Suối Giàng is a small village in Văn Chấn Commune, Lào Cai Province. The village has been blissful by nature with magnificent ancient Shan Tuyết tea forests. These centuries-old tea trees have stood the test of time, featuring massive trunks, gnarled branches covered in moss, and large, distinctive leaves.
Suối Giàng covers nearly 500 hectares, including around 300 hectares of naturally growing tea forests. It is home to more than 40,000 ancient Shan Tuyết tea trees that are between 100 and 500 years old. More than just an agricultural crop, it has become a cultural and economic symbol. It is deeply connected to generations of the local H’Mông people.
Ms. Lâm Thị Kim Thoa founded the Suối Giàng Cooperative in 2007 with the support of local authorities. Her goal was to create more jobs and increase incomes for local farmers through Shan Tuyết tea. She mobilized several local residents to join the cooperative, which started with approximately VND 65 million in capital. At the time, production relied on basic equipment, while tea processing facilities did not meet modern standards. As a result, the product range remains limited, with simple packaging.
Over the years, the cooperative has invested more than VND 2 billion in building a modern processing facility. It has also installed advanced equipment capable of processing up to two metric tons of fresh tea leaves per day. By collaborating with tea industry experts, the cooperative has provided hands-on technical training for its members and employees. It has also organized study tours to tea factories in other provinces. The cooperative has signed purchasing contracts with local tea growers to ensure stable market access for farming households.
Shan Tuyết tea
The ancient Suối Giàng Shan Tuyết tea region has been certified as a natural organic tea-growing area and granted geographical indication (GI) status. Each tea tree has been assigned a QR code for traceability, while the processing facility has achieved HACCP certification. The cooperative’s Tuyết Sơn Trà brand has earned a 4-star OCOP rating.
Its finished tea products sell for between VND 400,000 and VND 4 million per kilogram. Currently, its Shan Tuyết Black Tea and Shan Tuyết Leaf Tea meet European standards. They are also exported to the United Kingdom and Japan.
The cooperative generates average annual revenue of around VND 2.2 billion and earns more than VND 350 million in annual profit. It provides stable employment for 10 full-time workers and more than 20 seasonal workers. The average monthly income is approximately VND 6 million per employee. Determined to revive the reputation of a historic tea, Ms. Thoa has actively sought partnerships with Vietnamese tea businesses. She has also participated in trade fairs and exhibitions and promoted Suối Giàng Shan Tuyết tea to wider markets.
Although she was not born or raised in Suối Giàng, Ms. Thoa speaks the H’Mông language fluently and has a deep understanding of local customs and tea cultivation. This has enabled her to successfully persuade H’Mông farmers not to cut down ancient tea trees to plant maize. She has also helped raise awareness of conserving these centuries-old trees and expanding existing tea-growing areas. She has contributed to restoring degraded tea plantations and improving cultivation, harvesting, and processing techniques.
Ancient Shan Tuyết tea tree
As the cooperative’s director, Ms. Thoa personally hosts livestream sales, receives and confirms customer orders, and interacts with customers in a friendly and approachable manner. Her efforts have helped attract increasing numbers of visitors to Suối Giàng. She has also invested in building the “Bản Giàng Chân Mây” showroom in Cang Kỷ Hamlet. There, visitors can discover Shan Tuyết tea and other OCOP products while enjoying tea amid the cloud-covered mountain landscape.
The cooperative is currently implementing a smart traceability system that allows every Shan Tuyết tea product to be traced back to its individual ancient tea tree. As part of a pilot program, 100 ancient tea trees have been assigned traceability labels. Meanwhile, packaged dried tea products carry QR-coded labels identifying the age group of the source trees: over 500 years, over 400 years, over 200 years, and over 100 years.
The smart traceability system and QR codes provide consumers with transparent product information in the domestic market. They also meet the stringent traceability requirements of international buyers. Thanks to her dedication, the Suối Giàng Shan Tuyết tea brand has gained widespread recognition. It also continues to strengthen its reputation both in Vietnam and abroad.
Vietnamese source: https://nhandan.vn/xay-dung-thuong-hieu-che-shan-tuyet-suoi-giang-post914487.html
For more information about Shan Tuyết tea, please contact us:
Company: Agrideco Vietnam Co., Ltd.
Address: No 02, Alley 325 Kim Nguu, Vinh Tuy Ward, Hanoi, Vietnam
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