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Author: Luyen

Fresh Studio co-founder of the Food Agri & Aqua Business Sector Committee (FAASC)

Posted on by Luyen

The agriculture sector plays a crucial role for the Vietnamese economy. To improve this sector, four leading agriculture companies took the initiative to form the Food, Agri and Aquaculture Business Sector committee (FAASC). The founding companies include de Heus, FrieslandCampina, Control Union and Fresh Studio.

The FAASC is formed under the direction of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (Eurocham). Since its start, the FAASC has grown to twelve members, among which Metro Cash & Carry Vietnam, Bureau Veritas, Bayer, Nestlé, Invivo labs, La Vie, Virbac and Yara. FAASC believes that the Food, Agri and Aqua Business sector can become stronger, more competitive and more high-tech without detrimental effects for the population, country and the environment. Contrary, in the long-term the sector could become more sustainable without necessarily increasing the costs.


The objective of FAASC is to improve the competitiveness of the Food, Agri and Aqua Business sector, by sharing knowledge and experience with the public sector and by sharing of best practices among the FAASC members in Vietnam. In order to reach this objective, FAASC:

  • Focuses on improvement of food safety for human-beings and animals trough a value chain approach;
  • Creates a level playing field for small, large, local and international companies regardless of legal entity, size and nationality, based on a common interest,
  • Creates a sustainable Food, Agri and Aqua Business sector in Vietnam for the long term and improves the sustainability of the sector.

FAASC event November 2013: Food Safety – Mission Possible?

For more information about FAASC, visit: Eurochamvn/FAASCAlso interesting to read:

Victor Benbakir: Discovering Vietnamese aquaculture sector

Posted on by Luyen

CAN THO – For this study I had to find a 6 months internship related to this main subjects and Fresh Studio has offered me the possibility to go in Vietnam to make this course.

I am Victor Benbakir a French student of 21 years old; I studied Bsc in sustainable aquaculture and quality management in the University of Savoie.


During my internship I was based in the fish department office in Can tho (one of the largest cities of the Mekong Delta). There the staff offered me the best welcome I ever had for all the internships I had made in my life and I was considered as a fully-fledged employee of the company.


The office in Can Tho was originally created for a continuous project for Metro (German supply company) which wanted to secures the fish chain supply for all the Metro stores in Vietnam. For this project Fresh Studio created a network of farmers, a standard named “Metro Requirement” and a fish transformation factory in Can Tho.


During the first month I had to get use to a totally different way to produce fish and learn the biology of the cultured local species. It was really a chock for me because I was use to work in modern farming system and it was kind a back in the time to see how the farmers grow the local species. I also didn’t know so much about these species (Snakehead fish, Knife fish, Climbing perch…) so it’s of course a plus for me now.


A part of my work was to go on the farms with the aquaculture consultants to check if the farmers respected the standard, give productions advices and also make some trainings for both farmers and consultants about fish farm management.


Then a new project came over in association with the De Heus Company (Dutch animal feed company), the creation of the first R&D services farm, and I have the opportunity to participate to it. I followed the creation of the farm and its design. I made some research with the consultants about all the devices needed for a R&D farm and used the data from the productions farms to find out what type of interesting research could be done on this farm.


Thanks to this internship I had a very concrete discovery of the aquaculture sector in the South Vietnam; it was also my first professional experience in a large company so it allows me to discover it. Furthermore I had the opportunity to work on a big project which is difficult when you’re only an intern in France or in Europe…


Moreover I visited many amazing places, meet a lot of very welcoming people and discovered the real Vietnam which is I think difficult to do when you only go for tourism here. I want to thanks Fresh Studio again for this great opportunity, I will remember this internship for a long time.

Also interesting to read:

Fresh studio assists in sourcing of Pangasius for international airlines

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CAN THO – Pangasius fish is sustainably farmed in the Mekong delta of Vietnam, and a large part of the production sites are now certified for International farming standard such as GlobalGAP, B.A.P, and lately the ASC standard (Aquaculture Stewardship Council) has been introduced.

Pangasius is sold in more than 130 countries, mostly processed into white, skinless, boneless fillets with a neutral taste. It is a nutritious product with a low to moderate fat content and high levels of protein. Pangasius has all the characteristics to be an excellent substitute to the over-fished marine species.

In accordance with its sustainability policy, a leader of the airline catering industry, supplying over 25 million meals to over thirty scheduled carriers has selected Fresh Studio to assist them in the sourcing of their pangasius fillets from Vietnam.

