Pham Thi Ngoc Diem and some recycled products from agricultural waste materials at the exhibition - Photo: MVTANG
Coasters, tables, and chairs were created from seemingly discarded items through the creative exploration and research of a green startup girl, and are starting to appear on the market, receiving orders with increasing numbers every day.
I hope to receive capital support to expand production to a larger scale, help the product become known to more people, and also bring job opportunities to workers in my hometown.
PHAM THI NGOC DIEM
The girl tried to overcome difficulties
Diem's family was a farmer and very poor. Her parents had to build a house right on the fields far from the residential area for convenience in living and farming. Since she was a child, Diem had to walk more than three kilometers to school every day. Seeing that her niece was struggling to learn, her aunt agreed to take Diem to town after finishing second grade to make her studies more convenient.
In grade 12, Diem was selected to participate in a science and technology competition for high school students organized by the provincial Department of Education and Training. That year, her topic "Application of waste plastic fibers in aerated concrete" won first prize at the provincial level and an encouragement prize at the national level.
This was also a good premise to help the Nung girl confidently register and be admitted to the University of Natural Sciences (Ho Chi Minh City National University). At this time, Diem's brother was in his third year at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technical Education.
The burden of tuition fees for the two brothers weighed heavily on the shoulders of their farming parents in the countryside, who had to rely on harvest seasons that were not always favorable.
The risk of dropping out of school was quite clear, so in addition to her lecture hours, she had to work as a waitress or a waitress at a coffee shop in the evenings to support herself. But not long after, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, so she couldn't do it anymore, and all expenses depended on the small amount of money her parents sent her each month.
The most difficult thing was that Diem's mother and grandmother often got sick, and the bank loan had to be paid off. Her parents were forced to sell all their fields, and the whole family took refuge on her grandmother's family's land. Diem's father made ends meet by buying firewood to burn charcoal, while her mother squeezed sugarcane juice and delivered it to customers' homes.
But her parents could not bear it any longer, so Diem had to ask the school to temporarily keep her results and go home to find a way to help her family.
And find the way with green startups
What to do to earn money to help her parents and continue her studies is always a question. Luckily, Diem was suggested by her brother and Associate Professor Dr. Le Anh Thang (lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technical Education) to participate in the project of using coffee waste to create interior products of Pando Company. A glimmer of hope, and true to her passion for creativity, Diem decided to give it a try.
With the company's advice and financial support, the girl started experimenting with recycling coffee grounds. Every day, Diem and her relatives went to shops to ask for the coffee grounds they discarded. Without any machinery or equipment, everything was done by hand. Diem used silicon to make molds and then mixed vegetable powder with additives to create adhesives.
The finished product is dried in the sun, polished and waterproofed. The first coasters made from coffee grounds were born with both excitement and nervousness. Taking advantage of locally available materials, Diem also collected sugarcane bagasse after her mother squeezed the juice to sell every day, then went to the fields to cut dry straw and asked for tea grounds as raw materials, creating similar products.
During a program in Hanoi, Pham Manh Dinh's brother brought his sister's coaster products made from coffee grounds, sugarcane bagasse and agricultural waste to introduce and received high praise from everyone. After that event, Ngoc Diem received an invitation to bring her products to the International Exhibition of Tea, Coffee and Pastry (Expo Coffee Vietnam 2024) held in District 7 (HCMC).
The opportunity smiled when visitors came to visit and liked the girl's products made from recycled materials, environmentally friendly, so they started placing large orders. "I was very happy, when all the efforts seemed to be rewarded. But I was also worried because there were many orders and if I only did it by hand, it would be difficult to keep up with the schedule," Diem said.
Mr. Pham Manh Hung (Diem's father) said that the family was very happy when his daughter's products at the exhibition received much attention and many orders. Understanding his daughter's concerns, he used the money he had to buy an old, broken washing machine and then researched and recycled it into a material grinding machine. At the same time, the father also took advantage of the heat from the coal stove to create a small drying oven for his daughter. This partly solved the problem of equipment for producing larger quantities of products.
Confident with passion for green technology
With only quite rudimentary equipment, a small production line was formed. On average, Diem can make about 300 coasters per day, depending on the design and size, the price ranges from 10,000 - 20,000 VND/coaster.
Riding on the momentum, when the source of raw materials was more abundant, Diem successfully recycled and made tables and chairs from recycled materials with eye-catching designs. The price of each set of one table and two chairs, depending on the size, ranges from 1 to 2 million VND.
"From the bottom of my heart, I am grateful to my teachers, the company as well as the wholehearted support of my father, brother and many others for this initial success. I feel more confident in my passion for green technology," Diem confided.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/giac-mo-khoi-nghiep-xanh-cua-co-gai-nung-20250217231513354.htm
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