Overcoming the bamboo fence of the village, the female director of a cooperative in Ha Tinh brings Thien Cam sea fish sauce abroad.

Brand positioning of Phu Sang fish sauce

Ms. Le Thi Phuong (Thien Cam town, Cam Xuyen) has devoted her entire life to the traditional profession of processing seafood that her ancestors passed down. Preserving the family salt recipe with its delicious, pure flavor, Ms. Phuong's fish sauce still only revolves around the "village bamboo fence". Returning to the country after many years of studying and working in Taiwan and China, Ms. Nguyen Thi Sang (born in 1992) - Ms. Le Thi Phuong's daughter determined to "name" the gift that her hard-working mother had taken care of: "Phu Sang fish sauce".

“The Phu Sang fish sauce brand of Phu Sang Seafood Processing Service Cooperative (abbreviated as Phu Sang Cooperative) was born from the transmission and continuation through generations. I had the opportunity to travel to many lands, to taste all kinds of dipping sauces, but there was no fish sauce as delicious and rich as the fish sauce made by my grandmother and mother in my hometown. Therefore, after many years away from home, having the opportunity to develop my career, I still decided to return to my hometown to preserve the traditional profession” – Ms. Sang confided.

Realizing her great ambition and mobilizing collective strength, in March 2021, Ms. Sang and 7 members established Phu Sang Cooperative with the main business of purchasing, processing and distributing seafood and she was trusted to hold the position of Chairwoman of the Board of Directors and Director of the Cooperative. With a capital of 15 billion VND contributed by the members, the head of the Cooperative has planned a production and business plan based on expanding the processing scale with modern infrastructure investment.

Ms. Sang shared: “The cooperative is located in the estuary area, having fresh ingredients from the sea is a “plus point” in the journey of processing fish sauce. We decided to preserve the traditional fish sauce with its delicious flavor by maintaining the natural salting method in earthenware and porcelain jars. With the traditional salting method, we accept a longer salting time to create a unique, unmistakable flavor. This is also what consumers prefer.”

Ms. Nguyen Thi Sang - Chairwoman of the Board of Directors and Director of Phu Sang Seafood Processing Service Cooperative. Photo: TP

In 2015, while still an international student, Ms. Sang brought Ha Tinh seafood to Guangxi Province (China) to sell. After returning home, she maintained connections with contacts in China to import shrimp and anchovies as raw materials for producing ice cream floss. In 2023, Phu Sang Cooperative exported more than 3,000 tons of shrimp and anchovies to China and is currently implementing orders under agreed contracts.

Phu Sang Cooperative was established at a time when the economy was heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, thanks to the support of the State with the One Commune One Product (OCOP) Program, and the determination of its members to affirm their brands, Phu Sang fish sauce was recognized as meeting the 3-star OCOP standard just 1 year after the cooperative was established. During its operation, the cooperative focuses on creating uniform products in large enough quantities and constantly improving packaging and labels to stimulate consumer tastes. At the same time, it proactively registers intellectual property, updates product information, accurately and publicly via QR codes to create trust in the market.

Being recognized with 3-star OCOP standards is a "card" for Phu Sang fish sauce to expand its consumption market. Phu Sang has become a familiar fish sauce brand for consumers in major provinces and cities such as: Hanoi , Da Nang, Thua Thien - Hue, Vinh (Nghe An)... In 2023, the Cooperative produced more than 70,000 liters of various types of fish sauce and in particular, the head of the Cooperative has cooperated with businesses to bring Phu Sang fish sauce to the Australian market with a quantity of 15,000 liters in early 2024.

“Not resting on its laurels”, the Cooperative determined to improve quality, striving to upgrade Phu Sang OCOP fish sauce products from 3 stars to 4 stars. Currently, the Cooperative is distributing and consuming through many channels such as: Opening product display points, promoting and selling through social networking platforms, participating in trade fairs, etc. In 2023, the Cooperative's revenue reached nearly 18.5 billion VND, after-tax profit was nearly 2.9 billion VND; in the first 7 months of 2024, revenue reached 8 billion VND.

Link to reach far

With the traditional salting method, Phu Sang Cooperative accepts a longer salting time, but still creates a unique, unmistakable flavor. Photo: TP

Phu Sang Cooperative has operated effectively and created regular jobs for nearly 10 local workers with an income of 6-8 million VND/person/month and 100% of workers are supported to pay social insurance. In addition, during the peak production season, the Cooperative creates seasonal jobs for more than 250 local workers with an average income of 350,000 - 500,000 VND/person/day.

Building a production chain will create sustainable development. With that in mind, young female director Nguyen Thi Sang has invested in boats, fishing gear, and purchased seafood for 64 boat owners in Thien Cam town and Cam Nhuong, Cam Linh, Cam Loc communes (Cam Xuyen)...

Mr. Le Van Linh - fishing boat owner in Thien Cam town (Cam Xuyen) said: "Not only did he buy all the products, but the head of Phu Sang Cooperative also lent my family 400 million VND in installments with 0% interest to invest in building new boats. With modern boats and fishing gear, fishermen can confidently stay at sea to fish, providing fresh raw materials for the production line of the Cooperative. The chain of links is maintained smoothly and stably on the basis of mutual benefit."

Despite his young age, the head of Phu Sang Cooperative has clearly outlined the direction for production and business development based on the potential and strengths of the estuary. The Cooperative does not only stop at consuming raw materials but also aims to build a factory to produce ice cream floss with the goal of increasing the value of Ha Tinh seafood.

The female director of the cooperative said: “Flossed ice cream is a popular product in the Chinese and Japanese markets. Through the history of transactions and recent trade promotions, I have contacted contacts and businesses in China and they promised to purchase flossed ice cream products if the cooperative can produce them. Flossed ice cream is made from sea shrimp and this raw material source in Ha Tinh is abundant and fresh. Therefore, we are applying for a policy to lease 1.5 hectares of land in Cam Linh commune (along the coastal national highway) to build a flossed ice cream processing factory with an estimated investment of 35 billion VND. With the support of the Ha Tinh Provincial Cooperative Union, departments, branches and local authorities at all levels, we hope that the cooperative's proposal will soon be approved so that we can gradually realize the journey of increasing the value of Ha Tinh's seafood products.”

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hung - Chairman of the Cooperative Union of Ha Tinh province assessed: "The head of Phu Sang Cooperative is young, capable, dares to think and dares to do, operates according to the new cooperative model, strives to build a link between consumption, production and product distribution. In addition to seafood processing, trade is also an advantage of the Cooperative with the purchase of thousands of tons of seafood per year for distribution and consumption, bringing high economic value.

With its tireless efforts, the unit has been awarded many certificates of merit by the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance, the People's Committee of Ha Tinh province, the Provincial Cooperative Alliance and the People's Committee of Cam Xuyen district. In particular, during the month of action for cooperatives in 2024, Phu Sang Cooperative was honored to receive the Cooperative Star Award "CoopStar Awards" from the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance in the top 100 cooperatives nationwide.

Source: https://danviet.vn/vuot-luy-tre-lang-nu-giam-doc-htx-o-ha-tinh-dua-nuoc-mam-bien-thien-cam-xuat-ngoai-20241110180633858.htm