Originating from family tradition
Few people know that before becoming the Bao Minh Confectionery Company of today, it was a long journey, originating from the family's special love for “country gifts” deeply imbued with national identity.
According to Ms. Ngo Thi Tinh – General Director of Bao Minh Confectionery Joint Stock Company. The origin of Bao Minh today comes from the family's traditional confectionery craft left by her grandparents. Around 1989, when the economy opened up and business development became free, Ms. Tinh initially only intended to make cakes to sell to improve the family economy. But the more she worked, the more she realized that her love for these cakes went far beyond the initial purpose. She decided to continue preserving and promoting the traditional confectionery craft of her grandparents.
With experience and a willingness to explore and learn, she realized that if she wanted her products to reach more customers, she definitely had to improve quality while combining it with innovations in appearance, but the flavor had to be kept intact.
2003 can be said to be a memorable milestone on Bao Minh's development journey. That was the time Ms. Tinh was always troubled by the question: how to bring the bánh cốm Hanoi specialty to the land named after Uncle Ho – Ho Chi Minh City?
At that time, the green rice cake (banh com) had a shelf life of only a maximum of 5 days before it would get moldy and hard, making it very difficult and almost impossible for customers who wanted to bring green rice cakes from the North to the South as gifts. But then, with the determination of a brave businesswoman who was not afraid of difficulties, along with the support of scientists, her green rice cake had its shelf life extended to 8 days, and then to more than 10 days. Her dream finally came true, and it is even more proud that this is something that no green rice cake manufacturing enterprise had been able to do for 15 years.
Bao Minh has performed a “miracle” with the traditional green rice cake
By 2006, Bao Minh Confectionery Joint Stock Company was officially established, continuing the mission of bringing sweet flavors to the world, affirming prestige and quality in each product to consumers.
Sweat, tears, and success
There is no path covered in roses, and Bao Minh is no exception. Achieving the status of a large enterprise as it is today is a whole process of hard labor, “sweat and tears” that Ms. Tinh had to exchange.
She shared that not for a second did she forget the scene of sitting and making cakes, sealing bags all night long in a small room filled with incense smoke. Because at that time there was no glue or convenient machinery like today, all stages of sealing the product bag openings were done completely manually, by poking the red end of an incense stick onto the edge of the bag that needed to be sealed and sticking them together.
Just like that, on days when the number of cakes ordered by customers was up to thousands, she and her workers worked diligently under the lights, often exhausted to the point of falling asleep at the cake-making table, everyone's eyes red and stinging from the thick incense smoke.
She still remembers vividly the days when she and her mother took each other on a small bicycle, diligently delivering cakes to customers. The cake box was heavy, a woman's hands were weak, her child sat in front, the cakes were placed behind, she had to exert all her strength to keep both safe. Returning home exhausted, sweat flowing in streams but still smiling happily, because the work she was doing was meaningful and loved and appreciated by everyone.
Or the days when her green rice cakes were brought into Ho Chi Minh City but were not accepted by the people in the South just because they were “not used to it”, looking at her “spiritual children” lying silently and sadly in a corner, Ms. Tinh could only painfully swallow her tears, silently looking for a way out for this “Northern specialty but strange in the South” cake.
Bao Minh Confectionery Joint Stock Company today
After days of struggling in the marketplace, the sweet fruit of success finally came to Ms. Tinh. Under her management, Bao Minh's products when launched into the market received enthusiastic reception from customers. But she did not slack off in food hygiene and safety due to initial success. Because she always keeps in mind: “Each Bao Minh product when leaving the factory, if it is only delicious, it is not enough, but it must also ensure food hygiene and safety, and must pass even the strictest inspections”. That is also why Bao Minh green rice cake is the only green rice cake product currently tested and consumed in all supermarket systems nationwide across the three regions of the North, Central, and South.
Bao Minh Confectionery – Over 60 years of preserving traditional Vietnamese flavors
There is a very good saying: “Creating something great is already difficult, preserving and promoting that great thing is even harder”.
Ms. Tinh's family has done a great thing by turning very rustic, very Vietnamese ingredients such as: peanuts, coconut, mung beans, green rice, sticky rice flour..., into peanut candy, 'jasmine cake',, pia cake, mooncake... what is even more precious is that she has preserved the flavor of traditional confectionery, preserving a proud part of the nation's cultural identity.
Few people know that Bao Minh's confectionery products still contain stages that are done completely manually. Because there are things that must be made from the talented hands of people, breathing a delicate soul “from heart to heart”.
The story of Bao Minh today is associated with the story of love for the profession, bravery, and overcoming all difficulties of Ms. Tinh, a “woman of steel” who never stopped working, never stopped learning, acting as an exemplary captain helping Bao Minh stand firm against competitive pressure in the marketplace, improving product quality and prestige, bringing peace of mind to consumers.
Ms. Ngo Thi Tinh – “The woman of steel” who brought Bao Minh to success
Although knowing that the road ahead still has many hardships and challenges, what Ms. Tinh has done with the traditional Bao Minh confectionery brand is truly admirable. Wishing Bao Minh will continue to fulfill its mission of “giving opportunities for love through traditional sweetness”. Bringing delicious, beautiful, luxurious, surprising, and interesting products not only to Vietnamese people, but also to international friends.
For a truly sweet world. Sweet from the heart, flavor worthy of the level!
BAO MINH CONFECTIONERY JOINT STOCK COMPANY
Address: Lot B2-3-3a, Nam Thang Long Industrial Zone, Thuy Phuong Ward, Bac Tu Liem District, Hanoi
Hotline: 0906 874 464
Phone number: 0243 719 2355
Email: banhkeobaominh@gmail.com
Website: banhbaominh.com
