Building a collective brand: Affirming the reputation of Lang Son peach blossom

– The beauty of Lang Son peach blossom tree is popular with consumers, but for those who have not experienced this flower, it is difficult to distinguish it from the peach tree grown in other localities. Therefore, building a collective brand of “Lang Son Peach Blossom” not only helps consumers easily choose but also enhances the value of Lang Son peach blossom tree.

Lang Son has a typical tropical monsoon climate, the average temperature is from 21 to 22 Celsius degrees, the climate and soil conditions are suitable for peach trees to grow. In particular, low winter temperature is essential for peach blossom trees to sprout and flower. Therefore, Lang Son is considered as the land of beautiful peach blossom varieties such as white peach, bold peach, light peach, bell-shaped peach, That Thon peach …

According to statistics, the whole province has about 98 hectares of peach trees with 150,000 trees of all kinds, mainly in districts of Cao Loc, Loc Binh, Huu Lung, Bac Son, and Lang Son city. Lang Son peach blossom trees are consumed in Hanoi, Thai Nguyen, Quang Ninh … and are evaluated by florists as a product of good quality, beautiful flower color, many shades, long lasting, thick petals; unique tree shape, bark color.

Traders buy peach blossom trees from people in Quang Lac commune, Lang Son city to supply to Hanoi market

Ms. Trinh Thi Luyen, Standing Vice Chairwoman of the Provincial Horticultural Association said: “Peach blossom in the province has yet got a brand so far, therefore, there is a lack of information on its origin, quality standards which makes it difficult for consumers to identify with others. Consequently, it also affects production and business efficiency. The production management is not effective due to the small and separate peach growing area, the  inspection and supervision are still difficult. Due to the lack of application of scientific and technical advances to production, the quality of products between growing areas and growing households is not equal. Some of them have focused on shaping, stimulating flowers to bloom at the right time, but most still let the plants grow and flower naturally, hence, the flower durability, bud rate, and flowering time are not guaranteed. Most importantly, product price is still unstable, business activities are mainly on-the-spot trading and depending heavily on traders. Therefore, the trees with high quality have not been known by experienced flower players, so buyers pay lower prices than the value of the tree … leading to the inability to improve the value and reputation of Lang Son peach blossoms, so it is crucial to be branded.”

For the above reason, from July 2020 to May 2022, the research team led by Ms. Trinh Thi Luyen implemented the topic “Building and developing the collective brand of Lang Son Peach Blossom”. In 1 year of project implementation, the research team assessed the current situation of peach blossom production and business in the province; planned the peach growing areas covering all districts and city; organized 5 seminars to evaluate the quality of peach blossoms in Cao Loc, Loc Binh, Huu Lung, Bac Son districts and Lang Son city. At the same time, they organized a workshop to select the collective brand of “Lang Son Peach Blossom”, a trademark for products and implementing units; developed regulations on management and use of its trademark and label… Currently, the research team is finalizing the technical manual on tree care for “Lang Son Peach Blossom”; building a system of tools and means of collective brand management including 2 regulations, 2 processes; completing the application for registration of collective brand of “Lang Son Peach Blossom” with the Department of Intellectual Property (Ministry of Science and Technology), including trademark logo, maps, regulations, processes, and documents allowing the use of the name “Lang Son” to register for collective brand and approving the corresponding geographical map with collective brand…

Mr. Hoang Van Toi, Hoang Son village, Hoang Dong commune, Lang Son city said: “My family’s peach garden is adjacent to National Highway 1A, so every Tet holiday comes, long-distance drivers love it. They often order to the Central and Southern regions to celebrate Tet. If the brand is built, the product with a stamp, and a contact address,  my peach blossoms will definitely be known and sold to more people.”

For peach blossom products, the Department of Intellectual Property has granted the certificate of recognition for the collective brand of “Cam Gia Peach Blossom” to the peach blossom-growing village in Cam Gia ward, Thai Nguyen city. Therefore, the building of a collective brand for peach blossom trees in Lang Son province is an urgent requirement, helping consumers easily distinguish and choose when there is a need; help increase the value and reputation of peach trees and help peach growers in Xu Lang improve their income, have an increasingly stable life from growing peaches.