Khe Coc tea area reaches out to the world

Vietnam's earliest organic farming location

The deep Khe Coc, Tuc Tranh commune, Phu Luong district, Thai Nguyen gives off the feeling of an ancient village. Nearly half a century ago, the people of Phu Xuyen, Hanoi came to reclaim this land. The village of those who built a new economic zone is located in the middle of the forests of Phan Me, Vo Tranh and Yen Lac communes.

Back in the day, the people cleared hills and opened lands, planted corn to get food as a stepping stone towards tea and fruit trees’ plantation. The small-leaved midland tea trees had lived with the locals for more than half a century.

In 1998, Vietnam Gardening Association, ORION organization (Sweden) had sponsored and CIDSE technical consulting organization had built an organic tea production model in Tuc Tranh commune. This is the earliest organic production model, one of the "roots" of organic agricultural production in Vietnam.

Link production for brand elevation

Living with tea trees since childhood, having experienced many professions, but it was not until the age of 40 that Mr. To Van Khiem, a citizen of Tan Thai, decided to come back for tea. Mr. Khiem decided to mobilize the establishment of a cooperative to raise the Khe Coc tea brand name.

In 2013, Khe Coc tea established VietGap standards. In 2018, the cooperative chose the organic production method. Members are allowed to sign product underwrite contracts, and sign investment contracts for fertilizer materials in order to be consistent in the production method.

The aromatic and rich flavor of Khe Coc tea is spread not only to the domestic market but also to other countries. Currently, the safe tea products of Khe Coc cooperative have been signed by Polish partners to export to European countries, including tea bags, matcha green tea powder and green tea sausage candies (keo doi in Vietnamese).

Mr. Khiem also proposed to the Thai Nguyen Agricultural Extension Center to implement the organic tea production model according to Vietnamese standards 11041. He considers it a passport for the export direction of Khe Coc tea.

As said by Ms. Tran Thi Tai, Deputy Head of the organic tea production co-op group of Khe Coc Cooperative, her family has 7,000 m2 of tea put into the model. After more than 2 years of organic tea cultivating, tea plants and tea products have shaped a sustainable direction. After more than a year of working to get organic certification, the tea plantation ecosystem has been upgraded to a new level. The production environment and living environment have been improved, and the tea growth remains stable in terms of yield and quality.

It is the responsibility of Mr. Khiem as well as the members of the cooperative and the co-op group to maintain the right and sufficient production method to be certified for organic tea products. Only then can Khe Coc tea build trust, a firm foothold and sustainable development.

According to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thong, Deputy Director of the Agricultural Extension Center of Thai Nguyen province, being favored by natural conditions, Khe Coc tea makers being skillful in production towards safety for many years, so the organic tea production model here promises positive results. Most of the tea products in batches produced according to Vietnam organic standard 11041 are selected as the top quality group to prioritize export or domestic consumption with the highest price.

"Professional agencies, as well as tea makers, share the same opinion on the effectiveness and quality of the product. The path towards organic product certification will be a big step not only for Khe Coc tea but also for Thai Nguyen province in maintaining and expanding the export quota for high-quality, high-priced green tea products. This fact helps tea makers both attain their monopoly in the domestic market and reach out to the world to increase added value for Thai Nguyen tea products." Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thong.