HONORING THE FIRST 5-STAR OCOP PRODUCT OF THE PROVINCE

According to Mr. Le Ben – Deputy Director of Tri Tin Co., Ltd., it is extremely difficult for a product to obtain the national 5-star OCOP certification. To achieve this prestigious title, the product must not only have outstanding quality but also meet strict requirements in terms of design, packaging, product story, traceability, standardized production processes, and especially commercialization and export capability. This is a set of criteria with hundreds of detailed indicators, requiring enterprises to make comprehensive investments in all aspects, from production processes and techniques, traceability to brand management.

Fully aware of this, throughout the production process, Tri Tin has always strictly adhered to and fully implemented all criteria of the OCOP program with the highest level of effort. Especially during implementation, the company always emphasizes honesty and transparency for the products it manufactures. To achieve this, it is extremely important to convey this awareness to all workers and employees; regularly organizing training and education sessions so that workers fully understand and strictly follow these principles—because they are the ones who directly create the products, not the owners or leaders.

Thanks to these efforts, Tri Tin has officially participated in the OCOP program since 2022 with three products (dehydrated sea grapes, puffed roasted seaweed snack, and stuffed seaweed snack), all of which have achieved high rankings. Specifically, Tri Tin’s dehydrated sea grapes product was voted by the National OCOP Council to achieve 5-star OCOP (national level) in 2024. The puffed roasted seaweed snack and stuffed seaweed snack have been evaluated by the Khanh Hoa Provincial OCOP Council at the 5-star OCOP score level and are currently being submitted to the Central OCOP Council for consideration.

“Once a business understands its core values and invests comprehensively, its products will be strong enough to overcome standard barriers to reach the top—and Tri Tin has done that. The certification of the dehydrated sea grapes product as a national 5-star OCOP is proof of Tri Tin’s quality, perseverance, and pioneering spirit. This is not only an honor but also a great motivation for Tri Tin to continue striving towards becoming a green enterprise, developing sustainably and going even further in the future,” Mr. Ben shared.

TOWARDS A GREEN AND SUSTAINABLE ENTERPRISE

Up to now, Tri Tin’s own cultivation area is 1.5 hectares; in addition, the company has cooperated with 15 households who cultivate about 9 hectares. With an average productivity of nearly 20 tons per hectare per year, the company’s total output reaches about 200–250 tons per year.

In addition to cultivation methods, Tri Tin also applies deep processing and strict quality management systems, achieving international certifications such as HACCP, HALAL, and Code TS 611. This allows Tri Tin’s sea grapes to be directly exported to demanding markets such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and the United States. Besides traditional markets, the company is planning to expand exports to two large potential markets: Europe and the Middle East, as well as countries with large Muslim populations. Currently, Tri Tin’s products have been certified with HACCP and HALAL, and the company is carrying out necessary procedures to be able to export to Europe in compliance with regulations.

Mr. Ben said that bringing an agricultural product to the global export market is not simple at all and requires enterprises to “accept the common rules of the game” rather than doing things based on subjective wishes. On that basis, Tri Tin’s trade promotion and brand-building strategy prioritizes investment in upgrading production facilities and product quality to meet certification requirements for export, according to regulations of competent authorities—commonly referred to as export codes (Tri Tin’s code is TS 611).

Next, the company focuses on researching and selecting potential and suitable markets for its products to enter the global market; at the same time, carrying out promotion, marketing, and customer-seeking activities. To collect information and find suitable partners, Tri Tin often relies on the network of Vietnamese trade offices in embassies around the world. In addition, the company actively participates in trade connection missions and market-seeking delegations organized by ministries, departments, and local authorities.

After that, Tri Tin contacts and works with selected partners through various means such as email communication, online meetings, and, when necessary, direct meetings. The final important step is to implement sales contracts or agreements between the two parties, in which the company especially focuses on strictly and properly fulfilling all agreed or committed terms with customers, and also sharing risks with customers (if any). This is a crucial factor that clearly demonstrates Tri Tin’s credibility and serves as the glue that bonds the company with its customers in the long term, towards the goal of sustainable development. Thanks to these efforts, up to now, Tri Tin’s customers are all loyal customers, both domestically and internationally.

In the context that Khanh Hoa Province in particular and the whole country in general are striving to develop a green economy and circular economy under the direction of the Prime Minister, Tri Tin itself has also early identified its development strategy as focusing on in-depth development and greening, towards sustainable development. Accordingly, the company has established a Seaweed Technology Development Center, cooperating with highly qualified scientists in science and technology to research and apply scientific and technological achievements in seaweed cultivation and processing, in order to create new and more effective cultivation models.

From initial raw materials of new, high-value seaweed species combined with deep processing methods, Tri Tin will produce new product lines with higher added value and better serve consumer needs. At the same time, the company is also striving to meet specific criteria on Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) to become a green enterprise, towards sustainable development in line with the general orientation of the province and the country.

During implementation, Tri Tin has also encountered certain difficulties (such as expanding marine farming areas, financial resources to invest in modern deep-processing equipment, etc.). However, overcoming all these challenges, the company has received timely support from local authorities and functional departments such as: stabilizing the company’s production location; supporting part of the funding for investment in machinery and equipment for production; organizing promotion, connection, and trade promotion activities to bring the company’s products to consumers through Trade Promotion Centers of the Department of Industry and Trade, Department of Agriculture and Environment, etc.

“We highly appreciate this timely and very meaningful support, and would like to express our deep gratitude to local authorities and functional departments of Khanh Hoa Province. We hope to continue receiving your attention and support to create favorable conditions for Tri Tin to develop further and further, making practical contributions to socio-economic development and the industrialization and modernization of the province,” Mr. Ben emphasized.