Preserving the profession of making banh it la gai in the midst of urbanization

From hometown to brand

When mentioning the gai leaf cake village, many people will immediately think of Ba Du's cake establishment - considered the cradle of the craft village. More than 20 years ago, the establishment started operating, mainly accepting orders from families having parties or supplying to some sales points in the area.

Thanks to her dedication to her craft, always putting quality first and saying "no" to preservatives, the brand "Banh It Ba Du" is increasingly trusted by many consumers. In 2012, the establishment registered the exclusive trademark. By 2019, the product was recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as meeting 3-star OCOP standards. Since that year, Banh It Ba Du has been present at Phu Cat airport and served on a number of flights - bringing the taste of the hometown specialty closer to tourists.

These achievements not only help the facility expand but also create stable jobs for 10-15 local workers, mainly elderly women and people in difficult circumstances. Every day, the facility produces about 4,000 cakes, gradually becoming a partner of many specialty stores at home and abroad.

To protect the brand and prevent counterfeit goods, each box of Ba Du's Banh It La Gai product is affixed with a QR code, helping customers easily look up information via applications such as Zalo or phone cameras.

Ms. Bui Thi Xuan Thuy (54 years old, Ms. Du’s daughter) talked about the journey of bringing Banh It La Gai to foreign countries: “For domestic specialty stores, we deliver cakes daily according to the agreement. As for customers and stores abroad, after they transfer money, we will send cakes to their relatives or representatives in Vietnam. The United States is where our products are most present.”

Same taste

The reason why Ba Du's banh it establishment is called the "cradle" of Trung Tin 1 banh it village is because most of the households making cakes here learned the trade from this place.

Ms. Phan Thi Thuy (41 years old) shared: “My mother and I started learning how to make cakes at Ba Du. At first, we only made cakes to sell at the market. Over time, the cakes were well received and trusted by buyers. My mother then opened her own shop, working with her sister-in-law, while I separated and worked independently.”

Not only Ms. Thuy’s family, many households in the neighborhood also gradually learned from that first establishment, and from there brought the cakes everywhere. “Being able to contribute to spreading the flavor of our homeland is our joy and pride. As for my own establishment, I directly introduce the products at specialty stores, participate in the market to let more people know about it,” Ms. Thuy added.

With a different direction, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Trang (37 years old) is one of the youngest cake makers in the neighborhood, having only been in the profession for about 3 years.

Every day, around 2-3am, her family starts making cakes. According to Trang, making cakes is not too difficult, but to make the cakes delicious and well preserved, each step must be meticulous. Over time, she gradually came up with her own recipe.

“Each step has its difficulties, from grinding the sticky rice flour with cold water to avoid sourness, to timing the baking time to make the cake skin shiny and flexible to keep it for a long time; just a little bit of negligence will change the flavor and quality immediately,” said Ms. Trang.

Instead of selling products in specialty stores, Ms. Trang's establishment chose to take orders directly and combine it with experiential tourism . The opportunity came when some tour guides accidentally found out about her kitchen. After seeing the process and tasting the quality, they proactively proposed cooperation.

Since then, her small kitchen has become an interesting stop for tourists who want to discover the typical cakes of the land of Nau. “Depending on the time, we guide guests to wrap cakes and tell stories about the profession. There are groups that wrap cakes while singing folk songs and chanting Bài Chòi, creating a bustling atmosphere full of the homeland,” Trang shared.

The job of making banh it not only helps many women become more stable in life, but also provides support for people with disabilities. Born with leg muscle atrophy, Ms. Nguyen Thi Dao (55 years old) has difficulty walking, but since childhood she has followed her mother to learn the job, sticking with making banh it to make a living.

In 2014, thanks to the connection of the Association for the Protection of the Disabled and the Protection of Children's Rights, Ms. Dao was able to borrow 30 million VND from the Social Policy Bank to invest in machinery and hire more workers. Since then, she no longer has to struggle with street vendors, but only needs to supply to regular customers.

“Every day, I make from several hundred to thousands of banh it, plus pink and white banh it… Thanks to this job, I can not only take care of myself but also help my sister and sister-in-law have stable jobs to raise their children. I also save a little to share with people in the same situation when they are sick or in trouble,” Ms. Dao confided.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/giu-nghe-banh-it-la-gai-giua-nhip-song-do-thi-hoa-post563206.html