Binh An Solanum procumbens tea start-up

1/22/2018 - 10:54:19 AM

(HBO) – Born into a farming family, Nguyen Thuy Linh, in Yen Thuy district, soon recognised potential and strength of the locality in planting and preserving precious medicinal herbs, including ca gai leo (scientifically known as Solanum procumbens).

Nguyen Thuy Linh and her production chain of Solanum procumbens tea.

Solanum procumbens has been planted in Yen Thuy since 2015 under the second phase of a poverty reduction project. To meet the increasing demand of the market, in August 2016, Thuy decided to open a Solanum procumbens tea production facility.

At first, she produced tea only on office-off days. However, with limited capital investment and experience, she had met a range of difficulties.

"On the first days, I went to office in the daytime and read documents on Solanum procumbens as well as business strategy at night. During weekends, I directly worked with employees at the facility,” she said.

Her efforts paid off as in 2017, Linh was eligible to get loans for her start-up project, allowing her to expand production.

She now owns a Solanum procumbens tea production facility in Yen Son hamlet, Yen Lac commune, Yen Thuy district, covering 120 sq.m. Linh signed contracts with local farmers to plant Solanum procumbens in line with Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP) standards. She has introduced Binh An Solanum procumbens tea to the market. With the mixture of Solanum procumbens and Celastrus hindsii and sweetleaves, Binh An tea has beneficial effects in the prevention and treatment of high liver enzymes, B and C hepatitis viruses, urticaria, acne, indigestion, and especially diabetes.

Sweetleaves’ glycoside compounds are 300 times sweeter than sucrose (ordinary table sugar), thus helping prevent high liver enzymes. Produced from medicinal plants, Solanum procumbens tea is safe for users.

Linh’s tea production facility is operating with specialised machines and three workers, each earning an average of 3-5 million VND monthly.

The product has been sold in many cities and provinces nationwide like Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Ho Chi Minh City, Buon Me Thuot, Hoa Binh, Ha Noi, Ninh Binh and Bac Giang, receiving positive response from customers.

Linh said she plans to expand tea production to 1ha in order to meet the market’s huge demand. Apart from purchasing more machines, she will develop a model of preserving precious medicinal herbs on an area of 6,000 sq.m, at a total cost of about 5 billion VND.

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