In early 2016, two individuals with years of experience working with communities and development projects discussed ways to help the ethnic minorities in Thừa Thiên Huế benefit more from the natural forests that the government had entrusted to them for management. After much debate, they decided to introduce the precious medicinal plants found in the forests to the market, thereby creating sustainable income for the locals and offering more beneficial products for society.
While the idea was not new, as many had attempted similar projects, few had achieved the success they hoped for. A few weeks later, two more people, a university lecturer and a pharmaceutical technician, joined the original two, and together they were determined to pursue this idea. Others expressed interest in becoming co-founders, but those with a passion for planting and forest preservation were given priority. Three months later, the company was founded with the immediate goal of producing essential oils and attracting customers for these products.
Essential oils were not a new product either. Vietnam had once been the second-largest producer of essential oils in the world (after France). Producing essential oils is not difficult as humanity has thousands of years of distillation experience. Therefore, to attract customers, we set two fundamental principles to follow and commit to them. These principles were high quality and the uniqueness of the product.
Regarding the first principle, we spent six months developing and testing the distillation system, and twelve months experimenting with materials and production processes including plant varieties, soil, cultivation methods, harvesting times, distillation times, temperatures, pressures, refining, pressing, settling, and numerous other factors like product standards and packaging—everything had to be the best for the user. As for uniqueness, we focused on leveraging the strengths and distinctive characteristics of the local people, nature, and culture to create products with a unique identity, both in form and content. Though it took much time and money, we were not in a hurry to release a product unless we were fully satisfied with both of our principles.
Alongside product development, we worked with farmers, government agencies, and local authorities to establish the raw material supply areas. The main goal was to create a market for medicinal plants and essential oils from local people. The company decided not to develop its own raw materials. Some materials like Thiên Niên Kiện and ginger were already available in the forests, but they were scattered and limited in quantity. Without proactive development, they would soon be exhausted. However, with a product still in the early stages and the market unclear, and especially since the company lacked significant investment, not many households or communities were willing to take on the risk of investing in raw material areas for Liên Minh Xanh.
To solve this challenge and to learn, we decided to work closely with only a few of the most suitable people, planting together, weeding together, going into the forest together, finding seeds together, and doing many other tasks. This was no small challenge for those who were not accustomed to manual labor. The founding members of Liên Minh Xanh went to the fields and forests, unafraid of the rain or sun, to plant trees and harvest raw materials. As a result, we gained a great deal of local knowledge, farming experience, and most importantly, the trust of the local people. Thanks to this, within just one year, we established a network of local households cooperating with Liên Minh Xanh to provide stable raw materials for the coming years.
In August 2017, 16 months after the idea was formed, we introduced our first products on social media through Facebook. Together with the farmers, we reaped the rewards after more than a year of hard work. Within just three months, we achieved the desired results for the market testing phase. More than 70% of customers returned for a second purchase, and 30% continued to place a third order. At the end of 2017, we were proud of our progress and felt much more confident after receiving feedback from our customers. In 2018 and the following years, we set higher and bigger goals. We hope that you, those who are willing to learn more about Liên Minh Xanh, will support and accompany us on a journey we call the “Green Journey.”