4.0 farmers of the West: Couple who ‘eat on the ground, work on the tree’

That is the startup story of a Khmer girl named Thach Thi Chal Thi, Master of Food Technology, and her husband, Pham Dinh Ngai, Master of Mechanical Engineering. They are co-founders of Sokfarm Co., Ltd (also called Tra Vinh Farm) in Tieu Can town, Tieu Can district, Tra Vinh province.

The 1989-born couple takes a bold step when giving up a stable job in Saigon to return to their hometown and stick with coconut trees.

Walking their own path

After graduating with a major in Food Technology from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, Chal Thi applied to food companies and took up many positions, from sales technical staff specializing in projects to participating in research and development (R&D). Chal Thi was highly regarded in her workplace, and so her work went well without any problems. As for Pham Dinh Ngai, after obtaining a master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, he was a lecturer at Cao Thang Technical College, Ho Chi Minh City.

However, in 2018, the couple packed their bags and brought their two young children back to Chal Thi's hometown in Tra Vinh to pursue a new career - collecting honey by climbing coconut trees.

Chal Thi told that when she just got her master's degree, it was also when an "incident" occurred in her hometown. She got a call from her father lamenting about the price of coconut dropped dramatically to below VND 2,000 per fruit.

“I immediately hurried home, trying to find other ways to ‘rescue’ coconut. I told myself I have to walk my own distinct path instead of the old ‘opening sweets factories’ method, as coconut sweets are already all over the market. After doing some research, my husband and I discovered that honey collecting and sugar made from coconut flowers has existed for a long time in many countries around the region, even in Tra Vinh back in the past. It was the flourish of the sugar cane processing industry that forced people to give up making honey from coconut flowers. We had come to a conclusion: we will startup in this hometown using coconut trees.”

Affirming the position of Vietnamese agro-products

In the first six months Chal Thi and her husband conducted some trials on the family’s coconut trees, but the flowers refused to secrete honey, only because they didn’t do it the right way. Many people then told us that we have gone crazy from studying too much. “How can a coconut tree produce fruit when its flowers have been cut off?”

First-hand hardship was understandable, so the couple didn’t feel disheartened. They continued to dig deeper into foreign documents and research. And at last, they had found the secret method to get honey from coconut flowers:

• First, we will choose flowers that are about to bloom and then bunch them up. This step helps prevent them from bursting and at the same time facilitates the flower care and honey collection process later.
• After the flower bunch has been stabilized, gently bend the flower head down to easily capture the nectar flowing down. This step must be done meticulously.
• Then, twice a day, climb up to massage the flowers using our hands, and at the same time use a small wooden pestle to gently and evenly tap the flower stalks. This work also requires experience because tapping too lightly will not stimulate the nectaries, but knocking too hard may damage the flower.
• Finally, use a knife to cut a thin slice on the surface of the coconut flower. Place the tool (bottle, bow, etc.) below to catch the sap from slowly flowing down from the cut.

Another thing to note is that it is necessary to have expertise to check soil nutrition, pH, weather and other aspects to apply proper care to the plants.

"Now I understand: the caring process to collect honey from coconut tree and planting the tree to produce fruit are two completely different matters," Chal Thi said.

After the first successful batch of honey came to exist, Chal Thi and her husband continued to research, extract and condense honey using vacuum concentration technology at a temperature of 55^oC. And then, the first batches of honey were released, reaching the desired quality in the joy of the couple and their loved ones. 

In 2019, Sokfarm Co., Ltd (Tra Vinh Farm) was officially founded.

Chal Thi - Dinh Ngai’s achievements surprised everyone. After only two years of establishment, Sokfarm was not only honored in Vietnam but the company also shipped their first consignments to Japan and the Netherlands. Sokfarm then became a respected agro-product brand in Japan.

And that's not all. Sokfarm has approached e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Alibaba, even having agents in Japan. “This is a good opportunity for Sokfarm to approach foreign businesses. Although we determine that it will take another 2-3 years to boost exports, it does not mean that we will wait until then to look for partners,” said Dinh Ngai.

Sokfarm releases 3,000 products to the market each month, spreading to more than 20 provinces and cities with more than 40 agents. Sokfarm has achieved certificates such as HACCP, ISO22000, FDA, 5S, and 5-star OCOP in 2020.

Sokfarm is the only enterprise in Vietnam to win the ASEAN Business Awards 2021 in the Inclusive Business category. Thach Thi Chal Thi is also one of 57 individuals who received the Luong Dinh Cua Award.