Over 43 years of development, Cau Tre has led the way in transforming traditional Vietnamese family dishes into industrially processed foods, while preserving their authentic and unique flavors. In July 2017, CJ Group (Korea) officially invested in Cau Tre, strengthening the brand, increasing its domestic market share, and expanding internationally. This partnership supports socio-economic growth and reinforces Cau Tre’s commitment to preserving and promoting the cultural identity of Vietnamese cuisine. To learn more, our reporter interviewed Mr. Kim Se Won, General Director of CJ Cau Tre Foods Joint Stock Company.
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What do you think about the development process of CJ Cau Tre, and its contributions to the development of Ho Chi Minh City, especially since CJ Group invested in the company?
Established in 1982, Cau Tre is a leading producer and exporter of frozen foods in Vietnam. On July 1, 2017, CJ Group (South Korea) officially contributed capital to the company and Cau Tre was renamed CJ Cau Tre. Through various stages of development and alignment with the city's growth, CJ Cau Tre has become one of the key exporters of Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam in general.
CJ Cau Tre currently has two modern food processing factories in Ho Chi Minh City, one in Tan Phu district and another in Hiep Phuoc Industrial Park, Nha Be district. In addition, the company has a Cau Tre tea farm and factory, covering about 120 ha in Village 4, Loc Tan commune, Bao Lam district, Lam Dong province. It grows and processes Oolong tea.
Pioneering innovation, CJ Cau Tre has continuously expanded its portfolio with more than 300 products for domestic and international markets. In addition to maintaining its strength in traditional dishes such as spring rolls and pork ham dim sum, the company has led trends with modern product lines such as Mandu dumplings, sterilized sausages, fish balls, beef balls and convenient meals such as fried rice. Each product is a harmonious combination of Vietnamese culinary quintessence and modern production technology.
CJ Cau Tre-branded products are currently available in all supermarkets nationwide. In addition to the main domestic market, CJ Cau Tre exports its products to such markets as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan (China), Hong Kong (China), Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, the US and Canada. The company's revenue in 2024 reached VND9,000 billion.
CJ Cau Tre Foods JSC is honored with the Ho Chi Minh City Brand Award 2024
With quality proven in every product, CJ Cau Tre is honored to receive many prestigious domestic and international awards such as Gold Award for spring rolls from the Southeast Asian Food Science and Technology Association, Asia Gold Award for shrimp rolls, Top 50 Golden products in the integration period, and Ho Chi Minh City Golden Brand. Tea products are highly appreciated by consumers and experts at many fairs and exhibitions.
To build and maintain a strong and reputable culinary brand, what investment strategy has CJ Cau Tre carried over the past time?
As a pioneering food brand, CJ Cau Tre deeply understands the importance of developing products based on quality, flavor, nutritional value and convenience for customers. The combination of frozen food production techniques and the ability to preserve the unique delicious taste of each dish is the secret and innovation of CJ Cau Tre over the past 43 years. In that process, food safety is a top priority.
The company has continuously upgraded technology, modernized production lines, and invested in more machinery and equipment to improve labor productivity, competitiveness and business efficiency. In addition to strictly complying with mandatory requirements in importing countries such as FDA (USA), JFDA (Japan), EFDA (EU) and KFDA (Korea), CJ Cau Tre has built and regularly updated the latest advanced standards for production processes. Moreover, the company has also applied the internal "continuous improvement" program, mandatory for all departments to ensure innovation and optimization of production processes.
CJ Cau Tre Foods JSC adopts an advanced technological equipment line to ensure the highest standards of food hygiene and safety
CJ Cau Tre also focuses on comprehensive investment in logistics, from transportation and storage to product packaging. The company builds a strict control system according to a closed value chain - from farms and input areas to processing, cold storage and distribution. As a result, CJ Cau Tre products always maintain optimal quality when they are delivered to consumers.
What features besides product quality connect the CJ Cau Tre brand with consumers and the community?
As a brand that connects with the community, CJ Cau Tre always aims to build a modern, dynamic and creative working environment. We promote the harmonious development between businesses and people, ensure the rights and interests of employees, and maintain sustainable relationships with the community, customers and shareholders.
Besides the business environment, CJ Cau Tre also aims to back farmers in their development, helping them improve their farming practices by minimizing the use of pesticides and chemicals that are harmful to the environment. We also help them enhance productivity with advanced techniques and high-quality seeds in order to bring more added value, high and stable income.
We always invest in and improve production to make CJ Cau Tre factories "cleaner factories". Their entire wastewater treatment systems are regularly upgraded to minimize environmental impact. CJ Cau Tre also increases the use of cleaner energy and always tries to reduce packaging without reducing product quality.
More importantly, CJ Cau Tre is always committed to complying with ESG sustainable governance principles according to global standards. At the same time, we invest in the R&D Center and the Food Safety Center to research and develop safe, quality and healthy products for consumers.
In addition to production and business tasks, the company contributes more than VND500 million annually to finance charitable activities, build charity houses, and take care of Vietnamese heroic mothers. The company supported flood victims and victims of Agent Orange, contributed to efforts to contain COVID-19 and organized free food booths.
Furthermore, CJ Cau Tre actively assists the development of the local business community. The company is currently a member of industry associations such as the Ho Chi Minh City Business Association, the Food and Foodstuff Association of HCM City (FFA), the Vietnam Association of Food Science and Technology, and the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers.
What do you think about the investment environment in Ho Chi Minh City? How does CJ Cau Tre plan to keep expanding its business activities, enhancing its position and product value in Vietnam and around the world?
In the past years, Ho Chi Minh City has constantly been a bright spot of economic development in the country, especially in attracting investment flows, innovating administrative reforms and
improving competitiveness. In response to central policies, the city has many specific policies to support businesses, including CJ Cau Tre, to confidently develop further.
CJ Cau Tre will promote technological innovation, modernize production lines and expand production capacity to accelerate exports through CJ Group's global network. At the same time, the company will develop new products inspired by the K-Food trend and infused with the essence of Vietnamese cuisine to win over international consumers.
With its efforts for continuous innovation and improvement, CJ Cau Tre is committed to further preserving the identity, developing Vietnamese culture and bringing the essence of Vietnamese cuisine to the world.
Thank you very much!
By Ha Thanh, Vietnam Business Forum
Vietnamese
