"White Aspirations" and the great fate with Nghe An land...

(Baonghean) - Two Vietnamese businesswomen honored by Forbes Magazine in the top 50 most powerful businesswomen in Asia (Asia's Power Businesswomen) are both heads of dairy corporations. While Ms. Mai Kieu Lien - Chairwoman and CEO of Vinamilk is in the top 50 for the fourth time, Ms. Thai Huong, Chairwoman of TH Group is the latest representative of Vietnam to be honored. These two businesswomen not only have in common the "white aspiration" to change the stature of Vietnamese people, but also have many connections with the sunny and windy land of Nghe An.

Vinamilk milk product packaging. Photo: Sy Minh

Businesswoman Mai Kieu Lien and the honor of Nghe An on the world "dairy industry map"

After 37 years of working with Vinamilk, more than 20 years in the position of leader, Hero of Labor in the renovation period, Ms. Mai Kieu Lien - Chairwoman of the Board of Directors and General Director of Vietnam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company has turned Vinamilk into a big brand, entering the list of 200 best enterprises in the Asia - Pacific region since 2010. Currently, Vinamilk accounts for 51% of the liquid milk market share in Vietnam, the company's revenue in 2014 increased by 14% to 1.7 billion USD thanks to 2 new factories. Ms. Mai Kieu Lien is striving to increase this figure to 3 billion USD in 2017 by expanding abroad. Vinamilk currently exports to 30 countries and is promoting exports to the Middle East, Africa and Cuba...

In Nghe An, Vinamilk is known as one of the pioneers in building a dairy farm system. In 2009, the company inaugurated a dairy farm with a total investment of more than 100 billion VND in Dong Hieu commune, Nghia Dan district. This farm has a scale of raising 3,000 cows; of which, there are 1,500 milking cows, providing 30 tons of milk per day for Vinamilk's processing factory built in Cua Lo town. Spread over an area of ​​36 hectares, the farm is designed to include a barn area, an auxiliary area of ​​6 hectares and 30 hectares of high-yield grass varieties. The barn is built with modern technology and high standards similar to modern dairy farms in Europe. The entire herd of cows on the farm is 100% purebred HF (Holstein Friesian) imported from Australia and New Zealand. In addition to the cow breed, to have a source of pure fresh milk, the cow's diet is also mixed with optimal nutritional ratio with nutritious grass ingredients imported directly from the US.

In addition, the farm has modern equipment to help take care of cows in the best way such as: insulated roof, rubber mattress, electronic chip collar... along with automatic smart milking system. In addition, to ensure a clean environment, the farm also has a waste treatment system that meets international standards. With modern equipment and a system that meets strict international standards with a closed, modern process, strictly following international standards, in July 2014, Vinamilk Nghe An Dairy Farm became the first dairy farm in Southeast Asia to be certified by Global GAP to meet international standards, and was awarded the award for the best dairy farm in Vietnam in 2014 by the Department of Livestock Production - Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam...

Vinamilk's milk factory was built in Cua Lo Town in 2003, and officially started production in mid-2005 with the goal of sustainable development, exploiting fresh milk sources from investing in concentrated dairy farms in Nghe An and Ha Tinh. This is a factory with a processing capacity of 30 million liters/year, with main products being fresh milk, yogurt, drinking yogurt and fruit juice. With a total investment of nearly 100 billion VND, the factory is equipped with modern equipment from countries with advanced processing technology: Sweden, Denmark, Italy, USA... In addition, the factory applies all international food safety standards in production such as ISO, HACCP, and labor safety standards, so that the products are the best and trusted by consumers. Vinamilk's products are certified by the US Food and Drug Administration to meet import standards into the US market. And the company's products are proudly exported to more than 31 countries around the world, including the US, Japan, Korea, and European countries. Nghe An Milk Factory alone achieves an average total sales revenue of about 180 - 240 billion VND/month.

