The story of the birth of 3-star OCOP products by an old farmer in Tra Vinh

Mr. Nguyen Van Tham (70 years old, in Tra Vinh city, Tra Vinh province) said he started researching bitter melon wine production at the end of 2009, but failed many times due to lack of experience.

“At first, I was the only one growing, harvesting bitter melon and making wine. My wife and children did not agree, so we moved to Ho Chi Minh City to live,” Mr. Tham added.

Mr. Tham shared that after a month of planting, bitter melon will start to produce young fruit. During this stage, straight, oblong fruits will be selected, rolled, put in a ceramic bottle, and harvested 10 days later.

At the end of 2010, the bitter melon wine product was officially launched and became known to many people. Since then, many people have come to visit and learn from Mr. Tham's wine production experience.

Every year, Mr. Tham sells more than 4,000 bottles of bitter melon wine, earning nearly 400 million VND. Photo: Hoang Loc

Ms. Le Kim Thuy ( Vinh Long province) said that her family specializes in growing vegetables, tubers, and fruits, but prices often drop, leading to losses. In 2020, she came to Mr. Tham to learn how to choose bitter melon varieties, growing time, as well as the processes of producing a bottle of finished wine and producing wine to this day.

“There were also many failures because the bitter melon grown in Vinh Long was different from Tra Vinh, resulting in the wrong flavor. But through research, I also had a unique wine product of Vinh Long, selling more than 50 bottles of bitter melon wine each month at 75,000 VND/0.5 liter bottle,” Ms. Thuy added.

Wishing to increase the value of agricultural products, Mr. Nguyen Chau Phong in (Tien Giang province) did not mind the long distance to come to Mr. Tham to learn how to grow and produce wine in early October 2023.

“After Mr. Tham shared with me about choosing bitter melon varieties and putting them in ceramic bottles to achieve the best quality, I decided to produce 100 bottles of bitter melon wine to supply in time for the upcoming Lunar New Year,” Mr. Phong added.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tham shares about the initial difficulties when starting to produce bitter melon wine. Video: Hoang Loc

Sharing about the success of his startup process in his old age, Mr. Tham happily said: "Every year, he sells over 4,000 bottles of finished wine, after deducting all expenses, he still makes a profit of over 200 million VND, besides sharing his experience in growing and producing bitter melon wine with many people from agencies and departments who recommend it."

On October 5, speaking with a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, Ms. Nguyen Thi Dung, Deputy Head of the Economic Department of Tra Vinh City, informed that the Nam Bac - Tu Tham bitter melon wine product is a product that meets the 3-star OCOP standard of Tra Vinh province in 2021.

According to Ms. Dung, in addition to producing bitter melon wine, Mr. Tham also enthusiastically welcomed, introduced, and instructed on how to grow and produce wine not only to locals but also to people from other places.

“However, people need to learn carefully about bitter melon growing techniques and the alcohol concentration of different types of wine to produce finished products for consumers, avoiding the production of substandard products leading to losses and affecting consumers' health,” Ms. Dung added.

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