Bùi Thị Mão, Director of Hoài Trung Tea Co., Ltd., introduced the company's Hoài Trung Premium đinh tea product to foreign customers. — VNA/VNS Photo Trung Kiên

PHÚ THỌ — "Hoài Trung Premium đinh tea" by Hoài Trung Tea Co., Ltd. (in Chí Tiên Commune, Thanh Ba District) has received 5-star national-level One Commune One Product (OCOP) rating, becoming the first tea product in the northern province and the second product in Việt Nam to achieve the honour.

The "Hoài Trung Premium đinh Tea" is a combination of three special tea varieties grown in the hills of Thanh Ba District, along with unique processing techniques that create the distinctive flavor of the product.

Bùi Thị Mão, Director of Hoài Trung Tea Co., Ltd., said at least 7-8kg of raw tea buds are needed to produce 1kg of dried đinh tea.

After being harvested, the tea leaves are not immediately roasted but left to dry for about 4-5 hours to get rid of the moisture.

The rolling and drying machines also need to be designed to be a continuous process.

After being processed, the tea leaves are curled up tightly and uniform in size, with each one resembling a nail, or 'đinh' in Vietnamese, hence the product's name.

The entire production process is carried out on high-tech production lines imported from Japan.

The tea is packaged in high-quality mesh bags, which are convenient for consumers, Mão noted.

When brewed, the đinh tea has a golden colour similar to young rice and carries a pleasant and refreshing aroma. The tea boasts a mild bitterness but sweet aftertaste.

Workers at Hoài Trung Tea Co., Ltd. are packing tea products for exports. — VNA/VNS Photo Trung Kiên

The recognition of "Hoài Trung Premium đinh Tea" as a 5-star national-level OCOP product will contribute to elevating the organic tea processing industry of Thanh Ba District and Phú Thọ Province, which will not only bring in economic gains but also improve the lives of farmers here. 

According to the company's director, to ensure food safety and facilitate traceability, the company has cooperated with tea-growing households through all stages of production - from cultivating, pest and disease prevention, harvesting techniques to processing.

All stages are closely monitored by technical staff, she said.

In 2021, the "Hoài Chung Premium đinh Tea" product was recognised by the provincial People's Committee as a four-star OCOP of the province. In September 2022, Phú Thọ OCOP programme's evaluation and ranking council proposed to recognise the tea product as a five-star OCOP product with an average score of 92.3 points.

Recently, this product has been recognised as a five-star OCOP product at national level by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Currently, Hoài Chung company has 100 hectares of cooperative raw material areas with local farmers.

In addition to premium green tea products such as high-quality bagged tea, premium jasmine tea, and special green tea, the company is also exporting over 1,000 tonnes of black tea annually to Middle Eastern and Chinese markets.

Since 2022 to May 2023, the company has exported over 1,300 tonnes of black tea, with revenues of nearly VNĐ26 billion (US$1 million), ensuring benefits for workers and fulfilling tax obligations to the State.

According to the provincial People's Committee, along with the "Hoài Trung Premium đinh Tea" product, Phú Thọ Province currently has 142 recognised OCOP products, including 47 products with four-star rating and 95 products with three-star rating.

The goal of Phú Thọ Province's OCOP Programme by 2025 is to standardise and develop 228 key products and local specialties that are strengths of localities towards producing goods that meet OCOP standards and can be certified with three-star ratings or higher.

Among them, there will be 11 OCOP products with five-star ratings at national level, 75 products with four-star rating and 142 products with three-star ratings at provincial level. — VNS