“Le Gia sauce is not my personal story, but it is also the tradition, culture, and identity of the Vietnamese people,” said Mr. Le Anh.
Originally a design engineer for a Korean company, Mr. Le Anh had a stable salary of more than 1,000 USD per month. However, in 2015, he decided to quit his job and was determined to start a business producing traditional fish sauce in Hoang Hoa district (Thanh Hoa province).
When proposing the idea to construct a fish sauce factory on his family’s land in Hoang Phu, his father strongly disagreed, thinking it was a far-fetched idea. After much persuasion, his father reluctantly agreed.
After leaving his job, Mr. Le Anh went to Phu Quoc, applied for a job in a fish factory, and learned the know-how of salt and fish sauce. After accumulating experience, the young man returned to his hometown. He borrowed money from his brothers and relatives and collateralized assets to start a business.
At that time, thousands of businesses produced dipping sauce, but traditional fish sauce only accounted for a small part of the market. Therefore, making fish sauce without a difference would lead to failure. Mr. Le Anh was determined to find his own direction in developing the traditional fish sauce profession.
Mr. Le Anh decided to make fish sauce from anchovies fermented in wooden barrels with salt, sticking to the compression method. At this time, this method of making fish sauce with wooden barrels had not yet developed, so Mr. Le Anh had to hire people from Phu Quoc to directly build wooden barrels for fish sauce at a cost of over one hundred million each. Le Gia sauce’s distinction is the technological application to the production process.
“Fermenting the fish sauce in a wooden barrel helps the fish sauce retain its original flavor. Enzymes help to break down proteins in anchovies into amino acids, thriving on wooden barrels.
Fermenting in wooden crates, preserving in an airtight metal shack, hygienic and adjustable with a stable temperature of about 60 degrees Celsius (in winter with a heating system) – these conditions enhance the decomposition and fermentation. The processes happen slowly and steadily and retain the original taste of the clean fish sauce. Le Gia fish sauce has a glistening bronze-gold color, a pleasant aroma, and a delicate and sweet aftertaste, partly thanks to fermentation in wooden barrels.
After 18–24 months of fermentation, the fish sauce is finished. After the product is finished, we spend another year storing it in the warehouse to reduce the fish’s bitter, acrid taste. Altogether, Le Gia takes 3 years to produce the first batch of products,” Mr. Le Anh shared.
After having the refined sauce, Mr. Le Anh himself had to traverse the Hai Tien residential area and invite people to try it. At this time, Hai Tien people had a habit of using industrial sauce. Convincing them to switch to using traditional fish sauce posed many challenges.
Aware of his challenges, Mr. Le Anh picked a niche: fish sauce for babies – a niche that was modest but suitable for Le Gia’s core competencies. Le Gia inaugurated a fish sauce exclusively for babies, with 100% natural fish ingredients, packaged in a beautiful compact bottle, which was quickly received by young mothers.
At the end of 2018, Le Gia exported the first container to Korea. Since then, the enterprise’s products have reached the markets of Taiwan, South Africa, Russia, Panama, etc.
After nearly 10 years, Le Gia has diversified sauce products (fish sauce for children, lowland fish sauce, sauce made from shrimp, etc) and appeared widely in the market.
Mr. Le Anh is still young, but the brand of the Le Gia fish sauce is not so. Through the conversation with Vietnam Agriculture Newspaper, he rarely spoke about himself.
“Fish sauce under the Le Gia brand is not my own story, but it is the tradition, culture, and identity of the Vietnamese people. I want to bring Vietnam’s ‘culinary passport’ to the world, including Le Gia sauce products,” said Mr. Le Anh.
Sharing the secret to Le Gia’s endurance and growth in the harsh competition of the traditional fish sauce industry, Mr. Le Anh said: “We have endured and grown until today partly because of luck. Le Gia is lucky to have consumers’ trust and support; lucky to have dedicated, skilled, experienced staff; and I was lucky to be born in a resourceful homeland.
Le Gia always considers customers’ dishes as their family’s dishes. Therefore, with Le Gia fish sauce products, we try to deliver the core values: Peacefulness – Nature; Devotion – Humanity; Sincerity – Trust. Le Gia always strives to make today better than yesterday and tomorrow.”
To create an advantage for Le Gia fish sauce in a competitive market, separating it from similar products, Mr. Le Anh states that the traditional and natural factors in each product are crucial factors.
“We strive to sustain and promote traditional elements in the way we produce. To preserve the original flavor of previous generations’ fish sauce while applying advanced management systems – this strategy allows our product to meet the requirements of demanding export markets and satisfy the customers.
Significantly, Le Gia fish sauce and traditional products are purified and refined after two years of fermentation in wooden barrels without any flavoring, coloring, or preservatives.
With a bronze-gold color, delicate aftertaste, pleasant aroma, and smart packaging designed to help adjust the amount of pouring, the product brings satisfaction to consumers.
We transform the traditional products of our previous generations into luxurious, meaningful, and personalized gifts per the customers’ request,” said Mr. Le Anh.
In 2021, “Le Gia fish sauce – premium" and “Le Gia shrimp paste” are two products selected by the People’s Committee of Thanh Hoa Province, representing Thanh Hoa province enters the national 5-star OCOP product assessment.
After many rounds of rigorous, objective, and fair evaluation – from classification and dossier evaluation to field survey and grading – Le Gia shrimp paste was shortlisted to the top 20 OCOP 5-star products. It was also the first national 5-star OCOP product coming from Thanh Hoa province.
