Ms. Pham Phuong Thao can be considered a prime example as one of the few pioneers in organic farming. She is currently the CEO of Organica Investment Joint Stock Company - an enterprise certified for organic production by the US Department of Agriculture and the EU.

The urge toward organic production

It was by pure coincidence that I had the opportunity to meet Ms. Thao in an Organica store on Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, Vo Thi Sau Ward, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.

When asked about her success, she said, “When I was having my first steps, a few businesses had done it already. But ten years ago the concept of organic was still quite foreign to many people. I would not claim this as a success yet. We operate on a small scale, and our products have not been widely popularized. I still enjoy this job the most since leaving the university, although it’s true that we have had a difficult journey to get to where we are today.”

“What made you switch to a job that is always attached to the fields and the weather?”, I asked.

“It starts from my personal needs. In 2011, I was pregnant with my first child and suffered from morning sickness, simply craving raw vegetables. But dirty food was all over the markets at that time, especially vegetables. I started to worry about dirty food affecting my child's well-being. Choosing food to eat every day was difficult, and finding clean food sources was even more difficult,” said Ms. Thao.

“The mother instinct urged me to do something to protect my child. I went online to research and was able to read a lot of useful information about organic food. I knew there were a few businesses in Vietnam that could make organic products such as tea and rice, but mainly for exports. That was what sparked my desire to invest in an organic food store.”

Ms. Thao officially opened a small shop selling organic food products in 2013, but choices were limited with only 5-6 types of organically grown vegetables, 4 types of rice and 8 types of tea.

After a few months of opening, her team received a visit from a vegetable farmer in Da Lat growing bell peppers, tomatoes, and some types of lettuce. He claimed that the vegetables were produced under an organic procedure.

Upon hearing that, I immediately went up to visit and check them out and decided to purchase them. Later there were other farmers offering to supply goods. The product source became more diverse, but even with careful filtering I still could not manage all the procedures and product quality. I quickly realized that it was impossible to continue doing business without a clear vision and orientation. I was determined to invest in the farms myself, both to stabilize the supply and proactively follow organic farming procedures."

The “a” in “Organica”

When participating in an organic market fair in Laos in 2013, Ms. Thao came up with a business plan to become an organic food distributor in Vietnam with the main supply source coming from Laos. Not long after that, her organic food store had more products imported from Laos such as organic rice, beans, and coffee.

However, the idea of having a farm still lingers as a constant drive within Ms. Thao’s mind. "One day at the end of 2013, a friend of mine called me and told me to come down and check out his 2 ha farm in Long Thanh, Dong Nai, which had been empty for 10 years, thus easily exceeding organic soil standards. He said we could work together if the situation was favorable. I felt great joy after hearing the news and decided to proceed immediately."

They had to plow four times to cut all the grass and turn the soil over because the grass was too thick. The next step included building net houses and finding workers to grow vegetables. “From the very beginning, I was determined to grow vegetables organically, so I contacted certification bodies to ask them for advice on how to do it right. After reviewing the terrain, and taking soil samples for analysis, they agreed to sign a consulting contract to assist in the organic procedure. And by November 2015 our farm was officially organic-certified by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the European Union (EU).”

Currently, Organica has become the first unit in the country to obtain two international organic certifications for organic vegetable gardens. With a list of more than 500 organic items in the store, it can be said to be the most diverse and rich in current organic food suppliers.

Organica has now become the first unit in Vietnam to obtain two international organic certifications for vegetable gardens. With a list of more than 500 organic items in the store, it can be said that Organica has the most diverse and rich product list among organic food suppliers at the moment. “The reason why I chose the organic food retail brand name "Organica" and not "Organic Something" is that the last “a” represents quality - Grade A quality. That is the motto and purpose of our company”.

Translated by Samuel Pham