Palmyra Nectar and Bird’s Nests, a Healthy, Innovative Delicatessen from Viet Nam
Ly Hua Thi Lan Phuong is a fighter. After turning her family business from construction to bird nest production in the aftermath of the 2008 economic crisis, she realized the value of palmyra nectar. Chân Phương, her company, now provides innovative, healthy, and sustainable products combining edible birds’ nests and palmyra nectar.
When the family’s construction business collapsed in 2011, Ms. Ly faced a dire situation. She and her husband were supporting a large family and two young children. Suddenly deprived of income, she described the period as “a time of extreme difficulty and disappointment.”
The family then decided to invest in a birds’ nest farm in the province of An Giang, the land of Seven Mountains in the Mekong Delta area and set up a swiftlets farm in 2012. In 2014, the family established Yen Sao Bay Nui, with the brand name Chân Phương.
Although the birds’ nest trade is tricky because it relies on technical knowledge and an understanding of the swiftlets’ behavior and habits, Ms. Ly overcame the difficulties through hard work and grew the business.
Edible Swiftlet Nest - a Millennia Delicatessen in Asia
The so-called white-nest swiftlet is a small bird found in Southeast Asia. Its nest is made exclusively from solidified saliva. Edible swiftlet nests have been a delicatessen for thousands of years in the region, with high economic value, as they are believed to have many health benefits, including increased vitality and immunity, helping stabilize blood sugar, and enhancing the skin, Ms. Ly explained.
White-nest swiftlets usually build their nests against cliffs, which made the collection difficult and dangerous.
Swiftlet Farming and Nest Harvest
To avert the danger of cliff collection, producers build large wooden structures that appeal to the birds for nesting. Ms. Ly has 20 high-rise structures with five of six floors each. On each floor, wooden bars are attached to the ceiling for the swiftlets to cling to and build their nests. The birdhouses are about 18 meters high, eight meters wide, and 20 meters long.
Swiftlets, she explained, have a birth cycle of four months. Within this period, the birds build their nests, lay their eggs, and leave the nests after the chicks mature.
Workers regularly visit those houses to clean them, maintain a healthy environment for the birds, and check to see if some nests are ready for collection. They climb ladders and use a mirror to look into the nest. “If eggshells are left over in the nest, chicks have grown and flown away, and the collectors remove the nest from the wooden bars,” she said.
Producing Palmyra Sugar in An Giang Province
The seven mountain area in An Giang Province, where the swiftlets farms are located, is the only place in the country with palmyra (a kind of palm tree) forests. While managing her birds’ nests production company, Ms. Ly saw harvesters climbing palmyra trees daily to collect their inflorescence (flowers) and turn it into palmyra sugar. She realized the value of palmyra trees and the nutritional and medicinal value of the flower sap.
Although the lead product of Chân Phương is birds’ nests, Ms. Ly said she is also using the nests to increase awareness about palm nectar and create a better income revenue stream for farmers in the region. The nectar has been used since time immemorial but has since drawn little interest from consumers.
Palmyra Blossom Nectar’s Health Benefits
Palmyra nectar, she said, although sweet, has a very low glycemic index and is suitable for people with diabetes. It also contains key nutrients such as minerals and vitamins. According to Ms. Ly, many products on the market were of low quality, and producers mixed palmyra nectar with other sweeteners, dampening the quality of the nectar and the trust of consumers. The reduced demand drove market prices down and dwarfed income for harvesters and palmyra sugar cooks, pushing them out of business.
Birds’ Nests Drinks with Palmyra Blossom Nectar
Ms. Ly decided to revive the Palmyra industry in An Giang. She did some research with the Ang Giang Department of Science and Technology to elaborate on unique products from palmyra nectar: ready-made birds’ nests drink with fresh palmyra nectar, concentrated palmyra nectar to be used as a sweetener in drinks and food, and fresh palmyra nectar.
The company, now staffed with 20 permanent and 30 seasonal workers, manufactures its products at Chân Phương’s Swiftlet Farm and Palmyra Garden, which includes over 200 trees. The products are sold online from the company’s website and other e-commerce platforms. In September, Chân Phương’s products will be available at An Giang specialty store in Long Xuyen City.
Developing Quality Standards for Palmyra Blossom Nectar
According to Ms. Ly, the traditional collecting method gave a poor return in terms of quantity and quality. She rationalized the harvesting and extraction, guaranteeing high quality and allowing farmers to sell their harvest at a better price. The company codes the trees, and tracks the yield and quality of each tree.
Chân Phương also developed quality standards and criteria to classify the nectar and put strict quality control in place at every step, from source to product. The company’s manufacturing process meets the HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) Codex standard. Those quality standards and control give Chân Phương a market advantage over less precautious sellers.
Protecting Chân Phương’s Innovations
A strong believer in intellectual property protection, Chân Phương applied for a patent for birds’ nests with palmyra nectar products. The patent is still pending. She is protecting other innovations such as the formula for palmyra concentrated nectar, fresh palmyra nectar, and fresh palmyra nectar with pulp palmyra with trade secrets.
Ms. Ly also registered Chân Phương as a trademark that is still pending.
Coconut Palm Nectar Drink set for International Distribution
In the coming few years, Ms. Ly wants to focus on increasing the company’s productivity and the quality of its products, while bringing more income to the farming community in the An Giang Province. She also intends to export palm nectar soon as she notices an increased interest worldwide for coconut-related products. She believes it is a strong candidate to win international customers’ hearts as a sweet, healthy, natural, and affordable drink.
