Dong Chau fish sauce meets 3-star OCOP standard

After a period of “elevating” to a 3-star OCOP product, Dong Chau fish sauce produced by Dong Chau Cua Sot Cooperative, Thach Kim commune (Loc Ha – Ha Tinh) is popular with many people.

Dong Chau fish sauce production area outside Xuan Phuong village, Thach Kim commune is very clean. “From 1991 to present, Dong Chau fish sauce is known by many people for its rich and delicious taste. However, the product is only around in the province but has not been able to reach major markets,” said Director of Dong Chau Cua Sot Seafood Export and Processing Cooperative, Luu Thi Chau. “There are many ingredients to produce fish sauce, but anchovies (striped anchovies) are still the first choice because of their high nutritional content, delicious taste, and relatively “soft” price. However, this material is only purchased within 24 hours from the time the fish is caught. If beyond that time period, selling cheap Dong Chau establishments will not buy because they cannot produce good fish sauce “- the director of the cooperative added. The members of the cooperative open the jar lid and prepare to stir the soaked ingredients Brass anchovies usually appear from June to December every year, quite abundantly in Ha Tinh waters with the selling price of 20 million VND/ton, so it is very convenient for Dong Chau to produce in large quantities. However, to be able to produce delicious and quality fish sauce bottles and create a brand, the cooperative workers must carefully select fresh, delicious fish that have not been iced, use clean salt and sufficient dosage. After washing with sea water to dry, anchovies are marinated at the ratio of 4 quintals of fish/1 quintal of salt and 2 kg of hearing (brown rice with golden brown) and then incubated in jars. One month after marinating, the producer opens the jar lid and then uses a tool to stir it from top to bottom. Then every 5-7 days, continue to stir to ensure the fish is cooked evenly. After 18 months, each jar containing 250 kg produces “oven” of 70-80 liters of grade 1 fish sauce with the selling price of 120,000 VND/liter. After harvesting, grade 1 fish sauce continues to be salted, soaked, and stirred 2 to 4 times in a period of 1 month, the producer collects about 40 liters of type 2 fish sauce (selling price 60,000 VND / month). liters) and 30 liters of fish sauce grade 3 (30,000 VND/liter). The “secret” to creating delicious, pure fish sauce drops is to use the traditional method of salting fish sauce on the basis of making the most of the sun. Also thanks to many years of experience in traditional craft, Dong Chau fish sauce attracts consumers thanks to the factors of color, protein and characteristic taste. However, in order to produce high-quality brands, not everyone understands the hardships of this profession. Workers do not have a day off, often have to work under the hot sun of the sea, because the sun is good, the fish sauce is delicious. Not only the taste, but the yellow color of Dong Chau fish sauce also “scores” the product Known for its delicious and rich fish sauce, no preservatives are used, so the products of Dong Chau Cua Sot Cooperative are ordered by many foreign customers. After 18 months (May 2019) investing in “improvement”, with a total capital of 500 million VND, renting the premises, paving the cement floor, building the campus, buying 100 porcelain pots (jars), buying production materials packaging, labels… Dong Chau fish sauce has achieved 3-star OCOP product brand on December 17, 2020. Thanks to OCOP branded products, after a short period of time, production output increased from 200, 300 liters/month to 500, 700 liters/month. In particular, on the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2021, the cooperative consumed more than 1,200 liters. So far, Dong Chau fish sauce brand has produced and consumed there. Dong Chau is favored by small traders in major domestic markets such as Hanoi, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Ba Ria – Vung Tau, etc. Dong Chau fish sauce is packaged in glass bottles and plastic cans with beautiful designs. According to Mr. Vo Ta Binh – Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Loc Ha district, due to the rich experience in making traditional fish sauce, it has been invested in “improvement”, so the Dong Chau brand has attracted a lot of domestic customers. In particular, the cooperative also creates stable jobs for 7 people with an income of 5 – 6 million VND/person/month. “From the initial success, in the coming time, the cooperative wants to continue to invest in expanding production to increase the capacity to 1,500, 2,000 liters/month. However, the most difficult thing at the moment is the lack of production space. Therefore, if the functional departments of Loc Ha district create favorable conditions to help, the cooperative will embark on realizing the set plan,” added Ms. Luu Thi Chau – Director of the cooperative.