According to the assessment of the Tax Department of Cua Lo Town, Nghe An Milk Factory - Vinamilk is a unit that always sets an example in complying with the State's tax policies, regularly having a high budget contribution, in 2012 it contributed nearly 68.5 billion VND to the state budget; in 2013 it contributed over 113.5 billion VND to the state budget. At the 2015 Meeting with Investors, Nghe An Milk Factory - Vinamilk was awarded a certificate of merit by the Provincial People's Committee for its outstanding contributions to the economic and social development of the province.

National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung and provincial leaders visited TH milk processing line. Photo: NK

Businesswoman Thai Huong with the "clean milk revolution" in Phu Quy land

In 2009, Ms. Thai Huong, Chairwoman of Bac A Commercial Joint Stock Bank, surprised the whole country when she joined the "milk village" and pledged to change the Vietnamese dairy industry. On February 27, 2010, a convoy of large trucks with the slogans "Determination to build the homeland", "Determination to enrich Nghe An" transported 1,500 HF cows from New Zealand to the farm in Bac Phu Quy, Nghia Dan, Nghe An. By December 26, 2010, TH's first fresh milk line entered the market, under the brand name TH True Milk, creating a real revolution in the production and consumption of fresh milk. Entering the "milk path" when there were already brands on the market that dominated most of the milk market share in Vietnam. However, TH True Milk attracted special attention from consumers when it declared that clean milk was the only way. The term "fresh milk" at that time created a wave in public opinion. Many people are skeptical, and dairy businesses are startled.

Meanwhile, with the mettle of a successful businessman, carrying within himself the passion, determination and desire for a clean milk revolution called “For Vietnamese stature”, the head of TH Group remained silent and quietly convinced consumers through the quality of TH True Milk products, especially investing in cows at farms in Nghe An. Phu Quy basalt land is fertile but the climate is very harsh, there is almost no livestock farming technology. However, TH Group took a shortcut, taking the lead by purchasing all the technological secrets and dairy farming techniques from Israel and the world's leading processing processes from advanced countries. To ensure compliance with the process, TH hired both farmers and experts from Israel to operate the machinery and guide and train Vietnamese workers. In addition, TH also has a professional working system in all stages thanks to being directly managed by two multinational companies: Afikim Company of Israel for cattle herd management and Totally Vets Company of New Zealand for veterinary management.

Being a native of Nghe An, the Nghe An character always flows in Mrs. Thai Huong’s blood. Even the business philosophy and the process of growing the TH brand also bear the “Nghe An character”: quiet but determined, not ostentatious but effective, affirming its position through quality and consumer trust. Many times, Mrs. Thai Huong confided that her wish as well as that of TH Group is to bring high-tech agriculture to transform difficult lands, helping people not only in Nghe An but also in Vietnam to master the most modern technologies in the world.

True to its word, TH Group has been changing the face of Phu Quy land not only with a herd of tens of thousands of cows, greenhouses growing vegetables for export, but also with lush green pastures, endless sunflower fields and especially clean milk that is trusted and accepted by consumers. From the initial herd of dairy cows, up to now, TH true MILK's total herd is 40,280 cows and will increase to 137 thousand cows in 2017, providing about 50% of the country's fresh milk raw materials; by 2020 it is expected to reach 203 thousand cows. The group's farm system currently covers an area of ​​8,100 hectares and is planning to increase to 37,000 hectares. The group's clean milk factory has a designed capacity of 800 tons/day, equivalent to 300 thousand tons/year. Currently, the actual production capacity is 547 tons/day, equivalent to 197 thousand tons/year. In 2013, the group's revenue reached nearly 3,000 billion VND, in 2014 it was more than 4,000 billion VND, the plan for 2015 is 15,000 billion VND, and it is estimated to reach 23,000 billion VND in 2017...

In 2014, TH Group's revenue exceeded 200 million USD with one-third of the domestic fresh milk market share. In February 2015, TH Group's farm was recognized as the Asian record "Largest concentrated dairy farm". TH True milk products are also affirming their brand in the market with 29 types of sterilized fresh milk products and various types of yogurt and drinking yogurt. Currently, TH Group is continuing to invest in high technology, implementing other projects in Nghe An such as afforestation, medicinal herbs...

Nguyen Khoa