According to Mr. Le Anh, in order for shrimp paste to be recognized as a national 5-star OCOP product, the production must follow a very strict process.
Accordingly, raw ingredients for making shrimp paste are often small shrimp (also known as sea krill). They are usually selected in the 7th and 10th lunar months when the small shrimp are delicious, the meat is the thickest and the skin is thinnest.
The salt used to brew fish sauce is also sophisticatedly selected by Le Gia, sourcing pure white salt from Ba Ria – Vung Tau and Ninh Thuan provinces. Significantly, salt cannot be used immediately, but must be reserved for 2 years to completely eliminate the acrid and harsh taste before being brought to use.
Mixing fresh small shrimp and salt follows the golden ratio of four to one. After, the staff pureed the mixture and then dry it in the sun for 5 to 7 days, then ferment them in giant wooden barrels. This mixture will be stirred regularly and sun-dried for at least one year.
After 12 months, with meticulous care, the batches of shrimp paste will have a mellow aroma, delightful taste, and myrtle green, combining natural conditions that characterize the Hoang Phu sea area. The unique product is Le Gia shrimp paste.
Shrimp paste is processed following the traditional method, but all stages are standardized and measured to ensure food hygiene and safety. Thanks to that, the sauce’s quality is always stable regardless of the weather.
Mr. Le Anh said that the 5-star OCOP endowment of Le Gia shrimp paste is not only an honor but also the business’s responsibility to the community.
“Le Gia shrimp paste receiving national 5-star OCOP endowment is both an honor and a great responsibility for us. This is also an opportunity for Le Gia to boost the brand, thereby expanding the consumer market.
On the other hand, OCOP certification not only recognizes the product quality, but also indicates the product’s unique cultural values, communal elements, and social impacts.
We are aware of Le Gia’s responsibility in preserving and promoting traditional fish sauce, as well as creating positive impacts on the local community. Le Gia has been accompanying our people, developing the value chain of homegrown agricultural products to domestic and international benefactors,” said Mr. Le Anh.
Significantly, not long ago, Le Gia’s first container of shrimp paste was sent to Japan after the business’s relentless effort.
“Japan is a demanding market and is known for its quality control. To export our product, it took us nearly 2 years since the partner approached us.
Exporting shrimp paste to the Japanese market helps Le Gia gain more experience and motivation to obtain the next milestones. We want to share the culinary heritage with customers and friends around the world, not just Japan,” said Mr. Le Anh.
With persistence and dedication, Le Gia shrimp paste and fish sauce are now present in many retail chains across the country, such as: Winmart, Winmart+, AEON, BigC/Top Market/Go, Co.opmart, MM Mega Market, etc. Fish sauce for babies is the most trusted product at reputable mom-and-baby stores (Concung, Bibomart, Kidsplaza, etc). Especially, Le Gia fish sauce has been exported to considerable markets: USA, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Korea, Panama, Czech, Netherlands, etc.
According to Mr. Le Anh, shrimp paste, fish sauce, and traditional fish sauce of Le Gia, as well as traditional Vietnamese brands, are capable of “exporting the culture” of our ancestors to international friends. Indeed, few countries have a unique and rich culinary culture like Vietnam; not many have sauce and fish sauce products.
“It is no coincidence that in videos promoting tourism in Vietnam on media channels worldwide, the featured dishes all have fish sauce and shrimp paste in their ingredients.
In addition, many international culinary experts highly endorse Vietnamese cuisine in general and traditional fish sauce in particular.
Indeed, the cuisine is the soft power to attract tourists and compete with other nations. In our cuisine, the decisive elements to any dish are sauce and fish sauce – a kind of ‘culinary passport’ of the Vietnamese people,” said Mr. Le Anh.
In order for Le Gia’s shrimp paste and products to be distributed more widely in global markets, Mr. Le Anh states, the enterprise attempts to improve the quality and essence of the product. That is what he always thinks and aims for.
“Le Gia believes that sauce in general and fish sauce, in particular, are the culinary soul and culinary passport of Vietnamese people. No other country has a unique taste associated with fish sauce like Vietnam. Exporting fish sauce is not merely a commercial activity, it is the “export of traditional culture” to international consumers, thereby orienting the diasporic communities towards their homeland.
We burst with joy when we received feedback and messages from Vietnamese people living abroad (in Taiwan, Korea, Japan, the USA, Australia, etc). They say that using Le Gia sauce, they feel warm and less nostalgic for their homeland”, shared Mr. Le Anh.
With the aspiration to better the country and spread virtuous traditions to tourists and friends, Le Gia fish sauce has organized combined tours, attracting visitors from Hai Tien beach resort to experience the Le Gia fish sauce barrel house.
Visitors to the barrel house will directly experience and learn about the traditional-based production of fish sauce and shrimp paste; enjoy specialties and famous traditional products such as shrimp paste, seasoning sauce, caramelized sauce, fish sauce, etc.
Through practical experience, visitors can distinguish and choose delicious fish sauce products, and know how to optimize traditional fish sauce in everyday cooking. All these interesting experiences help consumers understand more about traditional fish sauce, thereby trusting in “Soul of the Nation” products and increasing the value of local tourism.
Through this activity, Le Gia wishes to elevate the products into souvenirs imbued with local elements associated with the promotion of national 5-star OCOP products.
