Creating a brand from local specialty sticky rice

Quang Ninh Giving up a stable job, Mr. Doan Cong Bach determined to build a Goc Da leaf yeast wine product from the famous golden sticky rice of Quang Yen.

Quang Ninh Giving up a stable job, Mr. Doan Cong Bach determined to build a Goc Da leaf yeast wine product from the famous golden sticky rice of Quang Yen.

In 2019, while having a stable engineering job with a salary of more than ten million VND per month, Mr. Doan Cong Bach (Bieu Nghi area, Dong Mai ward, Quang Yen town) decided to quit his job.

“When my whole family heard about it, they all objected, but I still insisted on quitting my job to pursue my dream. I hope to create a brand that bears a strong local identity and is made from the products of my hometown,” Bach confided.

Multi-layer distillation tower system with European technology. Photo: Thanh Phuong.

True to his word, Mr. Bach focused on research and decided to develop a wine-making model combined with high-tech machinery. Accordingly, the main source of raw materials is the famous golden sticky rice grown in Quang Yen and named “Goc Da” – the name of the place where Mr. Bach was born and raised.

“In addition to the small amount of money we had saved, my wife and I had to borrow more, a total of about 2 billion VND, all of which was poured into investing in the production line,” Mr. Bach shared. Along with that, to choose the right yeast, Mr. Bach had to spend a lot of time researching and experimenting.

In addition to difficulties in investment capital, due to lack of experience, many batches of wine were spoiled, sometimes causing losses of tens of millions of dong. “There were countless difficulties, especially when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, goods could not be consumed. Then there was a time when, due to not being able to establish a wine-making process, workers ruined 1 ton of yellow sticky rice, which could not be used. But it was also from those failures that I gained a lot of experience,” Mr. Bach expressed.

While showing us around his winery, Mr. Bach shared: “My winery model is the first one in Quang Yen. To create the winery system, I designed it myself, then found a processing unit to ensure it met the requirements, thereby creating a unique flavor that can only be found here.”

Mr. Bach uses two types of yeast: leaf yeast and herbal yeast. Photo: Thanh Phuong.

Here, the wine is fermented manually, then distilled using European multi-layer tower technology. This helps the wine to be condensed and evaporated many times, thereby ensuring purity, few impurities and creating the desired concentration.

Up to now, the Goc Da fermented wine product has built a brand and received a 3-star OCOP certificate. Not only consumed in the province, the product is present in all regions and is highly appreciated. Currently, the monthly revenue of the facility is from 50 to 70 million VND.

Sharing about his entrepreneurial journey, Mr. Bach recalled: “The milestone for me to be able to break through and develop like today originated from a time when I went to learn from my brother’s experience in Hai Duong. That day it was raining heavily, I was riding a motorbike alone. Through sharing, I changed a lot in my thinking, the way of developing and promoting my brand image, thereby increasing the scale 10 times compared to the beginning.”

Mr. Bach has created a product brand with a strong local identity and made from his hometown's own products. Photo: Thanh Phuong.

Currently, in addition to promoting the development of production facilities, Mr. Bach also guides other households in the wine making process, thereby increasing their income.

“I am currently the chairman of the Quang Yen Town Young Farmers Club. Here, members share and learn from each other to come up with new development models that bring high economic efficiency. I myself have successfully connected and guided a young person to develop a wine-making model, which, although newly introduced to the market, has received positive feedback,” Mr. Bach shared.

According to the assessment of the Farmers' Association of Quang Yen town, up to now, after more than 5 years of development, Mr. Doan Cong Bach has succeeded in creating products with strong local imprints, becoming a shining example in economic development, promoting the emulation movement of good production and helping each other get rich locally.

Source: https://nongsanviet.nongnghiep.vn/tao-thuong-hieu-tu-dac-san-nep-cai-hoa-vang-dia-phuong-d413982.html