Mother of 10 starts herbal tea business at 60

People who travel to Tay Ninh cannot miss the giant billboard of a smiling Vo Thi Lan, a farmer who founded a company at an age when people normally retire from work.

As Lan's mother passed away early, she had to take care of her six siblings. "I am used to be in a big family, and therefore raising 10 children is not a big trouble for me, even though my husband has passed away."

Being a mother and a farmer, however, takes toll on her well-being. She started noticing health issues, including diabetes, high blood pressure and blood lipid disorder, in her 50s and tried various medicines without success. There were times when she spent more time in the hospital than at home.

She decided to try the traditional medical approach. Lan's father was a Chinese medicine physician so she knows how to take advantage of local herbal plants for health benefit.

She dried and ground them into powder to make tea. Her health improved after drinking the tea daily.

She gave the tea to her friends and family and they all praised its quality, which inspired her to establish a company to sell it. She was 60.

Lan called a family meeting and told them her intention to start a business. They all advised her against pursuing the idea and told her to instead enjoy the rest of her time with her grandchildren.

"My 10 children say doing business is like fighting in a war. But I just think that if we sell good products, people will buy".

She pushed on with her idea as she does not want to lose face to her family. Lan then began to market her product to sellers, but mostly without success.

A man who had a Chinese medicine shop was the only seller who agreed to buy 10 boxes from her.

"He was ready to make the purchase but his wife chased me away. I left with tears in my eyes. I remembered how my children advised me not to start this business", Lan said.

But Lan was persistent. "I went to a juice shop nearby and waited for the wife to go to the market. I then came back to the shop and the owner felt sorry for me so he bought 20 boxes. I did not require him to pay in advance because I did not want him to lose money", she said.

The shop owner helped Lan find a way out, and in the next batch he ordered 100 boxes. This time his wife did not order her to leave.

"That was my first success," Lan said.

Nguyen The Tan, one of Lan's children who advised her against starting a company, said that his mother is a woman who never stops working.

"She started the company at 60 but she thought like a young adult. Had she made thorough market research, she would have stopped herself".

Seeing Lan’s determination, her children joined hands with her to open a workshop. Two years later, in 2010, she established her company, Tam Lan Tea. Her son Tan is now her deputy CEO on top of being a full-time lawyer.

In 2011, Lan and her children encountered a media crisis that nearly bankrupted them. There were rumors that Tam Lan Tea was selling fake and poor quality goods.

"We received more than 20 reporters at some point. After being consulted, we held a press conference to make a public announcement on our products", Tan said.

The family business then started to invest in obtaining quality certificates to clear the air.

In 2012, two years after establishing the company, they sought to be audited for Vietnam High Quality Goods standards.

Eight months later they received the certificate, which has helped the company reach more customers across the country ever since.

From humble beginnings

Lan started her business alone but now she her children now grow herbal plants on a 20-hectare farm and raise 500 cows to produce organic manure for them.

Lan's daughter Bui Thi Phuong Thuy seen inside Tam Lan Tea's factory in Tay Ninh Province. Photo by VnExpress/Vien Thong

They also invested VND100 billion ($3.9 million) in building a plant that only requires 10 workers thanks to its high level of automation.

Lan’s daughter and deputy CEO of the firm, Bui Thi Phuong Thuy, says they have invested in quality equipment such as a VND4 billion vacuum system to suck debris from herbs for feeding the cows, helping strengthen their immune system.

Bui Phuoc Hoa, a representative of the Vietnam High Quality Goods organization, says the business controls all aspects of manufacturing in a closed manufacturing process, which convinces customers of quality.

It sells its tea in Cambodia, Malaysia, South Korea, France, and the U.S.

The Covid-19 pandemic, however, put a dent in sales, and recovery has been slow as consumers are reluctant to spend.

Lan used to have 300 workers in her farms and factory but the payroll is now down to 200.

She is constantly looking for opportunities to increase sales, especially to foreign markets.

"I do not consider myself successful, but I am satisfied with the business that I started at the age of 60," she adds.