Bring 'three-husband stone' chocolates to America to invite guests
Mr. Dang Tuong Khanh - Director of Trong Duc Cocoa Co., Ltd. in Dong Nai - has brought dozens of products made from cocoa beans bearing Vietnamese brand to the world.
Foreign partner examines the production process of cocoa beans at Trong Duc Cocoa Co., Ltd. - Photo provided by the company
To get the result of today is the arduous startup of both generations.
Difficult journey
Holding chocolates in hand, director Dang Tuong Khanh said he never thought he would return to replace his father, running the company with passion and concern.
"My father inspired his children. He always asked: Why should the agricultural sector keep growing, tight? Something must be done to link farmers, bring a new picture to the agricultural sector" - Khanh remember.
That was 2006. His father - Mr. Dang Tuong Kham, a retired military officer at the age of 73 - had knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry that had switched to farming, entering the cocoa sector.
Mr. Kham went to dry land in Phu Hoa commune, established Trong Duc Co., Ltd., built cocoa material area, cooperated with farmers in Dong Nai, Lam Dong, and Binh Thuan provinces to intercrop around 1,000. Cocoa trees.
However, both father and son encountered great obstacles. It is not only the lack of technical staff who instruct how to plant trees but also farmers who see many other industrial trees have prices so ... cut off cocoa trees. After two years of investing in cocoa, farmers cut about 700ha.
Shortly thereafter, the father and son determined that both research and processing of cocoa beans have just associated with Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry to build a standard set, creating a material area.
"When entering the cocoa market, building a breed is also the time when I go to the provinces to talk to farmers about how to grow cocoa and the company's responsibility when connecting with farmers ..." - Mr. Khanh remember.
Bring chocolates to America to invite guests
At this time, Mr. Khâm determined that if he wanted to master in agriculture, he must be associated with processing of Vietnamese cocoa fruit, which can make many products from cocoa to wine, cocoa powder, chocolate ...
According to Khanh, every 10 tons of fresh cocoa will give about 1 ton of dry beans. If you bring cocoa beans for export, it will be profitable but there will be no profit by making many products. Therefore, the company has made efforts to find a way to build a brand, bring products processed from Vietnamese cocoa pods to the world.
Since 2014, Mr. Khanh has found a partner who is a Japanese business. At that time, the Japanese sent people to the company to thoroughly understand the process of material production, processing and ordering. "When it comes out, it is better to buy fresh cocoa from farmers. The partners import chocolate products for processing, packaging and they know about Vietnam to produce chocolate and not to export raw grains. like before "- Mr. Khanh confided.
About a few years ago during a trade promotion trip with Dong Nai's leaders to the United States, the company brought some chocolate bars to guests, most admiring the chocolate produced in Dong Nai.
From here, Dong Nai leaders are interested in building cooperation and production projects associated with cocoa consumption in the area. The province has supported capital and has set up a strategy for material areas for Trong Duc Cocoa Co., Ltd. to help farmers earn more income.
Mr. Khanh said: "With persistent efforts, in the beginning of 2016, the company produced chocolates through Korea and Japan. So far, nearly 30 products have been brought to the world."
These are small chocolate bars with coconut, cashew nuts, peanuts ... Bungo brands with the instructions "Dinh Quan - Dong Nai", then cocoa pods, juices, capsules extracted from fresh cocoa pods ...
Dream of "three-stone cocoa"
When sharing with cocoa farmers, Mr. Khanh said: "We have a Vietnamese cocoa brand so we should keep the foundation for our small house." Anh Khanh said that Vietnamese cocoa beans are among the 20 best quality countries in the world, so he wants to convey to the growers that the pride, must keep, must strive for the Vietnamese brand.
Wanting to bring cocoa products to foreign countries, the company has spent more than 10 years investing in material areas with difficult times, so that the Netherlands has granted UTZ certification (good international production certification) for 154 farmers are planting more than 250ha of cocoa.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phuoc - Director of Thong Nhat Cocoa Cooperative (Dong Nai), a unit supplying cocoa to the company - also confided: "Cocoa is mainly intercropped with cashew trees, more profitable. 100 million VND / ha, so many households also feel secure to produce and there are farmers, so farmers do not have to plant and cut trees.
Talking about the desire to do anything for Vietnamese cocoa trees, Mr. Khanh said: "I am continuing to make chocolate bars with the brand" three-husband stone "- a place in Dinh Quan district, where the company has started and sticking with hundreds of farmers to make the Vietnamese cocoa brand, the company is trying to make cocoa products with European quality but Vietnam prices to have more new customers.