Hien Lam
Pham Giang
Duc Nguyen Cao
University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, International School of Business
Guenola Nonet
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After having been involved in researching at the Military Medical Institute 108, Dr. Nguyen Cong Suat understood the value and benefits of Gac fruit and created useful products, providing domestic and international markets. More than 20 years of research left him understanding the value and benefits that this fruit brings. He was the first person to turned Gac fruit rustic into marketable. In 2001, he founded Company Processing Plant and Food Vietnam (VNPOFOOD) with the main areas of research and processing of products from Gac fruit, including VINAGA Gac oil capsules.He was dubbed the "King of Gac" or "doctor of farmers growing Gac", the first person to bring Vietnam Gac to international market.
In order to ensure the supply of Gac, since 2001, he established material area in several communes in Thanh Ha district, Hai Duong province. Here, he had many opportunities to meet and talk to the farmers, and gradually understand their hardships when they make products but do not know to sell to whom.
“Every household in Thanh Ha, I just guide them to make the fence, pond or the rugged land to grow Gac tree. I do not ask people to quite maize to plant this tree only by ability of big risk. At first, each dozen trees are planted around, each clump trees brought from 300,000 to 500,000 per year, so they also add 3-5 million VND incomes per year”, said he.
In the beginning, the company threw away all fruit skin as a waste. Nowadays, thanks to micro-technology, mixed hull of Gac fruit will be collected to make a organic fertilizer. This brings the environment will be protected, waste reduction and it becomes a clean fertilizer for farmers.
In the past, after pressing Gac in machine to get Gac oil, all residue of waste were discarded. In the nutrient content of Gac, pulp is up to 30%. In 2008, the company cooperated with professor Vu Duy Giang (Hanoi Agricultural University scientific researcher) did research project: "Using Gac residue to supplement livestock feed". In the study, they gave a creative direction that quality duck egg yolk was significantly improved quality. Then, company provided many nutrient foods from Gac waste to feed animals.
Besides, he also invited the scientists, lecturers from Agricultural University to farm to give technical guidance for farmers. Company products are collected in the garden. In each province, city, he offers off-take agreement through representatives of agencies and groups such as the farmer’s Association, the Women's Union, the gardener’s Union.
In the 1990s, Dr. Nguyen Cong Suat, who was a soldier, out of war studies at Hanoi Medical University, then worked at the Military Hospital 108. This is a special hospital in Vietnam, special in that it is the treatment of diseases of the generals.
Since the 1990s, Dr. Nguyen Cong Suat and other leading professors from the Military Medical Institute 108 have worked with the professors and doctors of the University of California and the University of Michigan to study gac to treat patients infected with dioxin during the Vietnam War. Later, American scientists also used gac oil to treat people with hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver cancer and American women with breast cancer. The medical research shows that Vietnam Gac oil which contains high levels of Beta Carotene, Lycopene, Alphatocopherol has powerful antioxidants by 70 times the content of tomatoes. The great use of Gac oil discovered by the research topic about Gac fruit of Dr. Nguyen Cong Suat and his colleagues produced gac products as VINAGA capsules and Gac oil nowadays.
Since then, Dr. Nguyen has prompted to do something to turn Vietnamese Gac fruit into Gac products, not only for patients but also healthy people - A type of products that are popular and entire population can use. In 2001, VNPOFOOD was established, and the main product is VINAGA Gac oil capsule.
“The creation of products from gac fruit helps prevent diseases and bring health to everyone. The creation of products from the fruit is the result of scientific research of many professors and doctors into healthy products from the Vietnamese traditional fruit. This promotes Vietnam's drug and food industries. Gac fruit has great effects that American scientists acknowledged and praised. The products from the Gac fruit give high economic value and sustainability for the agricultural and pharmaceutical industries in Vietnam. Through the product from Gac fruit, the company has contributed to promoting the image of Vietnam to the world”, said he.
Now, compared oil capsule product lines to the others, VINAGA is one to offer the most prestigious and most trusted company by customers. Gac oil and other products with similar names as Vitaga, Monodica, Monogac, BV Gac with lower price, but essentially they are only fakes, knockoffs, according to VINAGA food trade impacts.
Planting Gac from 2001, income from 300,000 to 500,000 VND is of great significance for farmers. From this amount, they can improve the life conditions and investment for the future of our children. When VINAGA product development initiated, he also extended material zones to other districts of Hai Duong, Thai Binh, Hung Yen and so on.
Currently, the company dedicates 60% of products for the domestic market, 40% is for export. Now, growing Gac tree becomes the new way of farming, agricultural export development and increasing income for farmers.
Gac is the cleanest fruit in the world, because it is ripe on high and its hull is thick. The Americans call Gac as "fruit from heaven". The environment is polluted; food and water are contaminated with toxic chemicals. Therefore, the need to eat clean products to eliminate diseases and improve health for people, especially for children is increasing. The product made from Gac meets these requirements immediately and in long term.
Recognizing the importance of information technology is a key means to leapfrog during the modernization process aims to bring the values and economic interests, culture and society. VNPOFOOD applied information technology throughout the manufacturing operations of its business. Each employee in the company is equipped with a computer that has internet connection. The employee of VNPOFOOD with stable income is working in a professional environment.
VNPOFOOD is a member of the UN Global Compact UN Global Compact. VNPOFOOD committed to full compliance with the 10 general principles of the Global Compact.
VNPOFOOD always thinks the target customer as the focus. VNPOFOOD already built a network of loyal customers, willing to communicate, and free advertising for the company's products. All opinions are welcomed in sincere with many channels such as hotline, email or online forum. The customer's response is a prerequisite for VNPOFOOD has many improvements, changes in policy, design, price and product quality. Thanks to good relationships with customers, VINAGA was honored to be selected as the Vietnamese high-quality goods.
Traditionally, Gac has been used as both food and medicine and special Vietnamese culinary dishes. In essence, a functional food is one that provides benefits beyond basic nutrition.When there are products of Gac capsules VINAGA capsules, the patients have a supplementary food to gradually replace the chemical drugs which cause adverse effects and harmful to human health. Bottled G8 gac oil for children effectively prevents vitamin deficiency and malnutrition. A very large area of Gac tree planted in provinces across the country has contributed to the greening of barren land, bare hills. He teached people save land resources, take advantages of the redundant areas of cultivation along the hill, pond, corner garden and intercrop with perennial fruit crops such as garden of longan, grapefruit, mango or litchi.
Farmers who benefit directly from the production model this Gac oil. Farmers were provided seeds, technical advices on planting and care of Gac trees. Gac kilns used locally, both convenience in the preservation process and saving in shipping. Farmers can make use of vacant land, bad land unsuitable for agriculture, intercrop with other crops, or combine with animal models. Moreover, farmers are guaranteed a completely outlet for their products with price stability. Gac trees here serve as a "poverty reduction" tree to improve life in many localities.
VNPOFOOD creates stable employment for at least 30 employees at Oil Processing Plant and Food of Vietnam company.
VNPOFOOD helps the people of Vietnam have the opportunity to use sources of vitamins and natural plant oils, prevent vitamin deficiency, anemia, bring nutrition for children in rural and mountainous areas. VNPOFOOD brings lower production costs due to the active material to help communities easily access to Gac oil products.
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Dr. Nguyen Cong Suat, General Director
The creation of products from gac fruit helps prevent diseases and bring health to everyone. Dr. Nguyen Cong Suat turned Vietnamese Gac fruit into Gac products, not only for patients but also healthy people. In 2001, VNPOFOOD was established, and the main product is VINAGA Gac oil capsule.