Organic direction in producing Suoi Giang ancient tea

Established in March 2007 with 7 members, as of now, Suoi Giang Cooperative (Van Chan district, Yen Bai province) has more than 30 members, many of whom are Mong people and have been attached to the local tea profession for many generations.

Ms. Lam Thi Kim Thoa, Director of Suoi Giang Cooperative, said that “The cooperative was born and put into operation with the goal of producing high-quality tea products, building the Suoi Giang Tea brand, and helping Mong ethnic people change their thinking to both preserve precious tea trees and produce according to processes that ensure market standards.

With the motto "quality creates brand", the cooperative strives to research and learn how to produce, process, and link with businesses to enhance the value of tea trees. From just a few thousand VND/kg of fresh tea buds, up to now, the price of tea buds has ranged from VND 20,000 to 300,000/kg (depending on quality and harvesting method).

According to Ms. Lam Thi Kim Thoa, Director of Suoi Giang Cooperative, the area of ancient tea in Suoi Giang is often scattered and small-scale, so the numbering of plots for production in the direction of concentration, applying high technology, and managing quality according to organic standards faces many difficulties.

To overcome the above limitations and improve the economic value of tea trees, the cooperative, together with the locality, has planned to build an organic tea production area, guide people to produce in depth, and support bank loans at low interest rates, etc. Since coming into operation, the cooperative and farmers have composted their own organic fertilizer and have not used chemical pesticides or herbicides on the ancient tea hills. At the same time, focus on the stages of production, innovating processing equipment and technology to improve quality, diversify products, and increase the proportion of green tea and specialty tea products.

In 2012, the cooperative invested more than VND 1 billion to build a spacious factory and invest in modern equipment with a production capacity of 2 tons of fresh tea buds per day. The cooperative also cooperated with some experts in the tea industry to train members and workers using the "step-by-step instruction" method and took members and workers to visit and learn from experience at some tea factories in other localities. Thanks to that, Suoi Giang Cooperative has become one of the units with a team of skilled workers in tea production and processing in Yen Bai province.

As of now, Suoi Giang Cooperative has six products named "Tuyet Son Tra" of good quality, packaged with beautiful designs, gradually dominating domestic and foreign markets. The selling price of tea depends on the type, ranging from VND 250,000 to 650,000/kg. The highest price is more than VND 3 million/kg.

In 2019, Suoi Giang Cooperative’s Tuyet Son Tra product became the first product of Van Chan district to be recognized as an OCOP product. That is not only good news for Suoi Giang Cooperative but also affirms the quality and brand of "Tuyet Son Tra Tea”. Since its initial success, the cooperative has continued to produce four tea lines, including Diep Tra (green tea), Hong Tra (pink tea), Bach Tra (white tea), and Hoang Tra (yellow tea). Those tea lines cost VND 400,000–10 million/kg.

According to Director Lam Thi Kim Thoa, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the cooperative moved from traditional sales to online sales, sales via social networking sites, livestreams, etc. At the same time, actively participate in trade promotion programs connecting supply and demand and fairs in order to market and promote the product brand.

With the new sales method, Suoi Giang Cooperative's products are widely known, with many customers and increasing revenue. In particular, some of the cooperative's tea products have entered demanding markets such as the UK, Japan, etc.

The cooperative’s revenue reached over VND 3 billion in 2021, more than VND 3.5 billion in 2022, and was expected to reach over VND 4 billion in 2023. In addition to production and business, the Director of Suoi Giang Cooperative also mobilized a number of households to build an area to introduce tea products and OCOP products in Yen Bai province called "Ban Giang Chan May" in Suoi Giang commune. This area aims to both promote products, develop tourism, and train the young generation in Suoi Giang to understand more about the identity and culture of this land. In 2022, Director Lam Thi Kim Thoa will be one of the 10 Outstanding Citizens of Yen Bai Province.

Chairman of the Suoi Giang Commune People's Committee, Mr. Luong Van Tam, said that “With an area of more than 500 hectares of ancient Snow Shan tea, the annual output of fresh tea buds reaches 600–700 tons. Suoi Giang ancient tea is now more than just a livelihood; it also carries the cultural values and identities of the people. Suoi Giang Cooperative, along with a number of newly established cooperatives, have contributed to solving difficulties for the locality, creating jobs, preserving heritage, etc.

"Organic production processes both improve the quality of raw material areas and protect the environment. Thereby, they not only bring high economic benefit thanks to the excellent quality of tea but also help people benefit from tourism on this land covered with clouds all year round," said the Chairman of the Suoi Giang Commune People's Committee.