Since 2024, Dak Lak province has recorded five products from five cooperatives receiving the Mai An Tiem Award (Coop Gold Product Awards) presented by the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance.

The 5 products from Dak Lak province’s cooperatives that won the Mai An Tiem Award include: Ea Tu coffee from the Eatu Fair Agricultural Service Cooperative (Tan An ward), Macadamia nuts produced by the Macca Ea H'leo Agricultural Production, Trade and Service Cooperative (Ea Hiao commune), dark chocolate from the Ea Kar District Agricultural Cooperative for the Production, Procurement, Processing together with Consumption of Cocoa Products (Ea Knop commune), Hoa Phong silkworm wine from the Hoa Phong Agricultural Business Service Cooperative (Tay Hoa commune), alongside Hoa Dong lotus seed powder from the Hoa Dong Agricultural Business Service Cooperative (Hoa Thinh commune).

Representatives of the Eatu Fair Agricultural Service Cooperative introducing Ea Tu coffee products.

Each product tells a unique story about the journey of bringing local agricultural products to wider markets. For Hoa Phong Agricultural Business Service Cooperative, the silkworm wine product originated from a mulberry cultivation and silkworm farming village with more than four decades of history. Mr. Nguyen Van Dong, Director of Hoa Phong Agricultural Business Service Cooperative, said that after successfully building the brand, in 2022, the cooperative’s silkworm wine product received OCOP 3-star certification. Previously, the wine was only sold on a small scale within the village, but now it is eligible to be available in stores, restaurants, alongside supermarkets.

Another notable milestone came at the end of 2024, when Macca Ea H'leo Agricultural Production, Trade and Service Cooperative signed a contract to export 35 tonnes of macadamia nuts to South Korea through official channels.

Similarly, Ea Tu coffee has gradually strengthened its position in the international market. Mr. Tran Dinh Trong, Director of the Eatu Fair Agricultural Service Cooperative, said that the cooperative has been linking with businesses to build a high-quality coffee production chain that meets export standards for the US market, while simultaneously implementing production according to FLO certification to enhance product value.

Developing together with the community

A special feature of the Eatu Fair Agricultural Service Cooperative is that 90% of its members are from the Ede ethnic minority community. Starting from small-scale production, the cooperative has gradually guided local residents to cultivate according to concentrated processes, while applying mechanization and modern techniques to improve production efficiency.

The lotus plant, a crop converted from inefficient rice fields, has become a symbol of revival in the flood-prone area. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Minh, Director of Hoa Dong Agricultural Service Cooperative, said: “In 2018, the cooperative collaborated with the Farmers’ Association and the Women’s Union of the commune to pilot lotus cultivation on an area of 2.4 hectares. Afterward, the cooperative participated in the One Commune One Product Program, achieving provincial-level 3-star OCOP certification and was recognized as a typical rural industrial product in 2021.” To improve production capacity, the cooperative invested in machinery along with equipment to complete a closed production line from drying and grinding machines to crushing while packaging machines. Beyond raw lotus products, the cooperative has also diversified into dried lotus, lotus heart tea, and peeled fresh lotus.

According to the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance, 2026 will be the second time that the organization will hold the Mai An Tiem Award (the first time was in 2024) to recognize the will of overcoming difficulties as well as creativity in community-based entrepreneurship. The Vietnam Cooperative Alliance hopes that the spirit of Mai An Tiem will continue to spread so that more and more cooperatives will successfully manage local agricultural products, thereby contributing to improving the livelihoods for members and contributing to modernisation of agriculture combined with rural areas.

Translated by TRINH THUY