After having advised this catering company during the supplier selection process, Fresh Studio carries out processing supervision, consignment inspection, and product sampling for laboratory analysis, to ensure that the final product matches the required high-end specifications in terms of food safety and quality.

Workshop on improved forage strategies for high yield dairy cows in Vietnam

Posted on by Luyen

HCMC – One of the major limitations to increasing milk production on Vietnamese dairy farms is the quantity as well as the quality of roughage. Using good quality forage and grass in the feed ration, a higher milk production per cow can be realized and a more sustainable and competitive dairy farming sector can be created.

Fresh Studio, together with Wageningen UR – Livestock Research and Nong Lam University (Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry) co-organized a two-day workshop to identify the best forage/feeding systems on small and medium dairy farms in Vietnam. Emphasis was placed on options to improve the quantity and quality of the dairy cow’s rations that lead to increased milk production per cow.

The workshop was organized on January 17 and 18, 2013 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and was part of the project “Sustainable Grass and Forage Production for Dairy Development in Vietnam” of Wageningen UR. The workshop consisted of presentations, working group sessions and a field excursion to two dairy farms to learn from practice. Over sixty participants from various organizations (government, processors, feed companies, research institutes, etc.) exchanged knowledge of improved forage strategies, set priorities, and evaluated the most promising systems. In addition, action plans to introduce and promote the most promising options were made.Also interesting to read:

Export coaching program in food ingredient sector of Vietnam

Posted on by Luyen

HCMC – Fresh Studio is assisting CBI to recruit ambitious manufacturers and exporters in the food ingredient sector who are eager to expand their export activities to Europe.

To inform companies about the program, explain in detail about the different modules of the program and to assist them with the application, Fresh Studio organized a two-day information booth in Ho Chi Minh City on January 24 and 25, 2013.

The CBI export coaching program consists of an initial business audit to assess the registered companies on their competence for the European market. After this an action plan is made for the selected companies. The next two modules focus on business development and export capacity building (how to meet European market demands, explore these markets and the development of an export strategy).

The certification module will give companies technical assistance with the process of certification, if needed, to gain access to the European market. Final modules of the program focus on the actual market entry in which companies are assisted to gain marketing experience, get in touch with business contacts, and participate in events such as trade fairs.

The deadline for the first round to apply for the Export Coaching Program for Food Ingredients in Vietnam is March 31, 2013. The program is due to start in September 2013. Applications are judged on a ‘first come first served’ basis.

CBI (Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries) is an Agency of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. CBI was established in 1971 in order to support producers and exporters from developing countries to get a foothold in the Dutch market. In 1991 activities were expanded to the EU market. CBI encourages business support organizations in developing countries to improve their capabilities, and acts as ‘matchmakers’ between suppliers and buyers.Also interesting to read:

BopInc and partners publishes: Inclusive marketing research

Posted on by Luyen

BoP Innovation Center (BoPInc) and partners, among others Fresh Studio, rereleased the second publication of a series of five about inclusive business at the Base of the Pyramid (BoP), the poorest socio-economic group in the world.

Understanding the local BoP system and individuals within this system – consumers, producers, entrepreneurs – is fundamental to ensuring the successful development of ‘Inclusive Innovations’. In most cases, traditional marketing tools fail to provide useful market and consumer insights. The novelty of the subject means specific BoP marketing theory and models are yet to be developed.

This publication covers the main challenges, and aims to discover and understand new ways to research the BoP market in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Vietnam.


The publication is available through download on the BopInc website

BopInc and partners publishes: Shared value at the Base of the Pyramid

Posted on by Luyen

‘Inclusive Innovation-shared value at the Base of the Pyramid’ is the first publication of a series of five based on experiences and insights from the pilots within the ‘Three Pilot for Pro-Poor Innovation (3P4PPI) program in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Vietnam. This program is a close cooperation between BoP Innovation Center (BoPInc) and its partners, among others Fresh Studio.

To accelerate the development of successful and profitable BoP innovations it is necessary to capture and share knowledge and identify issues that impact all sectors and themes. The objective of the ‘3 Pilots for Pro-Poor Innovation’ (3P4PPI) program is to gain more knowledge and experience on market-driven pro-poor innovations through the development of three separate pilots. Throughout this process, learning’s are captured, processed and shared with different organizations interested in and working on inclusive innovations.

This publication sets the scene on inclusive innovation. This is the market-driven development of an innovation along the value chain which includes low-income groups in the process and has impact in a social, economic and ecologically sustainable way. 


