Starting a business from natural clean incense

From natural ingredients available in the district, a group of students inclduing Tran Thi Phuong, Dang Huyen Chi, Hoang Manh Dat, Hoang Ngoc Diem, Hoang Diem Quynh, 12th grade students (school year 2022 – 2023) of Loc Binh High School in Loc Binh District started a business with Fragrant incense called Xuyen Thao incense. Although new on the market, the product has been well received and highly appreciated by consumers.

The startup group introduces the product Xuyen Xao incense at the final round of the Innovative Startup Competition of Lang Son Province in 2023

Fragrant incense is getting widely used to meet many different needs in life such as worship, repelling insects, purifying the air… The need to use fragrant incense originating from natural ingredients is increasing thanks to beautiful appearance and fragrant scent without toxic chemicals. Realizing the market demand for this product, in 2022, a group of students at Loc Binh High School of Loc Binh District realized the idea of “Producing and trading clean natural incense”.

According to the research on ingredients for making incense in the province shows that, traditional incense production uses different ingredients in each different region. Through research and study, the startup student group selected a number of plants including Umbrella Plant, Cinnamomum camphora, Holy basil, Cinnamon, Gourd, Xao Chen… as raw materials for incense production. These are all plants available in nature or widely grown in the district. Besides, these plants are also medicinal herbs with many health benefits, specifically, Umbrella Plant and Cinnamomum camphora plants have the ability to repel small insects; Cinnamon and Basil can create a natural fragrant smell that help calm the mind…

Xuyen Xao clean natural incense is made of bamboo, wood powder, Umbrella Plant, Cinnamomum camphora, Holy basil, Cinnamon, Gourd, Xao Chen… Young bamboo stems are dried and then split into small pieces to make sticks. The Gourd and Xao Chen plants are crushed to make an adhesive without causing harm to health or affecting the aroma of the product. After collecting, Umbrella Plant, Cinnamomum camphora, Holy basil are washed, dried and ground until they become a fine powder. The finer the powder is, the higher the quality of the finished product becomes. Afterwards, dip the stick in water and then roll it on the mixture of powder from Gourd and Xao Chen to create adhesive, then roll it on the mixture of powder from wood, Umbrella Plant, Cinnamomum camphora, Holy basil, Cinnamon. Next, the incense is dried in the sun. When it becomes completely dry, it will be packed. In addition to long incense stick (30 cm) for worship, the group also creates short incense stick (15 cm) and incense bud to serve the needs of fumigating the house, repelling insects, relaxing… After creating finished incense products, the group sent the product to TSL Testing Center (Hanoi) for testing, Xuyen Xao incense was proved to be safe to human health.

Dang Huyen Chi, leader of the startup group, said: “The process of making incense is elaborate and meticulous with many steps. The family of one of our group members has an incense production facility, so we can study and use some equipment there. However, the process of making Xuyen Xao incense has many differences, hence, we have to spend a lot of time adjusting the ratio of ingredients for equal quality of each stick and a unique aroma which is different from that of other incenses in the market.”

In order to widely introduce it to consumers, the startup group participated in startup competitions organized by Loc Binh District High School, the Department of Education and Training and the Provincial People’s Committee. As a result, the product won a consolation prize at the 2022 Provincial Startup Idea Competition organized by the Department of Education; the third prize at the Technical Innovation Contest organized by the Provincial People’s Committee in 2023 and entered the final round of the Innovative Startup Contest in 2023. Additionally, the products were widely introduced on social networking platforms such as Facebook, tiktok, zalo… Although it has freshly been produced and entered on the market since October 2022, Xuyen Xao incense has already been popular to many consumers. This incense has a burning time of 15 to 60 minutes. The selling price is from 20 to 40,000 VND per package of about 20 sticks and buds. Currently, the product is sold mainly in Loc Binh district and some areas in the province. The group’s average monthly revenue is about 10 million VND. During the Tet and winter months, demand is even higher and revenue also increases.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyen, Na Duong town, Loc Binh district said: “I come to know about Xuyen Xao incense in early 2023 after the schools’ extracurricular event on start-up. The product has a characteristic aroma of herbs, without harsh or unpleasant smells like some incense I often use. That’s why, in addition to incense sticks for worship, I also buy incense buds to fumigate the house and relax.”

Ms. Tran Thi Phuong, Math teacher, Loc Binh High School, teacher guiding the research group shared “From research to the finished product, the group encountered many difficulties in formulating the recipe of raw materials, production, finding a reputable unit for testing… However, team members have always been persistent to create the best quality. Currently, the students have graduated and studied in many places, we still continue to maintain production. We are planning to invest in machinery to support the process to reduce labor and increase productivity.

The demand for handcrafted products of natural origin is increasing, therefore, taking advantage of locally available herbs to create commodities not only contributes to creating jobs and income for people in the district but also enhance the value of medicinal plants in the province. We believe that in the coming time, the research team will continue to research and develop product, introduce Xuyen Xao incense to create a foothold and expand the market.