a determined woman. That is the journey of Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai Yen (born in 1986), a girl from the Southwest, who brought with her both her love for cooking and her desire for change to start a business in her husband's hometown.

From a simple, rustic dish, Ms. Yen has carefully crafted each grain of rice, breathed life into each piece of burnt rice, and built the brand "Khack Yen's burnt rice" - a proud 3-star OCOP product of Thanh Chuong, Nghe An province.

Starting a business from love of cooking and desire to change life

Coming to Xuan Lam commune, Nghe An province, in the middle of a peaceful countryside, we came to the production facility "Khack Yen dried sticky rice" when Ms. Yen had just finished a batch of golden, crispy burnt rice. In a space filled with the fragrant smell of new sticky rice, Ms. Yen warmly welcomed guests, recounting her entrepreneurial journey in a sweet voice typical of the West.

Ms. Yen was born and raised in Dong Thap , a land famous for its vast lotus fields and simple, honest people. In 2004, she went to work in Malaysia. In a foreign land, she met Mr. Nguyen Trong Khac, a gentle, hard-working guy from Nghe An. Love blossomed in a foreign land, the two became husband and wife, and after many years of struggling in a foreign land, they decided to return home and live in her husband's hometown.

In the early days of returning to Xuan Lam, Yen and her husband started from scratch, surrounded by many difficulties. The poor countryside mainly did agriculture, the main crops were still rice and corn, working hard all year round but the family's economy was not improving. In addition to farming, Yen also worked hard making vermicelli noodles but life was still not abundant. The worries about food, clothing, and children's education were always on her mind.

And then the opportunity came when she took her son to BigC Vinh supermarket. The child asked his mother to buy a package of Tra Vinh dried rice. While enjoying it, his eyes lit up with delight: "Mom, this is so delicious, can you try making it for me?". Just one innocent sentence from her son awakened her love for cooking. Ms. Yen began to explore how to make this rustic snack.

The first days of experimentation were full of failures, from the crispiness of the rice, the sweetness of the pork floss, to the color of the dish… everything was not perfect. But the little woman was not discouraged, she persistently experimented, adjusted the recipe, improved the process until she produced a delicious, tasty product. The first batch of burnt rice surprised the whole family with its rich, crispy flavor, not inferior to products on the market.

Realizing the great potential of this dish, she began to research the market further. Through research, she learned that at that time in Nghe An, there was almost no facility producing crispy rice on a large scale. With a quick mind, she decided to turn the simple snack into a startup product, named "Dried sticky rice with Ham from Thuong Tho Village" with the desire to preserve the flavor of the countryside.

Currently, Ms. Yen's facility provides stable jobs for 5-6 workers and dozens of seasonal workers in the locality.

Starting a business is never easy, especially for a woman with nothing like Ms. Yen. In the early days, the couple struggled with many difficulties: no capital, no market experience, no brand, and their products were competing with cheap industrial goods. There were times when she thought she had to give up, but her love for her children and her desire to change her life urged her to stand up and overcome all challenges.

Ms. Yen chose a different path for herself: not chasing quantity, not competing with low prices but focusing on product quality. She believes that consumers will choose products that are truly delicious, clean and safe.

Bringing hometown products far and wide, affirming the 3-star OCOP brand

What makes "Khack Yen's crispy rice" special is the meticulousness and care in each stage of production. Ms. Yen uses the famous fragrant and delicious golden sticky rice. The sticky rice is thoroughly cooked, dried and then fried with clean, non-reused oil. The accompanying floss is made from fresh pork, skillfully marinated, the floss is fluffy, naturally sweet and fragrant, completely free of preservatives and colorants.

"My working principle is very simple, I cook for customers the same way I eat. The food must be clean, real, and must retain the pure flavor of my hometown's sticky rice," Yen shared.

Crispy rice products are carefully and beautifully packaged.

Not only investing carefully in quality, Ms. Yen also focuses on product design and packaging. Khac Yen crispy rice is beautifully packaged, with a variety of weights, suitable for all customer needs from gifts, snacks to nutritious side meals.

After nearly 5 years of perseverance, the product "Khac Yen crispy rice" has affirmed its position in the market. Currently, the product is not only consumed strongly in localities in Nghe An province but also reaches far to northern provinces/cities such as Hanoi, Hai Phong, Ninh Binh... On average, each year, the facility produces 20-30 tons of crispy rice, with a revenue of more than 1 billion VND, and a profit of over 200 million VND. In particular, her facility creates stable jobs for 5-6 workers and dozens of seasonal workers in the locality, helping her hometown people have more income.

In 2023, "Khack Yen's burnt rice" was officially recognized by the People's Committee of Nghe An province as meeting 3-star OCOP standards - a milestone marking Ms. Yen's tireless journey on the path to starting a business from rustic dishes.

In addition to producing burnt rice, Ms. Yen continues to expand the product of traditionally distilled yellow sticky rice wine.

Not stopping at burnt rice, Ms. Yen continues to expand the product of traditional distilled yellow sticky rice wine. The wine is brewed using a manual method, distilled in a closed manner, without impurities, has a mild aroma, is light on the head, and is increasingly loved by customers.

Ms. Yen also actively participates in trade promotion fairs and conferences connecting OCOP product trade in and outside the province, and at the same time brings products to e-commerce platforms such as Shopee, TikTok Shop, connecting widely with customers across the country.

Closing the emotional startup story, Ms. Yen confided: "In the past, I just wanted to make delicious burnt rice to make my children happy, but now I have created a brand. I am happy to have done something useful for my family and my hometown. I hope this OCOP product will reach further, bringing the name of my hometown out there."

The journey from a small kitchen to a 3-star OCOP brand of Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai Yen is a vivid proof of the will to overcome difficulties, the desire to get rich legitimately from the most simple things. A beautiful story about the determination of rural women, about how traditional values always last and shine when people know how to cherish and preserve.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/tu-can-bep-nho-vuon-minh-ra-thi-truong-ocop-2025072416115088.htm