The annual poll on Vietnam’s high-quality goods, voted by consumers, is always of keen interest for local businesses, because they want to know the popularity of their products, the quality of their products in the eyes of consumers, their brand identity and competitiveness.
For the past 18 years, the list of high-quality goods award winners changes every year, with some disappearances and some new faces. Among 476 high-quality goods award winners in 2014, nearly 40 companies were certified for the first time.
Devotion makes satisfaction
Pham Thi To, Director of Dong A General Production and Trading Co., Ltd, is renowned for her journey to claim the ownership of “Ben Tre coconut candy” brand name in China. Determined to protect its brand name, her company has increased investment for new technologies to reduce manual production stages so as to enhance product quality and food safety. The company regularly introduces new coconut sweets to the market. Its efforts have caught the attention and sentiment of consumers. And in 2014, consumers voted “Ben Tre coconut candy" of Dong A Company as the Vietnam High-quality Goods.
Vo Thi Huynh Lan, Business Manager of Dong A Company, said coconut candy - a traditional product - is by now very popular and the ‘consumer trust’ seal will be a driving force for the company to enhance the competitiveness.
The 2014 opinion poll on Vietnam’s high-quality goods widened the scope of candidates: Producers and suppliers of fresh, green, clean and safe produce for the market, including flowers, vegetables and fruits. Seven companies of this sector were voted by consumers, including Dalat Agri Foods Company, Agrivina Co., Ltd (Dalat Hasfarm), Long Khanh Fruit Co., Ltd, Hoa Dat Viet Production - Trading - Services Co., Ltd, Viet Phuoc Mushroom Farm Co., Ltd, Anh Dao General Agriculture Services Cooperative, and Viet Rabbit Agriculture Cooperative.
Ms Nguyen Thi Anh Ngoc, Head of the Viet Rabbit Agriculture Cooperative, said it is very hard to build a brand image for fresh vegetables because it is not easy to deliver totally fresh vegetables and fruits to consumers and it is extremely difficult to help consumers to identify products made from certified clean and safe production processes. At first, the cooperative packaged organic vegetables and delivered to small merchants in traditional markets and took back unsellable items at the end of the day. The cooperative had to persuade them because they feared that they could not sell more expensive organic products. While approaching housewives in traditional channels, the cooperative also contacted and introduced products, meeting VietGAP standards, to supermarkets. After constant effort, consumers now widely accept Viet Rabbit vegetables and the cooperative sells more than 20 tonnes a day.
Mr Nguyen Duc Anh, Deputy Director of Viet Phuoc Mushroom Farm Co., Ltd, said he felt very glad to see fresh vegetables used in daily life of the people and create jobs and incomes for many labourers. The company registered to join the poll on Vietnam’s high-quality goods in order increase the popularity of its products to consumers, measure the satisfaction of consumers in product quality as well as assess the market accessibility. To approach consumers, during the first year of marketing, the company accepted to suffer losses to supply best mushrooms and sprouts to consumers. The company replaced left-over products everyday although the expiry is seven days. Leftovers are destroyed. After two years, the company’s products have been widely accepted by consumers. Most products of the company are consumed within the day.
Agrivina Co., Ltd (Dalat Hasfarm), with over 20 years of experience, grows and supplies 100 million branches of flowers a year. Dalat Hasfarm flowers are very well-known to consumers because they are widely sold in markets, supermarkets and commercial centres across the country. Although the prices are slightly higher, they are very favourite because of superior quality.
Keep the faith lasting?
According to the Vietnam High-quality Goods Association, after 18 years, the list of winners of Vietnam High-quality Goods Awards sees new faces and some departures. Among 476 winners in 2014, only 42 companies have won awards in 18 consecutive years.
Mr Nguyen Trong, who is in charge of the poll, said many companies seem not to catch up with the fast-changing consumer market and they lose in the annual poll. Meanwhile, new winners prove to have high-quality innovative products. Some companies appear in the list for many years but their ranking decline year after year. They may be cross off the list of winners sooner or later.
First-ever winners are also aware that winning the consumer trust is very difficult but keeping it is much more difficult.
Ms Vo Thi Huynh Lan said Dong A Company planned to open 20-50 outlets in Ho Chi Minh City. Outlet agents will be partially supported rentals, advertising tools and promotions from six months to 12 months. A new outlet is forecast to cost VND50 million. Certainly, costs will increase, but the company accepts lower profitability to boost the brand name popularity to lay the good ground for the presence of new products in the future. Viet Phuoc Mushroom Farm Co., Ltd has reorganised production to maintain selling prices stable throughout the year. The company will expand its business presence to other provinces instead of only Ho Chi Minh City.
Viet Rabbit Agriculture Cooperative now has 100 ha of vegetables in Ho Chi Minh City and 50 - 60 ha of temperate vegetables in Dak Nong province. The cooperative is applying VietGAP standards to its production. It plans to develop 100 ha more to raise its output by 80-100 percent. Viet Rabbit will open online sale because of growing demand in this channel. Anh Ngoc said it is quite difficult to sell vegetables via internet but the cooperative strives to manage it. The cooperative expects online sales will account for 30-40 percent of its total sales.
N.H
Vietnamese
