Behind the Tho Luyen Foods brand with batches of spring rolls, black pork sausages or dried meat imbued with kitchen smoke is the journey of rising up full of willpower of Ms. Ma Thi Luyen - a Tay ethnic woman in Lao Cai. With sensitivity and determination, she has successfully applied digital transformation, turning products from small kitchens into sustainable livelihoods, opening up new directions for regional agricultural products.
Starting a business from a small kitchen
Dishes like spring rolls or dried meat are very familiar in the houses in the Northwest highlands. For Ms. Ma Thi Luyen, business does not start from big plans or great "start-up" aspirations. She is always concerned about how to maintain the true flavor of her hometown dishes, dishes that her whole family used to gather around the fire to enjoy when they were young, such as spring rolls, dried meat or black pork sausage.
In the context that food on the market is extremely abundant but it is difficult to find clean food, without harmful additives, the couple decided to make their own products with the heart of parents. "I think if my family needs safe food, then surely many other families also need it" - Ms. Luyen confided.
From that very simple thought, the Tho Luyen Foods brand was officially formed. In the early days, the family's production scale was very small, all stages were done by the couple manually at home with a few kilograms of meat each day. Customers were mainly acquaintances, neighbors around or people going to traditional markets. The way of selling at that time was completely based on word of mouth, who knew would buy, who ate it and found it delicious would introduce it to others.
Despite working with all her heart, Ms. Luyen's products still face certain limitations when not known by many people. There are days when finished goods cannot be sold, but there are also days when there is a shortage of goods to sell to customers. The biggest difficulty she faces is having good products but not knowing how to tell her story so that customers understand the real value behind each dish.
Digital transformation, a bridge to bring highland products far
The opportunity to bring the Tay ethnic woman to digital transformation happened very accidentally through programs for women entrepreneurs. Here, Ms. Luyen was exposed to the concept of online sales and brand building on platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, Zalo.
Although initially Ms. Luyen thought technology was something very far away for women in mountainous areas, she soon realized that if they do not change, the heartfelt products of their homeland will forever only be around in local markets.
With the determination to break through, Ms. Luyen began to learn how to film videos, write articles, livestream and practice using smartphones to sell goods. The first stage was really stressful for Ms. Luyen because of her lack of understanding of technology, not being proficient in editing videos, not understanding the algorithms of social networks, and even sometimes posting articles incorrectly. However, perseverance helped her overcome the barrier.
Ms. Luyen said: "Although very clumsy, the more I work, the more I see that technology is like a bridge that helps Northwest specialties reach more people.
There are nights when Ms. Luyen has to sit and watch over and over again how others make videos to learn every little bit, there are videos that have to be filmed dozens of times before daring to post them online.
According to Ms. Luyen, the most difficult thing is not in technology but in overcoming her own self-doubt. But just thinking about her family and wanting to bring clean food from her hometown further, she has more motivation to continue learning.
Since applying digital transformation, Tho Luyen Foods' business strategy has changed significantly. Instead of just focusing on selling products, she has shifted to building trust with customers through true stories. Ms. Luyen actively shares about her career process, origin of raw materials, clean production methods and the difficulties behind her work. That sincerity has created a deep connection between the brand and consumers.
Technology development not only brings revenue but also creates great social value. What makes Ms. Luyen happiest is being able to create more jobs and livelihoods for people, especially women in the locality.
As the number of orders increases, the production facility needs more people to help with the preliminary processing, packaging and production stages. Many women who used to just stay at home now have more stable income to take care of their children. Ms. Luyen believes that when a highland woman can develop the economy, their whole family and community will also change in a more positive direction.
Looking at her own practical experience, she affirmed that digital transformation is opening up great opportunities for women in mountainous areas. Currently, with just a smartphone and knowing how to tell their true story, business people can completely access customer sources across the country. Mountainous women are not lacking in diligence and willpower, what they need most is to access new knowledge and have a companion to boldly step out of limits.
In the near future, the Tay female entrepreneur plans to continue to apply technology more deeply to production management and brand building. She is learning more skills in livestreaming sales, producing professional video content, as well as applying QR codes so that customers can easily trace the origin of products. More than just a business goal, Ms. Luyen yearns to contribute to bringing agricultural products and Northwest specialties far, so that consumers nationwide understand that the highlands not only have difficulties but also contain many real, clean and enthusiastic values.
I believe that when a highland woman applies digital transformation to develop the economy, not only one individual changes but also the family and community change in a more positive direction.
