Origin branding– tag –

Ninh Binh province held an OCOP specialty-products week from June 26 to 30. We explain how Japanese food buyers can read this regional certification system, with 60 booths and about 70 items on display, as a clue for narrowing down growing areas.

Le Van Sau, a durian farmer in Can Tho in the Mekong Delta, has shared his cultivation know-how with neighbors free of charge and formed a "billionaire farmers club" with more than 20 members. We unpack this growing-area formation, which chose shared prosperity in a world where monopolizing technology is the norm, from the perspective of Japanese sourcing and growing-area branding.

A processed-food maker in Da Nang is raising the unit price of produce through storytelling and gift design. A long-established fish-sauce maker now earns 30% of sales from gifts, and Me Mit Food has earned OCOP four stars. We unpack concrete measures that work for the product design of dried vegetables and OEM gifts.

Vo Tranh, the largest tea region in Thai Nguyen province (2,600 ha of tea, 17 OCOP products), has begun moving toward a unified brand while retaining the character of each village. We consider the aim of combining ethnic-minority culture with tea tourism, and the sourcing implications that Japanese tea buyers should read into it.

In an ethnic-minority village on the border of Quang Ninh province, there is a move to turn the medicinal root "dia lien" into a growing area on 10 ha and aim for OCOP certification. We unpack the practical implications of growing-area formation for Japanese importers and agricultural professionals.

Carrying the Arabica of Son La province in northern Vietnam, a 25-year-old barista heads to the Brewers Cup world championship. We unpack the growing area's move into specialty coffee and the implications for Japanese roasters and importers.