Determined to succeed with organic agriculture
Among the 36 recipients of the 19th Luong Dinh Cua Award presented by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee on November 29, Dinh Cong Thuan, a Muong ethnic minority, Director of the Green Life Cooperative in Hop Tien Commune, Kim Boi District, Hoa Binh Province, stood out as an inspiring example.
Born in 1990 to a farming family, Thuan committed to agriculture for his livelihood. He initially raised native black pigs, but the long breeding cycle yielded no profit. Later, he ventured into raising thousands of chickens but suffered a loss of nearly VND100 million due to disease outbreaks.
"My family and I were devastated and considered working as hired labor. Then I thought, why not raise bees for honey? Hop Tien has vast primary forests in the Thuong Tien Nature Reserve, rich in natural flowers that provide an abundant nectar source for honey production," he shared.
At the time, many documents were not in Thuan's name, preventing him from accessing bank loans. As a result, he relied on personal borrowing. Determined to pursue organic agriculture, he encouraged several locals to establish the Green Life Cooperative in 2021.
To ensure the highest quality honey, Thuan and the cooperative members attended training sessions and gained hands-on experience. A mature bee lives for 70–80 days, with each nectar-gathering trip lasting about 20 minutes. The honey production process includes extracting honey at the apiary, reducing moisture using specialized equipment, and packaging it.
"We meticulously oversee every step. In 2022, we received a moisture-reducing machine. In 2023, we added a packaging machine, and at the start of 2024, to prepare for our first export batch to the UK, we invested in a filling machine to ensure a fully closed production process," Thuan explained.
Dinh Thanh Phu, a cooperative member, added, "The cooperative prioritize maintaining strong bee colonies. If bees become ill, we treat them with ginger water instead of antibiotics to ensure the honey is safe and high-quality. We’ve also domesticated and bred wild bees to secure a stable supply. Additionally, many residents in Hop Tien cultivate xa den (Celastrus hindsii Benth), a valuable medicinal plant with antibacterial properties and tumor-slowing potential. The combination between worker bees and xa den flowers gives Hop Tien forest honey its unique and distinctive flavor."
Quality secures entry into demanding markets
To meet export requirements, the production process must be standardized. Green Life Cooperative follows VietGAP guidelines and processes honey according to ISO 22000 standards. After harvesting, the honey undergoes moisture reduction and extraction using specialized machinery, ensuring no manual handling.
Thuan shared that Green Life Cooperative now has 11 members managing over 4,000 naturally raised bee colonies, producing nearly 60,000 liters of pure honey annually. The products are labeled with traceability codes, and the cooperative actively promotes them at trade fairs, supermarkets, and on e-commerce platforms. Through the AEA Business Incubator, Thuan received training in financial management, marketing, and social media sales.
In October 2024, with support from local agencies and businesses, Green Life successfully exported 20 boxes of honey (250 jars, 380ml each) to the UK. "We meet stringent export standards, maintaining honey moisture content below 18 percent and processing temperatures under 35 degrees Celsius during moisture reduction," Thuan explained.
Mr. Dinh Tat Thang, Head of the Kim Boi District Agriculture and Rural Development Department, highlighted Hop Tien’s advantage of 5,000 hectares of natural forest, where free-ranging bees produce honey of outstanding quality.
Green Life’s successful export of honey to the UK is a significant milestone for the cooperative and Hoa Binh’s agricultural sector. Additionally, the cooperative has developed bee wax candles and honey soap, both eco-friendly and health-focused products. Honey soap helps improve skin health, prevent allergies, and reduce inflammation, while smokeless bee wax candles eliminate odors, making them highly favored by consumers.
In 2022, Green Life’s Hop Tien forest honey was certified as a 3-star OCOP product by Hoa Binh Province and upgraded to 4 stars in 2024. The cooperative generates annual revenue of nearly VND13 billion, with profits approaching VND2 billion, and provides employment for over 40 local youth, primarily from ethnic minority communities. “We have also expanded production with a new facility in Ha Nam, and the potential for future growth is immense,” Thuan noted.
