Vietnamese Enterprises - It is increasingly difficult to hunt and exploit cordyceps in the wild. Due to competition, products on the market are imported from many different origins, causing anxiety and confusion for consumers. A Vietnamese enterprise has successfully grown cordyceps products and has gained a foothold in the market.
Lavite Co., Ltd. consists of scientists, pharmacists, engineers, pharmaceutical and food technicians who have researched and successfully cultivated cordyceps for the past 5 years. Vietnamese enterprises had a conversation with Ms. Trang La, co-founder of Lavite Co., Ltd. about Hector, Cordyceps Made in Vietnam products have a foothold in the market today.
NDVN: Hi, I know this is not your first startup project, you failed in your first attempt to open a company. What chance brought you to meet your teammates and share the same passion in cordyceps production?
Ms. Trang La: In 2015, while I was in crisis, I was contacted in the morning by the Tony page admin to connect a group of production friends to bring their products to the SECC exhibition. Since then, I have met 3 more friends who are also production and business people. Everyone joined hands to support and research new products based on the knowledge of Tuyet, Phu's cordyceps mushroom farm and the equipment we had at our factory... So Hector was born.
Cordyceps is an expensive product in nature due to its scarcity. When researching products, what advantages and disadvantages did you and your colleagues face to make the product as perfect as it is today?
The first is that we have difficulty when consumers think that only natural cordyceps is really effective, confidence in farmed products is too low. Not to mention the name also sounds very ambiguous, some people say this is cordyceps, don't abuse the word cordyceps... even though the scientific name actually has only one word, cordycepin, we specify it. scientific name on the package to avoid confusion. An effective product is due to the content of the drug, not the name. Fortunately, in our founding team, there are people who are scientists, and behind them are sponsored by leading researchers in the breed, so they always keep the most stable drug content.
During the research process, the biggest difficulty was still financial. At that time, our group had just run out of money because of the negative effects of the previous project. But thanks to that, we manually do all the work from research, trial production, packaging design, calibration... there are days when we come home 2-3 am, our hands are swollen because of tightening the lid. manually, the body is exhausted from manual work, the brain is heavy due to stress but it is really "absorbent". And now, thinking back on that time, I see that the effort we put in was extremely worth it.
Why is your cordyceps product called Hector? What message does Hector have?
Hector in Greek Mythology is the crown prince, the soul of Troy. Hector joined the bloody war for brotherhood, for loyalty to his father, for his wife and children, and for fighting heroically for the country. Hector is the inspiration for us to choose to name our products. A product to protect the health of the person you love. That is the message we want to give to our customers.
After nearly 3 years of launch, how has Hector been and is growing, how has Hector changed consumers' perception of using collagen supplements?
Actually, many people know collagen and have a habit of using products imported from Japan, Korea, America... to improve skin, hair, joints after the age of 25. These brands already have brands. brand in the world, so Vietnamese people can easily accept it. When Hector was born, we gradually directed the user experience to feel the difference. Every time we hear customers praise our products and switch from imported goods to using Hector, we feel like we're flying among the clouds.
As far as I know, your marketing strategy is doing very well, now, users know a lot about the product. Your secret to being "trusted" and "loved" by users?
The secret is the thing that shouldn't be said... Actually, the core is still the product's effectiveness that surprised users and then switched to product distribution. We often use the word viral, which is a greater meaning than you selling a product for profit. But the pervasive value here is to join hands to build a Vietnamese brand, a startup brand whose quality is not inferior to imported goods has helped us attract the most conscientious sellers on earth, they love Hector so much. Sincerely not inferior to us.
Hector is a product of transparent origin, pure Vietnamese, with a growing area and factory that meets US FDA standards. Products produced with Tony (Tony in the morning) should be favored on the air many times, the founders are the characters in the book "On the runway" - the best seller book that is constantly being reprinted. Thanks to Tony in the morning that they met, carried a basket to an exhibition in Italy, Switzerland and then collaborated to make the product of Cordyceps Hector, can you share more about this "destiny"?
It's a very true story, when they met at SECC 2015, the whole group was very fond of reading Morning Tony. Not only read but we also sent letters to the admin, my letter was later published in the book “On the runway” and Em Tuyet, the founder of Hector, is the character in the article “How could it be?” miserable".
The first project that the sisters cooperated with was the production of dragon fruit juice for export to Europe.
At that time, because of their passion for reading Tony in the morning, all four sisters were eager to carry Vietnamese goods to the West market. So registered an exhibition booth in Milano Italy. It is true that going out to the big sea can open many things, overwhelmed by the size and way of trading in the world. After finishing the fair, the 4 sisters went to Switzerland where they considered themselves the highest class ethnic group. Wander the most lavish streets of Zurich. The purpose of the trip is to look back and let your own dreams be nurtured, to be stronger on the path you have chosen.
There was a time when 4 sisters were sitting on a penthouse in Switzerland, cooking together, making a cup of cordyceps tea while sipping by the window looking out at the sky, and talking about future prospects. even though my pocket was about to run out of money at that time.
Product distribution policy of her side Not multi-level, only 4 levels, according to her share: "Love Vietnamese goods, take business seriously and persevere, sweat and burn brain", exactly like that. any? Can you share so that young people and business enthusiasts can find opportunities for themselves? For young people who are on the verge of opening up, nurturing their dreams of daring to commit, dare to accept challenges to start a business, as a person with a lot of experience, do you have any advice?
Shark Hung said "The water is too clear, there are no fish - If you are too careful, there is no money. Good opportunities are often not obvious - Obviously, it's not your turn."
My advice is that you have the most valuable thing in life which is youth, just do it and do it, if you don't succeed, you will become a person. If there is failure, pain, and humiliation, it is only a valuable experience in this life.
The company's goal is that by 2025, it will serve one million users with 10,000 retail points in the country and export connections? How has that goal been achieved so far?
The goal is the destination but we are always happy every moment we go. We break the goal down into several stages, trying to accomplish the small items. Fortunately, there are quite crazy partners in the squad, who love to experience on the journey, so just go and perfect, not afraid of failure, just afraid that you are not crazy enough.
Thank you sister!
Ho Ngoc (performed)
Source: Vietnamese Enterprises