The cooperative purchases 600 tons of fresh fruit each year, receiving thousands of orders each day.

Difficult but not discouraged

At the Quyet Thanh Agricultural Cooperative's product showroom, located modestly in the Meteorological sub-area (Moc Chau town, Son La), Ms. Luong Thi Thanh, Deputy Director of the Cooperative, with her enthusiastic eyes, introduced each package of dried and soft-dried fruit products. Typical agricultural products of Moc Chau plateau such as plums, crispy persimmons, mangoes, papayas, passion fruit, etc. are processed and packaged in beautiful, attractive packages, clearly stating the address, production time and expiration date.

Ms. Luong Thi Thanh, Deputy Director of Quyet Thanh Agricultural Cooperative, introduces the cooperative's dried and soft-dried products. Photo: Duy Hoc.

Looking at the crispy persimmons, bananas, and mangoes shining in golden color, gently touching the tip of the tongue to feel the softness and natural aroma spreading, no one would think that, to have such exquisite products, the cooperative has gone through many difficulties.

Ms. Thanh shared that Moc Chau is a fertile land but agricultural products are mainly consumed in fresh form, leading to dependence on traders and unstable prices. Having witnessed the situation of "good harvest but low price", she and her husband came up with the idea of ​​creating a more sustainable direction for their hometown's agricultural products.

In 2016, during a trip to Thailand, they happened to see packages of dried mangoes costing up to 200,000 VND. That motivated them to learn and explore. Without hesitation, in 2018, the couple decided to go to the South to learn how to dry mangoes and persimmons. Also in that year, they boldly invested 120 million VND to buy the first dryer from the Institute of Agricultural Electromechanics and Post-Harvest Industry. In 2018, Quyet Thanh Agricultural Cooperative was officially established.

Ms. Thanh recalls the early days of hardship but hope. During a trip to Hoa Binh to attend a conference, she and her husband met an experienced engineer and hired him to help operate the machine for a month. When the first product received positive feedback, they decided to upgrade to a larger capacity dryer.

However, the path to entrepreneurship is not easy. In 2020 - 2021, when the cooperative had just invested in a new production line, the Covid-19 pandemic hit, and the products produced could not be consumed. Overcoming the difficult period, by 2022, when the epidemic gradually stabilized, the cooperative's dried fruit products sold very well, opening up a promising direction.

Affirming value with OCOP products

Quyet Thanh Cooperative currently has 43 members, owning a raw material area of ​​40 hectares. In addition to selling fresh fruit, the Cooperative focuses on deep processing, solving the output of about 600 tons of fresh fruit each year, mainly Son La plums, equivalent to about 100 tons of dried fruit.

Currently, the cooperative owns 6 modern dryers, including 1 from Japan, 2 from Korea and 3 from Vietnam. In general, domestically produced machines are more efficient, and the cooperative is even ordering an additional freeze dryer worth more than 300 million VND to upgrade the processing process.

The Cooperative’s dried fruit products not only retain their natural flavor but also meet the diverse tastes of each region. Thanks to advanced drying technology, the products do not use sugar or preservatives, ensuring quality and safety for consumers’ health.

Typical agricultural products of Moc Chau plateau such as plums, crispy persimmons, mangoes, papayas, passion fruit, etc. are processed and packaged in beautiful, attractive packages. Photo: Duy Hoc.

Currently, the cooperative has 2 products certified with 3-star OCOP, 4 products certified with 4-star OCOP. The cooperative is completing documents to increase the total number of OCOP products to 8, including dried persimmons and avocados. Achieving OCOP certification helps the cooperative affirm the quality, expand the market and increase the value of local agricultural products.

During the harvest season, the cooperative creates jobs for about 30-40 workers, mainly local people, helping them have a stable income and stick with agricultural production. Outside of peak times, the cooperative still maintains a team of 15-20 workers working regularly in the processing workshop.

Workers here have an average income of 7 - 8 million VND/month, and enjoy full benefits according to regulations, including social insurance, health insurance and other benefits. The working environment at the cooperative is also guaranteed to be safe and clean, helping workers feel secure in their long-term commitment.

Despite many successes, Ms. Thanh said the biggest difficulty at present is the small scale of the processing workshop and limited production space. If the cooperative has the conditions to expand the workshop and invest in more modern equipment, it can increase productivity and meet the increasing market demand.

Connecting technology and value chain

Quyet Thanh Cooperative not only produces but also promotes product consumption through e-commerce. Initially, Ms. Thanh and her husband were skeptical about the effectiveness of TikTok, but reality proved otherwise. In 2024, TikTok became the main sales channel, helping the cooperative's products spread widely across 63 provinces and cities and even the international market.

The cooperative creates regular jobs for 15-20 workers at the processing factory. Photo: Quang Dung.

“There are days when we receive 1,000 - 2,000 orders, ranking us among the top 3 strongest sales channels on TikTok,” Ms. Thanh shared. To achieve this result, the cooperative has continuously improved product quality, invested in packaging, labels, and electronic barcodes to trace the origin, creating trust for customers.

It is estimated that each year, the cooperative earns about 20 billion VND in revenue, both from fresh fruit consumption and processing. Members are not only supported with techniques but also guaranteed stable output, increasing income.

The journey from the early days of struggling with a small dryer to a large-scale cooperative, providing high-quality OCOP products to the national market, is a testament to perseverance, creativity and daring to think and do. Not only solving the output for hundreds of tons of fresh fruit each year, Quyet Thanh Cooperative also contributes to changing the production mindset of farmers, opening a sustainable direction for Son La agricultural products.

Mr. Le Dang Dung, Deputy Director of the Agricultural Technical Center of Moc Chau Town, Son La, said that Quyet Thanh Agricultural Cooperative is a production model with a closely linked chain, from planting, purchasing, processing to supplying products to the market. The cooperative has become a solid support for its members as well as farmers in the area, especially in purchasing key agricultural products such as plums, crispy persimmons, etc. Through the process of drying, the cooperative not only helps preserve products longer but also increases economic value, opening up a sustainable direction for local agricultural products.

Source: https://nongnghiep.vn/hop-tac-xa-thu-mua-600-tan-qua-tuoi-moi-nam-nhan-hang-ngan-don-hang-moi-ngay-d743602.html