This publication highlights the latest insights both in theory and in practice to research the BoP market and introduces main challenges encountered in the pilots


The publication is available through download on the BopInc website

Training yields results

Posted on by Luyen

DALAT – Research and training initiatives are helping Vietnamese farmers produce year-round exportable crops.

Rene van Rensen, R&D manager at Fresh Studio Innovations Asia, speaks to ASIAFRUIT about some of the training projects it has been working on with Vietnamese farmers to help boost their profitability through good agricultural practices.

How does Fresh Studio work with governing bodies in order to maximise funding and other support for its training projects?


Rene van Rensen: For most production-related projects we organise farmer field days to present results and let farmers see these for themselves. At this tage we will also invite local authorities so that they can share the results in their network.

Currently we mainly work with funding from the private sector and national governements outside Vietnam. We would, however, love to make use of the funding Vietnam has received from, for example. the World Bank to implement practical projects at farmer level.

+ Download the complete articleAlso interesting to read:

Knapen: Dutch investment boosts fresh milk production in Vietnam

Posted on by Luyen

HANOI – ‘I am impressed to see how FrieslandCampina has worked successfully with local farmers to increase the production of fresh milk in Vietnam.’

Locally produced fresh milk now makes up 19% of national milk production,’ international cooperation minister Ben Knapen said yesterday after visiting a model farm and a milk processing plant in southern Vietnam. Both are owned and managed by FrieslandCampina.

Dairy communities
FrieslandCampina aims not only to boost production, but to develop ‘dairy communities’, Mr Knapen was told. Through education and training, the company has already helped 3,000 small farmers meet quality and sustainability standards, and collaborate with arable farmers who produce animal feed. FrieslandCampina organises the collection, processing and distribution of milk throughout Vietnam: from grass to glass – no mean feat in such a large country.

Fresh milk
The average farmer in Vietnam has 10 cows. Farms are generally many hours drive from the nearest milk factory, which supplies some 120,000 shops. Fresh milk is not easy to come by in Vietnam. Three-fourths of all milk products are made from imported raw materials, like milk powder. Demand for fresh milk products far exceeds supply. So FrieslandCampina is working with Heus, Wageningen University and Fresh Studios to increase fresh milk production by setting up ‘dairy development zones’.

From aid to trade
Mr Knapen’s visit to FrieslandCampina concluded his visit to Vietnam. He was interested in how the shift from aid to trade is being made. The Netherlands will end its bilateral development relationship with Vietnam at the end of this year (which year?), in favor of an economic relationship built on the knowledge and experience gained from development co-operation, and the expertise of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation.

At the end of his visit, Mr Knapen flew to Tokyo where he will attend the World Bank Group’s annual meeting.

Source: www.rijksoverheid.nlAlso interesting to read:

Knapen: Growth market for sustainable food in Vietnam

Posted on by Luyen

HANOI – ‘The demand for sustainable and safe food is growing in Vietnam, and the spending power for such products has increased.

This creates opportunities for Vietnamese farmers and Dutch entrepreneurs, who are internationally renowned for their expertise in sustainable agricultural methods,’ development cooperation minister Ben Knapen said on Tuesday after visiting a sustainable vegetable producer near the Vietnamese capital Hanoi.

The minister is paying a working visit to Vietnam to witness the transition from aid to trade and investment. Vietnam has an economic growth rate of around 5%, and is one of the three developing countries where the Netherlands is deploying knowledge and experience accumulated through development cooperation for economic diplomacy.

The minister visited a sustainable vegetable farm, established with the help of development funding as well as with private financial support by specialists from the Dutch food chain company Fresh Studio. He spoke with women who have been trained to cultivate 18 types of high-quality vegetables without excessive use of pesticides. The women produce vegetables such as amaranth, choy sum, cucumber, aubergine, kang kong, kohlrabi and spinach on their smallholdings, destined for the Vietnamese market.

The successful vegetable chain is now financially independent, and each day supplies large volumes of safe, fresh vegetables to the population of Hanoi. Fresh Studio currently has plans, together with PepsiCo and (on the Dutch side) HZPC, Wageningen UR and Agrico, to devise a new sustainable food chain for potatoes. Mr Knapen has asked the company to elaborate on these plans, and to send them to NL Agency for a final assessment.

Mr Knapen also visited the deputy foreign minister, Bui Thanh Son. Topics of discussion included bilateral ties, cooperation and dialogue between the European Union and Vietnam in various fields, including human rights. The World Bank’s annual meeting was also discussed. On Wednesday Mr Knapen will travel to Ho Chi Minh City to learn about flooding and water management problems there.

Source: www.rijksoverheid.nlAlso interesting to read:

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