Lesson 1: Lessons from Two Strong Brands

(Baonghean)In Nghe An, with its vast potential in land and human resources, and extensive specialized farming areas, many strong brands have been and are being formed, such as: Kim Lien premium green tea, Kim Lien green tea from Nghe An Tea Company, Hoang Mai cement, Melly sugar (Tate & Lyle), Van Phan fish sauce… In reality, wherever brand building is prioritized, resources are invested in quality and product promotion, that brand has a strong impact on customer psychology, leading to business success.

Recognizing the importance of branding, since 2003, Nghe An Tea Investment and Development Company has collaborated with Capital Intellectual Property and Technology Company Limited to build its brand. On December 25, 2013, the company was registered with the Intellectual Property Office under Certificate No. 51676. On November 20, 2003, the General Department of Standards, Metrology and Quality Control issued barcode number 893601504 for the company's products.

Besides its protected logo and trademarks, the company also focuses on building customer trust in product quality and competitive pricing. The company has been applying scientific and technological advancements to raw material production, processing, and preservation. Currently, with its advanced processing lines, Nghe An Tea Investment and Development Co., Ltd. has 9 affiliated factories including: Bai Phu Tea Factory, Hanh Lam Tea Factory, Thanh Mai Tea Factory, Vinh Tea Factory, Con Cuong Tea Factory, Hung Son Tea Factory, Thang Muoi Tea Factory… many of which have advanced processing lines imported from India. The main products currently known to consumers are Kim Lien premium green tea, Kim Lien green tea for dipping, Kim Lien jasmine tea for dipping, and Kim Lien black tea for dipping. In addition, there are export-grade green teas (A, B, B2), broken tea, BP1 tea, etc.

The Tea Company's leadership stated: Building and developing the brand is not the responsibility of any single department or the Board of Directors; all employees of the company are conscious of and committed to the brand. This awareness is passed on to tea growers in the raw material areas and the various teams. VietGAP-certified tea gardens are increasingly numerous in Thanh Chuong and Anh Son districts. Mr. Tran Long, Director of Hung Son Tea Factory (Anh Son), has been involved with tea cultivation in Hung Son since 2001. Every 45 days, he harvests and sells the product, visiting each tea garden to train and remind farmers about the intensive tea cultivation process, ensuring high yields while maintaining food safety and hygiene. Tea growers here also regularly consume the tea products, adhering to the quarantine period after fertilization and avoiding the use of stimulants… to ensure the tea meets export quality standards.



Indian customers visit the tea plantation of Nghe An Tea Investment and Development Company in Thanh Chuong. Photo: Chau Lan.

Thanks to efforts in developing raw material areas, focusing on quality, and expanding markets, Nghe An Tea Company's tea products are now present in 20 countries worldwide, including the UK, India, Poland, Afghanistan, Russia, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates. Export turnover in 2011 reached US$6.3 million with 5,400 tons of dried tea, and in 2012 reached US$7 million with 6,000 tons of dried tea. Many countries consume large quantities of Nghe An tea, such as the UK (400 tons in 2012), Pakistan (836 tons), the Netherlands (390 tons), and Germany (717 tons).

The company has risen to direct export, ensuring sufficient quantities and timely delivery for customers, and actively listening to and responding to customer feedback. The company's products have won the "Quintessence of Vietnam" award at the Hue Festival in 2006, the Golden Globe award, and from 2009 to the present, the company has continuously been awarded the title of "Reputable Exporter" by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. It has also been awarded the "Leading Brand" award by the People's Committee of Nghe An province. Currently, Nghe An Tea Company is one of the top 10 tea exporting companies in the country.

Clearly, the success in building the Ngheantea tea brand is not simply about creating symbols, labels, and packaging... but more importantly, it's about protecting the distinctive quality of the product throughout the entire process, from planting and caring for the raw materials to processing and customer service. Customers from the UK and India have visited the company's tea growing areas to gain confidence in the product's origin.

The story of building the successful Van Phan fish sauce brand is also a valuable lesson for many other products. Van Phan is a place name encompassing four coastal communes: Dien Ngoc, Dien Bich, Dien Van, and Dien Kim (Dien Chau district), renowned for hundreds of years for its fish sauce making. This traditional product was once a delicacy offered to the king. From fresh anchovies, sardines, mackerel, and salt, the distinctive Van Phan brand fish sauce is created... The ingredients are always carefully selected before being placed in fermentation vats and pressed using traditional methods. Afterward, it is naturally fermented for a year before being strained to extract the concentrated fish sauce, which has a golden-brown color and a sweet aftertaste. Another factor contributing to the unique flavor of Van Phan fish sauce is the natural conditions of this coastal region, such as sunshine, wind, water sources, and a suitable environment that influences the development of microorganisms that break down fish into fish sauce. The traditional criterion for evaluating the quality of pure fish sauce is protein content; Van Phan fish sauce has a protein content of 35% - making it a top-grade product.

Van Phan Dien Chau Seafood Joint Stock Company is a leading unit in preserving and building the Van Phan brand. Mr. Vo Van Dai, the company's director, stated: In 2012, the first shipment of fish sauce from Nghe An province under the Van Phan brand was exported to Malaysia, totaling 18,000 liters. This marked a major turning point, signifying remarkable development and the beginning of the company's market expansion. The company produces over 1 million liters of various types of fish sauce annually. It primarily produces high-protein fish sauce with an alcohol content of 20-32 degrees, using anchovies as the main ingredient. The company is also expanding its market not only to the central and northern provinces but also exporting to Australia, South Korea, and China. Besides strictly adhering to food safety and hygiene standards, fish sauce exports must also comply with the regulations of each country. For example, Muslim countries require a Holan certification to ensure that the product does not use ingredients that are forbidden by Muslims.

With support from provincial and national industrial promotion funds, from 2002 to 2010, Van Phan Seafood Joint Stock Company participated in many trade fairs and exhibitions in Vinh City, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Can Tho, etc. Through these fairs, the company opened more stores, agencies, and consignment points. Brand building and market development have helped the company's products reach most domestic markets and are currently popular in the Lao market. In 2003, Van Phan fish sauce was awarded the Gold Medal for "High-Quality Vietnamese Goods" by the Ministry of Industry; in 2007, it received the Golden Bridge Award for "High-Quality Vietnamese Goods" from the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In 2012, Van Phan fish sauce added a "fermented in the ground" line and was selected as a typical rural industrial product of Nghe An province...

Currently, Van Phan Seafood Joint Stock Company has developed a project to establish, manage, and develop the "Van Phan Fish Sauce" certification mark for fish sauce products in Dien Chau district. This project is led by the Department of Science and Technology, with Mr. Vo Van Dai, Director of Van Phan Seafood Joint Stock Company, as the project leader, under the management of the Ministry of Science and Technology. The project's goal is to establish a mechanism for protecting, managing, and exploiting the collective trademark to enhance the value and reputation of products bearing the collective trademark in the market; combat counterfeiting; and build and apply a practical management model for the Van Phan fish sauce collective trademark, thereby improving the prestige of one of the local specialty products and expanding production and market access for fish sauce products. The households involved in the trade will form an association, and businesses wishing to affix the "Van Phan Fish Sauce" collective trademark must meet all the necessary conditions and strictly adhere to the technical processing procedures, bottling, and preservation processes approved by the association.

From Ngheantea tea and Van Phan fish sauce, we can see that a director who is astute, has the resources, and knows how to care for and nurture their brand will reap many times the benefits.

(To be continued)

Chau Lan - Ngoc Anh