Many “rustic” products such as rice paper, rice porridge, nipa palm nectar, pickled eggplant, shrimp paste, and more are gradually reaching and conquering global markets by fully leveraging local elements as a competitive advantage.
On June 13, Cà Mèn Co., Ltd. (brand name Cà Mèn) signed an exclusive distribution contract with LNS International JSC to export snakehead fish rice porridge to the U.S. The company is now urgently preparing its first shipment of 31,500 packs—equivalent to one 20-foot container—scheduled for June 29.
Natural fragrance spreads far
This shipment will be distributed by LNS to over 1,000 supermarkets across the U.S. According to Mr. Lê Trọng Đôn, CEO of Cà Mèn, before this exclusive deal, the snakehead fish rice porridge had already been sold in the U.S. through eight distributors. The company has also exported to Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan (China).
It has been exactly one year since Cà Mèn started packaging and selling the famous Quảng Trị snakehead fish rice porridge. Each pack includes whole fillets of snakehead fish, rice noodles, concentrated broth, satay fermented soybean sauce, and dried scallions—ready to cook into a bowl of rich, authentic porridge.
“Fortunately, customers embraced the product. One introduced it to another, and eventually to foreign distributors. It was through this network that LNS learned of us and proactively proposed an exclusive distribution deal in the U.S.,” Đôn shared.
According to him, Cà Mèn’s advantage lies in being a start-up since 2015, with its first eight years running a restaurant that built a base of loyal customers. These customers significantly contributed to spreading the product’s reputation.
“For us, product quality is the top priority. Even though it’s packaged, we strive to maintain maximum freshness. We also continually research and adjust the product to suit each market,” Đôn noted.
LNS is currently finalizing formulas, packaging, and labeling for a new product: instant eel vermicelli, aimed at both overseas Vietnamese communities and international consumers. This product is expected to launch in July 2023.
It can be said that Cà Mèn has found success in exporting local specialties without investing time, effort, or cost in advertising or market access. Before LNS, Tân Nhiên Co., Ltd. (known for its no-soak rice paper) also relied on customers to initiate cooperation. According to CEO Đặng Khánh Duy, since 2020, the company has signed many export orders to South Korea, Taiwan (China), the U.S., Australia, and Japan.
“Our company almost has no advertising budget. Instead, we focus entirely on improving product quality, refining production processes, and controlling costs to offer the best price. Initially, our product entered the market with the advantages of being tasty, unique, and novel, so buyers proactively contacted us to place export orders,” Duy explained.
Confidently introducing local resources
In recent years, alongside the vibrant start-up wave in agriculture, many young entrepreneurs have boldly researched, developed, and successfully commercialized local specialty products. After establishing a foothold in the domestic market, many businesses expanded into global markets. VietNipa Co., Ltd. is one example.
Currently, VietNipa’s concentrated nipa palm nectar and nipa palm sugar are being introduced to Japanese consumers during Vietnam Goods Week 2023, organized by Aeon Group. Just a month earlier, these two products were showcased at Thaifex Anuga 2023 in Thailand.
According to CEO Phan Minh Tiến, international customers showed great interest and appreciation: “Many were excited to try nipa palm nectar and sugar. Compared to other natural sweeteners, nipa palm products are novel and delicious.”
However, since the products are new, international buyers are still testing and surveying the market. “Our goal is to target businesses interested in organic, vegan, and natural alternatives to synthetic sweeteners. We’ve prepared all necessary documentation, certifications, and production capacity to fulfill export orders anytime,” Tiến affirmed.
Meanwhile, Ms. Đoàn Thị Hồng Thắm, CEO of Hygie & Panacee (specializing in herbal instant teas), has also started introducing her products abroad after securing a stable domestic foundation. She is confident that familiar ingredients like ginger, lemongrass, perilla, oregano, solanum procumbens, rice paddy herb, and houttuynia—sourced from VietGAP-certified regions and processed with modern technology—will find opportunities in foreign markets.
According to Ms. Vũ Kim Hạnh, Director of the Business Studies and Assistance Center (BSA), many enterprises are successfully positioning local products as their strongest competitive edge. Numerous items such as nipa palm nectar, pickled eggplant, shrimp paste, and mango pudding are being developed by small-scale local businesses, who tell their stories and use modern technology to win over global consumers.
“The recent Thaifex fair showed that businesses can succeed if they know how to highlight the unique features of local resources while also studying consumer trends across different markets and regions,” Ms. Kim Hạnh observed.
