Exporting fresh porridge from ST25 rice to the US

Workers are preparing ingredients to make porridge with ST25 rice – Photo: NA

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu, General Director of Anh Kim Food Production Joint Stock Company (AK Food), said that this is the second batch of goods successfully exported to the US after the first batch was on US supermarket shelves in November 2024.

“Normally, people announce the first batch, but I want to make sure the product is well received by the market before sharing it,” said Ms. Thu.

According to Ms. Thu, the journey to incorporate ST25 rice into porridge products was not easy. The research and development (R&D) team of Cay Thi porridge spent more than 1,000 hours of overtime over three months to find the optimal formula. The biggest challenge was to maintain the characteristic sticky and fragrant structure of ST25 rice without it becoming mushy or sticky.

“Choosing ST25 rice is making things difficult for ourselves, but we believe that we must create the best quality product, overcoming the challenges posed by the market,” Ms. Thu shared.

The company has selected three typical porridge dishes for export: Nghe An eel porridge, Western snakehead fish porridge and Da Lat vegetable porridge. These dishes are not only Vietnamese specialties but also have strong regional characteristics.

Thanks to meeting the strict standards of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the porridge product has been officially licensed for export. According to Ms. Thu, the brand aims to have export revenue account for 25% of total revenue by 2025, expanding to markets such as Australia and Canada.

Consumers buy ST25 porridge at a supermarket in the US – Photo: NA

C&T Produce Wholesale, an importer in the US, appreciates Cay Thi porridge’s approach to the “difficult niche”. Ms. Dziem Chinh, the company’s president, commented: “Porridge made from ST25 rice is very popular in the US. Vietnamese people here are familiar with the quality of ST25 rice and are very excited to see it used in fresh porridge”.

High export prices help manufacturers choose high-quality raw materials while still maintaining competitive prices, only from 2.5 - 3 USD/240g bag, much lower than imported products from Korea (3.5 - 4.5 USD).

The director of a food export company to the US based in Ho Chi Minh City shared that the success of ST25 rice when it won the title of the world's best rice (in 2019 and 2023) has brought the name of Vietnamese rice directly to more consumers.

Thanks to its reputation, ST25 is becoming the "midwife" for many Vietnamese agricultural products exported to demanding markets with products such as porridge, fried rice, rice cakes...

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/xuat-khau-chao-tuoi-tu-gao-st25-sang-my-20250101092701056.htm