Yes Hue products meet international standard ISO 22000: 2005
Ideas from the community
Having won the 3rd prize in the Province's Innovative Startup Ideas Contest in 2018, Sao La essential oil balm surpassed more than 40 ideas in the contest jointly organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology and provinces. Along with high-quality Sao La essential oil balm, Sao La Melaleuca essential oil balm, Homalomena essential oil, Thanh Tra pomelo essential oil, lemongrass essential oil have achieved certain positions in domestic and foreign markets.
For the young people in the "common house" of Green Net Co. Ltd., 73 Thach Han Street, Hue City, this is a "bold" step for startup companies, especially for those that have just started their businesses.
On a rainy day in early 2016, a group of young people having the same sense of purpose from poor rural areas in the province gathered together in Ha Lang village, Duong Hoa commune (Huong Thuy) to discuss how to help these ethnic minorities in Thua Thien Hue have more benefits from natural forests allocated to them by the government.
“After a few weeks of research and discussion, a university lecturer and a pharmacist made a commitment to join us to put the idea of developing the market of essential oils and medicinal plants in the Truong Son mountain area into practice, however, we must increase sustainable income from forests and forest land for indigenous people, contributing to forest protection. Three months later, we established the company with the immediate goal of making all kinds of fragrant essential oils "Hue" and getting customers for those products", Pham Nguyen Thanh, Director of the company Green Net Co. Ltd., said.
Aromatic essential oils from nature are not new products; making essential oils is not difficult. In order to attract customers, Green Net Co. Ltd., set out two principles to adhere to and determine its "survival", which are the high quality and the uniqueness of the product. With the first principle, it took the company 6 months to build and test the distillation system and exactly 12 months to test raw materials and production processes from plant varieties, land, farming processes, harvesting time, distillation time, temperature, pressure, refining, pressing, sedimentation, etc., and countless other things like product standards, packaging…everything must be the best for users. Green Net's young people have based on the strengths and characteristics of local people, nature and culture to create products with their own identity from the package to the content.
With the main goal of creating a market for local people’s medicinal plants and essential oils, the company advocates not developing its own ingredients. Some types of materials such as Homalomena, wild ginger (zingber zerumbert sm) ... are available in the forest, but they are scattered and in small quantity; if not planted deliberately, they can run out very quickly. To solve this challenge as well as to learn more, the young people of Green Net decided to choose only a few suitable people and work with them: plowing, weeding, planting trees, going to the forest, looking for seedlings, and doing many other things together.
In August 2017, after 16 months since forming the idea, Green Net introduced the first products via Facebook. “In just 3 months, we have achieved the expected results for the market testing phase. More than 70% of customers returned for the second time, and 30% of customers continued ordering for the third time. Currently, Green Net is producing Melaleuca essential oil balm, lemon grass essential oil, Thanh tra essential oil, ginger essential oil, Homalomena essential oil and Sao La essential oil balm with typical Hue essence. Green Net products not only serve local people, but also are present in every part of the country and "reach out" to foreign countries, bringing the heart of Hue people everywhere. America, Japan, Korea ... are the markets that Green Net has been aiming at”, Director Pham Nguyen Thanh said excitedly.
“Building a brand name called Sao La, Green Net has contributed a portion of its profits to transfer to village conservation funds of communities living in and around Sao La conservation areas on the Truong Son mountain range. Green Net always determines that there must be sustainable steps in harmony with nature and farmers to bring stable income to them,” said Ho Dang Binh, Research Director and pharmacist of Green Net.
"Hue taste stays forever in the heart of the people away from home"
That concern has urged Le Thi Kim Hang, Deputy Director of YesHue Manufacturing and Trading Company Ltd., (75 Le Duan, Hue City) to do something for Hue, her hometown. Le Thi Kim Hang recalls: “After some time living and working in Hanoi, my husband and I returned to Hue to indulge our passion for business. My desire is to bring the right flavor of Hue beef noodle to consumers from all over Vietnam, from the region and the world over.”
The way that Hang came to success was to cook beef noodle and invite customers to eat and get their feedback, then she selected and gathered the most common ideas to adjust the seasonings accordingly. Le Thi Kim Hang shared: “At first, the company only produced Hue beef noodle paste product, after that they could produce roasted salt with lemongrass, chili sauce and now produce all kinds of oil with the typical flavor of Hue to serves tourists in and outside the country”.
YesHue has worked with a number of corporations to introduce their products to foreign markets. It has also constantly expanded their markets, actively participated in domestic fairs, exported to Thailand, and expanded the range of products in supermarkets in some localities.
YesHue is certified as an ISO 22000: 2005 international standard product. At present, Hue beef noodle paste has been present in almost all big cities and provinces across the country, especially the system of supermarkets and specialty restaurants; The product has also reached the consumers in Korea, India ... Hue beef noodle paste by YesHue has won the first prize in the Province's Innovative Startup Ideas Contest in 2017.
"Taking off" together
Member of The Party Central Committee, Provincial Party Committee Secretary, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council Le Truong Luu and leaders of provincial departments were amazed by the bold moves of young people here when visiting Green Net and YesHue, and finding out more about their direction of development. The province will create the most favorable conditions to encourage start-up businesses to "take off".
Although Green Net products have a certain place in the market, and are sold abroad, but mainly through border trade and as products purchased by tourists. "The desire of the company is to have more capital for brand name building to make it become a private product of the province, serving the purpose of exporting. The biggest challenge for the company is the output for the product. The departments and agencies of the province need to create conditions for the company to participate in trade promotion and product introduction; support us to scale up and apply more modern production technology”, said Pham Nguyen Thanh, Director of Green Net.
Deputy Director YesHue Le Thi Kim Hang proposed: “The company wants to expand production model, combining high-tech agriculture-industry model and tourism. There should be product introduction areas for tourists. Currently, the company has been working with leaders of Nam Dong district to rent about 10ha of land to grow Hue beef noodle paste ingredient plants, together with developing experience tourism”.
Provincial Party Committee Secretary Le Truong Luu affirmed that the provincial leaders and departments, local authorities always support and create maximum conditions for the development of companies and enterprises. The Provincial Party Committee Secretary and leaders of Department of Science and Technology, Department of Industry and Trade unified to create all favorable conditions, especially mechanisms and policies for enterprises to develop. For provinces and cities that do not know about the products of the companies, the department will conduct promotion, create good conditions for the companies to continue expanding their market ...
Story: Anh Phong - Photos: Khanh Nhat