With abundant seafood resources and being a large salt granary of the Southeast region, many farming households and cooperatives in the province have developed the traditional anchovy fish sauce production profession.
Developing traditional crafts
With the desire to preserve and develop the traditional fish sauce profession of the Ky Anh countryside (Ha Tinh), Mr. Le Viet Hung, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Director of Hai Dang pure anchovy fish sauce cooperative (Ward 5, Ward 12, Vung Tau City) has invested money and effort to build the Hung Hoa anchovy fish sauce brand.
Mr. Hung shared that after many times of market surveys and studying seafood resources in coastal areas of Binh Chau (Xuyen Moc district), Phuoc Tinh (Long Dien district, Ba Ria-Vung Tau province) and Ward 12 (Vung Tau city), he realized that fish sauce products have potential and advantages for development.
In particular, the source of salt and fish both meet the standards for making fish sauce. Salt in An Ngai commune has a purity ratio of up to 95%, high purity, crystallization, and few impurities. Anchovies and white anchovies caught in the sea of Ba Ria-Vung Tau are guaranteed to be fresh, clean, and meet quality and nutritional standards.
“However, one of the difficulties of local fish sauce processing facilities in the past was small-scale production, fragmented thinking, and unstable markets. After fully analyzing the advantages and disadvantages, in 2018, I mobilized a number of fish sauce businesses and producers to establish the Hai Dang Pure Anchovy Fish Sauce Cooperative,” Mr. Hung added.
The cooperative has 7 members, with a production scale of about 30 thousand liters of fish sauce/year. The cooperative's anchovy fish sauce is produced using traditional fermentation methods.
The cooperative has invested in storage tanks, ceramic jars for fermenting fish, bottling machines, etc. Currently, Hung Hoa anchovy fish sauce is available in restaurants, hotels, schools in the province and many other localities such as Dak Lak, Binh Duong, Ho Chi Minh City, etc.
Coming to Phuoc Thuan commune (Xuyen Moc district, Ba Ria-Vung Tau province), if you ask about the Thien Loc fish sauce brand of Mr. Nguyen Cao Thien (in Thanh Son 2A hamlet), everyone will know, because this is one of the facilities processing pure anchovy fish sauce in the locality.
Mr. Thien said that his family has a long tradition of producing fish sauce in Binh Hai commune (Thang Binh district, Quang Nam province), and he himself has been in this profession for more than 30 years.
While many places are increasingly improving fish sauce production to maximize profits, Mr. Thien's family still maintains the traditional recipe.
The stages of raw material preparation, salting and distillation are all carefully carried out to create the best quality fish sauce products. Every year, Thien Loc facility purchases about 500 tons of anchovies, selling 30-40 thousand liters of fish sauce to the market, creating jobs for dozens of local workers.
Mr. Le Viet Hung, Director of Hai Dang Pure Anchovy Fish Sauce Cooperative, Ward 12, Vung Tau City (Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province) introduces the traditional fish sauce extraction system made from anchovies.
Quality is improving
Realizing the urgent need to improve food quality and safety, many households, cooperatives, and fish sauce production facilities have focused on investing in technology and improving production conditions.
Mr. Nguyen Cao Thien, owner of Thien Loc fish sauce facility, said that in addition to focusing on building a brand and ensuring quality, the facility also focuses on packaging design and looking for partners to expand the market.
Up to now, Thien Loc fish sauce has been granted a certificate of eligibility for food safety by the Provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Quality Management; and recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as achieving 3-star OCOP.
According to Mr. Thien, raw anchovies purchased at fishing ports in the province must meet freshness standards and must be fermented for 12-13 months to ripen before being filtered to produce high-quality fish sauce.
“Although it cannot compete with industrial fish sauce in price, people who are used to eating traditional fish sauce in the Western provinces, Central Highlands, and Ho Chi Minh City still seek out Thien Loc fish sauce products.
Our facility has been assessed by the Department of Rural Development and submitted to the People's Committee of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province for support with post-harvest production equipment, greenhouse construction, etc. We are also collaborating with production households in the district to establish a cooperative, to help the anchovy fish sauce product enhance its brand and expand its consumption market," Mr. Thien happily said.
Hai Dang Pure Anchovy Fish Sauce Cooperative has also registered to produce products according to 4-star OCOP standards. In 2023, the cooperative's revenue reached 1.5 billion VND, and members' income was from 7-10 million VND/person/month. From the efficiency in production activities, in 2023, the cooperative was honored to receive the Emulation Flag for leading the trade service sector from the Provincial People's Committee; and was commended and rewarded by the Provincial Cooperative Union. In 2024, Hai Dang Pure Anchovy Fish Sauce Cooperative was appraised by the Department of Rural Development and proposed to the province to support filling and bottling equipment.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Loan, Vice President of the Provincial Cooperative Union, said that she will increase consulting activities to support cooperatives in organizing management, developing production and business plans, innovating technology, promoting trade; and mobilizing small-scale fish sauce producers to join forces to establish cooperatives.
At the same time, organize training courses to improve professional knowledge, help the cooperative management staff to have enough qualifications to manage the production and business of the unit, especially focus on training the next generation of human resources; replicate effective business models, contribute to the sustainable development of the collective economy.
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