Ms. Dao Thi Thuc (standing in the middle) always closely monitors the tea plantations to produce high quality products.

Start from the heart

Migrating from the lowlands to the highlands to make a living, thanks to tea trees, Dao Thi Thuc's parents had money to cover their daily living expenses and raise their children to adulthood. Therefore, the love for tea trees had penetrated her heart and soul without her knowing. As a way to "repay", Thuc chose tea trees to start a business. In July 2017, she established Nhat Thuc Tea Cooperative in Khuon 2 hamlet, Phuc Linh commune, with 25 members, cultivating an area of ​​15 hectares, of which the remaining 7 hectares are organic tea produced according to VietGAP standards.

From the moment she chose the tea tree, she told herself that she had to produce safe tea, benefits were her goal, but her heart still had to come first. That was the reason she became one of the first people in Phuc Linh to produce organic tea.

After a difficult journey, up to now, the cooperative's organic tea has affirmed its vitality on Phuc Linh land and built a "brand" in the hearts of tea connoisseurs. Ms. Thuc said: The yield of organic tea is only about 70% compared to tea production by traditional methods. But her hard work will be in return for the health of the tea growers, caretakers, producers and consumers. When switching to organic tea production, for the first 2-3 years, there was almost no income, because the tea plants had not adapted to the new care process, such as: only using organic fertilizers, biological fertilizers, not using chemical fertilizers or synthetic pesticides; cutting grass by hand or using natural material covering methods; not using growth stimulants...

Nhat Thuc Tea Cooperative is creating stable jobs for more than 10 workers, with an average income of over 8 million VND/person/month.

By doing so, Ms. Thuc has not only gradually built the Nhat Thuc tea brand for customers but also spread and encouraged many people to switch to producing organic tea, VietGAP. Currently, more than 100 households in Phuc Linh and some neighboring communes have become "partners" of the Cooperative in providing safe raw materials. The Cooperative absolutely does not buy fresh tea outside the linked area. With a revenue of nearly 3 billion VND/year, Nhat Thuc Tea Cooperative is creating regular jobs for more than 10 workers with an average income of 8 million VND/person/month.

Diverse products, spreading fragrance far and wide

Thuc Tam Tea, Thuc Dinh Tea, Dinh Tam Tea, Lotus Tea, Flower Tea, Tea Extract... are the names in the list of 17 current products of Nhat Thuc Tea Cooperative. Ms. Thuc confided: As society develops more and more, tea products are widely promoted and introduced for their useful effects and superiority, so the target audience for tea is also more diverse and of different ages. The target audience that Nhat Thuc Tea Cooperative wants to target in the near future is both women and children. To do so, the Cooperative must produce products with high medicinal properties (medicinal tea), such as: having the effect of nourishing the liver, kidneys, beautifying the skin, brightening the eyes, removing makeup, feminine hygiene, and sleeping well... This is a journey that certainly has many difficulties and challenges, requiring a lot of dedication and intelligence.

Currently, I am researching, spending a lot of time and effort to create a new product, tea extract. This type of tea extract can be mixed with water for bathing, has the effect of increasing the body's resistance, preventing allergies, itching... - Ms. Dao Thi Thuc

Listening to her sharing, we admire even more the heart and vision of this petite woman, with a gentle beauty and a gentle voice, but hidden in her soul is a great desire and aspiration, wanting to contribute her efforts and intelligence to bring the fragrance of Dai Tu tea far and wide, beyond the "village bamboo fence" to both domestic and international friends.

Nhat Thuc Tea Cooperative invests in modern machinery to produce tea.

The day when Nhat Thuc Tea Cooperative’s tea products were first selected by the province as gifts for foreign partners, she was both happy and worried. She was happy because her products were trusted and chosen by her customers; she was worried about how customers would evaluate them. Then finally, she consoled herself: All of the cooperative’s products, from popular to high-end, are “made with heart” so there is nothing to worry about. I have to be confident when always aiming for the best values ​​for customers.

And perhaps, that is also the reason why Dai Tu district chose Nhat Thuc Tea Cooperative to build a 1-hectare model tea garden in Hung Son town. In 2019, the Cooperative's Thuc Tam Tra product was certified to meet 3-star OCOP standards and was recognized as a typical rural agricultural product. In the following years, the Cooperative had 2 more OCOP products, Dinh Tam Tra and Long Van tea; at the same time, upgraded the Thuc Tam Tra product to 4-star OCOP.