'Women should be bold and confident in building startup ideas'

PV:Hello Ms. Hien Luong, your project "Enhancing the value of herring - towards building an OCOP brand for Quynh Phuong herring sausage products" is one of two women's start-up projects of the province that made it to the Central level. Are you surprised by this?

Ms. Bui Thi Hien Luong:Yes, it was a surprise, because I didn’t think such a humble project name would be noticed by the judges. It must have been due to the way the idea was presented and its feasibility. Honestly, to form and operate it, we had to go through many hardships and challenges, and many failures at first. So, I always wanted to tell my project team members: “We must do it.”

Nghe An herring is famous for its freshness and rich nutrition. Photo: Quang An

PV:Can you tell us where the idea for the project came from?

Ms. Bui Thi Hien Luong:Actually, we have cherished this project for a long time, first of all, we are concerned about the output of the project.herring, because in fact herring is a very nutritious fish but very difficult to consume, because the fish comes in large quantities but also has a large unsold market because it is only grilled or blandly braised to eat with meals.

Secondly, the refrain of good harvest and low prices always accompanies us coastal people every time the herring season arrives. Because when fishermen have a heavy catch of herring, the market is flooded with this type of fish, but consumption is low, and the fish price drops miserably, the poverty in coastal areas is even poorer. Seeing the unsold fish in the market makes my heart sink. Meanwhile, many regions do not have access to this quality and safe food source. The thought suddenly came to mind: what to do to prevent herring from being unsold, so that people can enjoy it easily while the product reaches the hands of consumers with guaranteed quality. So we started to build the idea of ​​bringing herring to tourists from all over the world and finding an outlet for herring.

PV:And what bold idea came from these concerns?

Ms. Bui Thi Hien Luong:Yes, we already had a seafood processing facility locally, so I thought it would be difficult but possible to make herring patties. So we started researching the fish patty production process, production scale and finding outlets for the product.

Initially, it is necessary to carefully research demanding markets such as Europe, developed countries, where herring has become popular. For example, Swedish salted herring products, Japanese pressed herring roe... In these markets, they haveherring productsvery impressive and with a very modern technology, and consumers there they receive the product very well. But in the country there is currently no place that can produce products from herring that retain its delicious flavor and nutrients. This is what has urged us to research carefully, to come up with precise, sure and sustainable steps.

We started to research the growth process of herring, its nutritional value after processing and optimal processing technology and finally find an output market for the product.

Although the direction is clear, we still encounter some difficulties in each stage, such as researching how to have the best input product of the year, to produce the best product with the best taste and the highest nutritional value. In fact, herring only reaches its best taste from early winter to spring, so we have to prepare for the preservation stage, both to achieve the nutritional value of herring products and not to use preservatives beyond the limit, affecting the health of consumers. Therefore, buying advanced preservation machines must be raised. The financial problem at this time really makes us feel difficult and hesitant.

Next is the promotion stage to make consumers aware of this product, so we plan to invite nutrition and food safety experts to advise, and at the same time monitor and inspect our commercial herring production processes.

And finally, to bring the product to the consumer is a difficult journey, because most people often buy fresh fish or products from other fish, few people pay attention to products from herring. So this difficult task took us a long time, going through many challenging stages.

Looking back, we feel extremely lucky to have met many people who love and care for us.

PV:So is it because of the enthusiasm to overcome difficulties and the feasibility of the product that this idea was highly scored by the Central Association?

Ms. Bui Thi Hien Luong:I think it is the result of dedication and determination, not just mine.

Good harvest of extracts. Photo: Thanh Thuy

At theprovincial and regional rounds, I presented that: “I became a daughter-in-law in the coastal area of ​​Quynh Phuong when I was only 19 years old, until now it has been nearly 20 years, that is also the time I have been attached to the safety of fishermen. I have also been attached to herring since those days and understood the hardships of fishermen, understood how the fish has raised us in such difficulties. In the poor coastal countryside, I do not know since when herring has been associated with the family's frugal daily meals. There were months when my family only ate herring, from winter to spring, that is when the fish were in season but I did not know who to sell to. The problem is that even though there are fish to eat without worrying about malnutrition, the children cannot eat them because they have too many bones. And starting from that source, we wanted to create a product from herring to bring it to every meal of each family. And when I started to raise the level of herring, I will do it with will and dedicated steps with the joint efforts of the whole husband's family".

Hearing that, many judges asked me how I was able to bring the product to customers and how I maintained the production chain when this product had only just approached the market cautiously.

I replied that I had equipped myself with European bone removal technology, screening and fish grinding technology, these most modern machines have helped the product retain the nutrition and deliciousness of the fish; our products are guaranteed to meet food hygiene and safety criteria, say no to preservatives. Currently, when this product is on the market, it can help women in the commune have jobs, increase their income with a stable income of 4 to 10 million VND/month.

PV:And so will your "herring cake" path open up a new future for herring even if it does not make it into the top elite startup ideas of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union?

Ms. Bui Thi Hien Luong: I must say that I brought this project to the competition not only to promote it, but also for me to speak my mind, to express my determination and passion for the project that my family and I have worked hard to build and the steps that are full of thorns and challenges. I also want to send a message to the sisters: Be bold to have astartup ideasand devote your heart to turning it into valuable products for the community.

Women may not have the strength of men, but they have great ingenuity, perseverance and belief when they spend their youth on what they nurture and conceive. Therefore, the success rate of their initial ideas will be very high if they are empowered by their family, they have the support of a strong rear, their husband and his family.

PV:Thank you for this conversation!