Muong boy converts wild chili into OCOP product

Bình Khang |

From the small rice-seed Khoi chili, which was soaked in vinegar by Muong people only for year-round consumption, a young man has recreated the old flavor, creating OCOP products from local spices, opening up new livelihoods for many households in the highlands of Phu Tho.

That young man's name was Bui Van Than, a son of dir Vong hamlet, Phu Luong commune (now Quyet Thang commune). Born in 1983, while many young people of the same age left their hometown to go to the South and the North to make a living, Mr. Than chose to stay in his hometown to pursue his studies. With a family background to economic difficulties, his parents took care of Mr. Than to study pharmacy. After graduating, he opened a small pharmacy but his income was not much.

The concept of un abject poverty, in 2005, he decided to open a grocery store. With no capital, he asked to borrow the red book from his uncle's house to mortgage a bank loan of 10 million VND - a large sum of money for his family at that time. His parents were worried, but he believed in his choice. Since 2007, the grocery store he opened has brought in a stable source of income. However, the turning point was even greater when he realized the value of... wild chili.

Successfully purifying mountain chili

The Vinegar Mountain stele is very familiar in Muong meals. This type of chili is small, spicy but not too strong, the vinegar is very crispy and fragrant. During trips, I noticed that people were selling vinegar chili and chili bamboo shoots. So why not make it into a product to promote more widely?" - Mr. Than recalled.

Thinking is doing, he went to the old men in the neighborhood to learn how to make traditional chili vinegar. At first, some chili pieces were salty, he gradually adjusted the amount of salt. In particular, he experimented with using lemon juice combined with salt to vinegar chili. This method has brought immediate results, after just over 1 month of vinegar, the chili can be used, the chili is crispy and beautifully golden.

"To have a delicious bottle of vinegar chili, you have to choose green, fresh chili, pick the vinegar right away. The ingredients only include white salt and lemon juice. With this method, it will be crispy and golden for 2 years without any preservatives, said Mr. Than.

Finding the formula, Mr. Than started building the Phu Luong Thuong Than mountain stele brand. Thanks to its unique quality and flavor, the product has gradually become known in Hanoi and many northern provinces. In 2015, only more than 1,000 bottles were consumed, but now, he exports over 10,000 products each year.

"To have enough chili for a product, there must be an ingredient zone. I have tried to propagate and plant in areas at the foot of mountains and on dry rice fields. At first, there were many difficulties, the chili trees grew wildly easily in the mountains but when they were low, they were easily flooded, and it was difficult to develop due to the sun, said Mr. Than.

From a few trial planting beds at the foot of the mountain, he has now expanded the raw material area to about 10 hectares, concentrated in Quyet Thang commune and Ngoc Son commune - where the climate is cool and soil-y, suitable for Khoi chili variety. Although it is easy to grow naturally in the mountains, when brought to low fields, the plant faces many challenges - waterlogging, drought, and pests. But Mr. Than persevered, both planting and drawing experience.

chili does not disappoint people. Thanks to easy care, low capital cost, and stable output, many households have begun to convert garden and planting areas to growing chili. Mr. Than established a cooperative, linking with households in the area. With just a few hundred square meters of garden or hilly land, people can participate in the linkage growing model.

Ms. Bui Thi Thao, in Duong Renh hamlet, Quyet Thang commune, has been growing chili for 3 years on an area of 600m2. Previously, this garden only grew corn and cassava, mainly for pigs and chickens to eat. "Since growing chili, I have picked 2-3 batches per month and sold them to the cooperative for some money to spend. Since the beginning of the year, I have earned more than 10 million VND, which is much higher than growing corn and cassava," said Ms. Thao.

As for Ms. Bui Thi Thoa, the same hamlet, it is the first time growing chili in this crop. Ms. Thoa said that the bitter taste is a characteristic of Muong cuisine. However, you have to combine more vinegar chili to bring a complete flavor. Therefore, her family has always had a bottle of vinegar chili.

Before, no one thought that the chili bottles that every family had were now a product sold all over the country, welcomed by everyone. This year, my family cooperated with Mr. Than to grow raw chili. After 3 months of planting, the harvest has begun. Every month, we earn a few million, which is a significant source of income for us, Ms. Thoa shared.

From being only considered a side spice, chili has gradually become the main source of income for many households. Children are used to parents picking chili and bottling it. Adults learn how to care for and keep soil. A small model but suggests a sustainable direction for local products.

Turning mountain chili into OCOP product

Currently, with his raw material area and energy, Mr. Than is maintaining the production of about 10,000 bottles of vinegar chili per year, consumed in and outside the province. On the first day, the product was contained in plastic bottles. Since starting to build according to OCOP product standards, he has improved packaging, with QR codes to trace the origin, chili contained in glass bottles. Instead of Phu Luong Thuong Than mountain stele - a long and personal name, the product has now been renamed Phu Luong stele - representing the entire Muong region. In 2023, the product was recognized as a provincial-level 3-star OCOP, affirming its solid position in the market.

Not stopping there, Mr. Than is researching new product lines such as vinegar chili combined with khang - a wild fruit loved by the Muong people, or combined with watermelon. These new products are being tested and positively evaluated by customers.

From being a regional retailer, Mr. Than's vinegar chili products have reached many provinces and cities. Some people from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have ordered it and then introduced it to their friends. Some clean food stores proactively contacted to get long-term goods.

"Some customers ordered them as gifts, some asked to send them to the airport. That makes me believe that, if done carefully, the products of the Muong people are not inferior to anyone, Mr. Than shared.

According to the leader of Quyet Thang commune - a newly established unit from the merger of Quyet Thang, Chi Dao, Dinh Cu communes - the whole commune has over 90% of the population of the Muong ethnic group. Along with Chi Thien hill chicken and Chi Dao Doi seeds, Phu Luong Arrow chili is one of the typical products being developed in the direction of commodity, bringing practical economic value.

This is a suitable direction to exploit the local potential, both developing sustainable agricultural products and preserving traditional flavors, said Mr. Bui Van Au, a local official.

From small rice-seed chili, an important spice in every family meal of the Muong Ti people.

Now it has become a branded product, certified as OCOP. More importantly, that fruit not only retains the identity of the Muong people but also creates jobs and income for the people.

Bình Khang
TIN LIÊN QUAN

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