The journey to bring cereal straws to users

Ms. Nga checks the quality of cereal straw products

From the idea of ​​producing cereal straws to replace plastic materials, overcoming the environmental pollution, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga and her colleagues created the Vinastraws product brand, which is trusted by many coffee shop owners in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An and exported to many countries.

Persevere to the end

It takes 100-500 years to decompose in nature, causes serious environmental pollution when mixed with soil, destroys the habitat of marine life... are the terrible effects of plastic. That prompted Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga (born in 1984), Deputy Director of 5S Joint Stock Company in Phuong Tan village, Kim Lien commune (Kim Thanh) to hatch the idea of ​​producing straws from cereal to replace plastic straws to protect the environment. As soon as her friends invited her to contribute capital to cooperate in producing cereal straws, Ms. Nga agreed and decided to quit her job as a sales manager at the enterprise with an income of about 30 million VND/month.

At the end of March 2019, the company was established with nearly 10 people contributing capital, located in Co Phuc village (Kim Lien commune) and Ms. Nga as Deputy Director. The Board of Directors purchased a production line for producing cereal straws from rice and cassava flour from a unit in Ho Chi Minh City to install and operate with an investment capital of about 2 billion VND. This line requires 15 people to operate with many stages such as shaping the dough, cutting the dough, straightening the straw, drying, operating all day can only produce 100 kg of dough, the finished product is from 30-40 kg of straws. The initial production phase encountered many difficulties.

Although the production line has instructions, when it comes to actual production, Ms. Nga has to find the formula for the product herself. For a whole year after its establishment, Ms. Nga was often present at the company from early morning to late at night to find the right time to steam and dry the flour, the right ratio of rice flour and tapioca flour so that the straws are tough, can be left in water for a long time without becoming soft, the straws are straight, and do not warp... Just for one step to make the straws straight, Ms. Nga had to try many methods such as hanging the straws up, using bamboo sticks, stainless steel sticks inserted into the middle of the straws. But when using the sticks to insert into the straws, many batches of drying were brittle and broken. "At that time, I stayed up many nights worrying because I had invested money in buying machinery, renting a factory, and workers, but every time I poured flour into the machine the day before, I had to pour out the whole batch the next day because the straws were brittle, broken, and bent...", Ms. Nga recalled.

If it fails, throw it away and start again. After about 150 batches of dough like that in 5 months, Ms. Nga finally found the formula for her product. This type of straw costs 10-15 times more than plastic straws, so consumption in Vietnam is difficult. The company is targeting the export market first, and after production is stable, it will promote domestic sales. With experience in selling from her old job, Ms. Nga offers products online on Amazon, Alibaba... In August 2019, the company exported 8 tons of cereal straws with a total value of about 400 million VND to a customer in Germany. However, right after this shipment, exports encountered many difficulties due to the Covid-19 epidemic, and the company had to operate at a standstill.

Realizing that the current production line was not suitable because it required a lot of workers, had low productivity, and had a high loss rate, the company's Board of Directors decided to contribute more capital to buy a new production line with a total value of more than 2.5 billion VND. She continued to research and find a production formula suitable for the new machinery system. This system has many advantages such as only needing 3 workers to operate, producing 1 ton of powder per day to produce 900-950 kg of finished straws, with a low loss rate of only 10-15%, meeting export needs. Ms. Nga also uses food coloring within the permitted limits and natural ingredients such as gardenia fruit, butterfly pea flowers, beetroot, green tea powder, red dragon fruit, etc. to color the straws, ensuring safety for users. All raw materials used to make cereal straws are purchased by the company from units that have been certified for food safety.

Brand reach far

"The straws are not as soft as some other types currently on the market" is the experience that many customers have noticed when using this product. Ms. Nga said: "Recently, a Korean partner tried many types of cereal straws in Vietnam but finally chose our product because of its stability, no breakage, no cracking, no change in structure after 2-4 hours of soaking in drinks. I am very happy because my passion and the company's collective have affirmed the quality with many domestic and foreign partners".

The company's cereal straws with the Vinastraws brand have met ISO 22000 standards. Currently, the product has been trusted by many coffee shop owners in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An (Quang Nam), put into use at the VinPearl resort system and exported to many countries such as Korea, USA, Germany, Czech Republic...

“Cafe owners in Hoi An often request colorful straws to match the tourist city. Customers from Europe often request packaging, wrapping, and labels according to the model of that unit. Straws supplied to the VinPearl system and some high-end hotels and resorts in the country require each straw to be wrapped in paper… We pay attention to all requirements and criteria to bring the most professional service experience to customers,” Ms. Nga affirmed.

In the immediate future, the company's goal is to boost exports and continue to promote and attract domestic customers. After 5 years, the export turnover will reach 7 billion VND/year, and the domestic market revenue will reach 3 billion VND/year, thereby contributing to the consumption of local agricultural products at high prices, creating jobs, protecting the environment, and reducing plastic waste.

What Ms. Nga always worries about is changing the consumption habits of domestic customers to limit the negative impacts on the environment from plastic straws. Currently, the European Union (EU) and many countries have banned or restricted single-use plastic products such as straws, bowls, plates, knives, etc. However, in the domestic market, straws and disposable plastic and foam products still dominate due to their low price and mass production. Meanwhile, the whole country only has about 10 facilities producing cereal straws, low output, high price, so people do not have the habit of using this type of straw. To encourage domestic businesses and households to use cereal straws, the company has used many marketing measures such as online and direct sales, giving away cereal straws to units for free for 1-3 months, price support for the first 6 months, etc.

Ms. Nga is nurturing the idea of ​​producing disposable bowls and plates from banana stem powder to replace plastic bowls and plates. According to Ms. Nga, in Vietnam, banana stems are often discarded or used as animal feed, not creating significant economic value. However, in some places such as India, Australia... banana stems have been used to press paper, bowls, plates, and handicrafts. This method not only creates value from seemingly discarded products but also contributes to sustainable environmental protection.

Ms. Nga shared that when defending her project at the "Women's Entrepreneurship Competition 2021", the judges asked her why she persisted in implementing this project right at the time when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, causing difficulties for the service industry, while the company's products were mainly supplied to this industry? "If I only thought about doing business for profit, I would definitely have given up because I encountered too many difficulties in production, marketing, and introducing products to the market. But I believe that my products bring sustainable value to the community. Therefore, no matter how many difficulties I encounter, I am ready to face them, believing that my efforts and enthusiasm will contribute to creating healthy habits for consumers, thereby protecting the environment and spreading the spirit of sustainable development," Ms. Nga said.

VIET QUYNH