Building OCOP products from locally available materials

Guava leaf tea bags are on sale at the 2024 OCOP Agricultural Products Promotion Fair in Hanoi.

Regularly using guava leaves in the home garden to aid digestion and treat hyperlipidemia and diabetes, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa, born in 1989, Director of Yen Bai Agricultural and Forestry Products Trading and Processing Cooperative in Khe Ngay village, Minh Quan commune, Tran Yen district, researched and produced guava leaf tea bags according to 3-star OCOP standards and launched them on the market in August 2024, which was well received by many consumers.

Ms. Hoa shared: "Born and raised in the countryside with many green trees and sweet fruits, I have always thought about starting a business to get rich in my hometown. Before that, I did business and produced many key agricultural products of Yen Bai province such as honey, cinnamon cigarettes, candied hawthorn... In 2024, realizing the potential strength of guava trees in the area and the increasing demand for guava leaves from consumers, I took advantage of available machinery and equipment and decided to produce guava leaf tea bags."

The raw material for making guava leaf tea bags is 100% fresh young guava leaves that are not infected with fungus or have any worm holes, which Ms. Hoa buys from people in the commune and neighboring areas for processing. After purchasing the raw guava leaves, Ms. Hoa asks the workers to choose good guava leaves, wash them, spread them on a tray, put them in a cold dryer for 48 hours, then dry them and crush them, put them in 3 gram filter bags.

Ms. Hoa said that the freeze dryer uses water separation technology so it still retains the nutrients in guava leaves. In addition, the filtered tea product is combined with stevia to create a delicious, easy-to-drink flavor, supporting people with diabetes, high blood fat, digestion, preventing the risk of stroke... can be used for both children and the elderly.

How to use guava leaf tea bags is also very simple and convenient, just put 1-2 tea bags into a 500ml pot of boiling water and steep for about 15 minutes to drink. If you like to drink it cold, add ice, if you like to drink it hot, leave it as is as you like and can brew many times until the tea is weak.

All production processes are always carried out by members of the cooperative to ensure food hygiene and safety. Ms. Ngo Thi Que - a member of Yen Bai Agricultural and Forestry Products Trading and Processing Cooperative said: "When processing, we always fully comply with food hygiene and safety conditions, so that the products always ensure quality when reaching consumers."

In addition to focusing on product quality, Ms. Hoa also promotes brand building. At the end of 2024, the guava leaf tea bag product was recognized by the People's Committee of Tran Yen district as meeting 3-star OCOP standards. In order for the product to reach consumers, Ms. Hoa has also boldly linked up and opened tea experience drinking spots in the province; introduced and promoted products on e-commerce platforms and social networking sites; displayed at OCOP stores in the province; participated in fairs, exhibitions, and product promotions... Thanks to that, on average, each month, Yen Bai Agricultural and Forestry Products Trading and Processing Cooperative sells about 5,000 boxes to the market, initially helping Ms. Hoa have a stable source of income and create jobs for many local workers.

Ms. Hoa added: "I hope to access loans to expand production scale and expand the consumer market. We will try to maintain good quality, proactively source input materials to ensure a stable source of goods, and create a sustainable brand in the hearts of consumers."

The initial success of guava leaf tea bags is proof of the good use of local resources and investment in technology to create quality products, contributing to the sustainable development of the rural economy.

Source: http://baoyenbai.com.vn/12/346441/Xay-dung-san-pham-OCOP-tu-nguyen-lieu-co-san-tai-dia-phuong.aspx