Cua Lo specialties during Tet season

(Baonghean.vn) - With just over 10 days left until the Lunar New Year of the Goat 2015, many families are already making lists of food items for Tet meals or gifts for friends and relatives, along with the festive atmosphere of preparing for the holidays and renovating their homes. As a result, the atmosphere in many traditional craft villages in Cua Lo town is bustling with buying and selling activity.

Upon arriving at the seafood processing village in Hai Giang Hamlet, Nghi Hai Ward, Cua Lo Town – considered the main supplier of grilled mackerel specialties not only for Cua Lo but also for the entire province – we easily noticed a bustling atmosphere of work.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nom has been grilling mackerel for 20 years. - Photo: Quynh Trang

Even with guests visiting, she couldn't interrupt her work. While talking, her hands nimbly turned the pieces of fish on the hot coals, as Ms. Nguyen Thi Nom, owner of Hung Nom grilled mackerel business, chatted enthusiastically.

She said that since the beginning of December in the lunar calendar, her family and many other families in the neighborhood have had customers ordering goods for Tet (Lunar New Year). On average, the family grills and delivers 4-5 quintals of grilled mackerel per day. Last year, the family stockpiled 12 tons of fresh fish for grilling during Tet, but this year, based on the number of customer orders, they have prepared about 20 tons of fish, nearly double the amount from last year. Customers are mainly from Cua Lo, Vinh, and further afield from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Currently, the price is around 80,000 VND/kg for the tails and tails, and 200,000-220,000 VND/kg for the fillets, only slightly higher than last month. To keep up with customer demand, the family has had to mobilize their children and hire additional workers for grilling and transporting the fish.

Many women in Nghi Hai ward earn extra income thanks to the Tet fish season. - Photo: Quynh Trang

When asked about the secret to nearly doubling her sales compared to last year, Ms. Nom just smiled and said that her family is always conscious of perfecting their products, from selecting the fish to grilling it, and especially ensuring stable prices. In some cases, due to long-distance transportation, the goods may be affected by customers' storage methods, but the family happily exchanges the goods if the customer is not satisfied. Every day, fish is transported from Cua Lo to Vinh City 5 to 6 times. This year, the family plans to serve customers until the 30th of Tet (Lunar New Year's Eve) because even then, there are still customers taking orders to send to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. And after Tet, on the 4th day, the facility will start lighting the charcoal for the first batch of fish of the year. She also mentioned that each Tet fish season brings the family tens of millions of dong in income, so everyone is working hard.

Fresh mackerel grilled using the right technique can be preserved for a long time in the freezer. -Photo: Quynh Trang

A long-time regular customer, Mr. Nguyen Huu Lam from Nghi Hai ward, Cua Lo town, visited Ms. Nom's house again this year to buy fish to send to friends in Hanoi. He said that grilled mackerel from Cua Lo has become a favorite dish not only for his family but also for many friends everywhere, especially in Hanoi. Every year, his friends ask him to get them a few kilograms to eat during Tet because the fish is fresh and very delicious.

According to statistics, there are currently 40 households specializing in grilled mackerel in Cua Lo town, with Nghi Hai ward alone accounting for 37 households. On average, each household sells 150 to 200 kg of grilled mackerel per day. This year's Tet holiday saw a significant increase in sales compared to last year. The vendors are also more enthusiastic because grilled mackerel is becoming increasingly popular. This year, in particular, the vendors are thrilled because Cua Lo town received 260 million VND in support to develop a brand for Cua Lo grilled mackerel. This will open up better development opportunities for those involved in the trade and allow this specialty to reach more markets nationwide.

Households in Hai Giang 1 fish sauce processing village are fully prepared for Tet (Lunar New Year) - Photo: Quynh Trang

While grilled mackerel is more popular than last year, fish sauce – also a specialty of Cua Lo – seems to be less in demand this year. Ms. Le Thi Kim, owner of Vo Kim fish sauce production facility – the largest in Hai Giang 1 fish sauce village, Nghi Hai ward, Cua Lo town – said that last year at this time, many people were ordering fish sauce for Tet (Lunar New Year), but this year it's not as much. The reason is that last year was a good year for catching scad fish, so households in the village bought more fish, resulting in a larger supply of fish sauce this year. Customers are also more evenly distributed among the households in the village. With four types – special, premium, type 1, and type 2 – priced from 20,000 VND to 80,000 VND per liter, her family is preparing over 10,000 liters of special fish sauce for Tet this year.

Mr. Dang Quoc Dong, Deputy Head of the Village Craft Management Board, said that currently, the entire village has more than 70 households engaged in fish sauce production. This year's fish procurement volume reached 400 tons, enough to supply the current year and also for the following year, as the production cycle lasts from 15 to 18 months. However, he also confirmed that purchasing power this year is weaker than last year. Nevertheless, to preserve the craft and improve business during the Tet holiday, the households, in addition to focusing on product quality, have also paid attention to caring for and retaining their loyal customers.

The Lunar New Year presents a business opportunity for many traditional craft villages in Nghe An, especially those specializing in essential goods for the holiday. Understanding customer psychology, being quick to adapt to the market, and focusing on product quality are effective strategies employed by businesses to ensure that the Lunar New Year remains a peak business season. Like Ms. Nom, Ms. Kim is diligently preparing her products so that many families can enjoy the traditional New Year meals or receive gifts from friends and relatives in Cua Lo, such as fish sauce and mackerel.

An Nhan