The Woman Bringing the “Tam Dao Honey” Brand to the World

After more than two decades of persistent entrepreneurship, she has become the General Director of Tam Dao Bee Joint Stock Company (Honeco), one of Vietnam’s leading enterprises in the production, processing, and trading of honey.

General Director Le Thi Nga inspects products on the bottling line at the Honeco factory.

Mrs. Le Thi Nga (54), General Director of Honeco, spent many years as a teacher in the remote mountainous regions of Dien Bien province. Later, she returned to teach at Trung Ha Secondary School (Nguyet Duc Commune) and worked at the Phuc Yen Vocational Training and Continuing Education Center.

In 2002, to preserve her family’s traditional craft, Mrs. Nga decided to leave teaching and establish Tam Dao Bee Joint Stock Company (Honeco), with its headquarters located in Dao Duc (now Xuan Lang Commune).

To date, the company has 50 partner farms managing 31,760 beehives, providing jobs for approximately 300 workers—50 direct employees at the factory and the remainder working across the beekeeping farms.

The Tam Dao Honey display booth at the IC4 Tam Dao Xanh rest stop.

Moving beyond traditional production, Le Thi Nga has constantly sought new paths to differentiate her products, meeting the stringent requirements of demanding markets like the U.S. and Europe. The company actively seeks partnerships with leading experts in the food industry and accelerates the application of science and technology into production.

In 2017, Honeco signed a contract with the Ministry of Science and Technology for the project “Researching and Perfecting Production Technology for New Products from Honey and Fruits,” while simultaneously receiving technology transfers from the Food Industries Research Institute (Ministry of Industry and Trade). This led to the birth of Tacumin—a combination of forest honey, young royal jelly, and Curcumin, which supports the treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers, is particularly suitable for postpartum women, and aids in cancer prevention.

Tacumin has been honored with numerous prestigious awards, including the National Quality Silver Award, National Representative Rural Industrial Product, and ASEAN High-Quality Product 2018. Currently, the company has 14 products with 4-star OCOP certification and 4 products proposed for 5-star OCOP certification, alongside other prestigious titles such as Vietnam Agricultural Golden Product.

Honeco continued to innovate, launching new product lines like Royal Jelly Honey and Nano Curcumin Honey—an effective blend for treating stomach ailments and supporting cancer prevention.

Building from the ground up, General Director Le Thi Nga and her associates have built the “Tam Dao Honey - Honeco” brand through creativity and diligence. After years of effort, the company now offers 24 types of honey products accepted in both domestic and international markets. These include 7 processed honey products (blending natural honey with agricultural products and herbs), 11 natural bee products (honey, pollen, royal jelly), 5 types of honey wine, and two newly launched items: “Bee House Ginger Jam” and "Terminalia Chebula Honey." Additionally, Honeco provides nearly 10 products under OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) arrangements for commercial partners.

Tam Dao Honey products packaged as practical Lunar New Year gifts.

In 2025, Honeco supplied over 550,000 products to the market, with a finished output of 130 tons of honey, capturing over 10% of the national honey retail market share. Of this, approximately 60 tons were exported to countries such as Singapore, South Korea, and Japan. The company is currently promoting and negotiating entry into the U.S. and European markets.

With her success in honey production and processing, Mrs. Le Thi Nga has been awarded many noble titles, including the Creative Labor Certificate (Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, 2020); the Tacumin Processing Solution was honored in the Vietnam Creative Golden Book 2020; she received the Golden Rose Typical Female Entrepreneur Award 2022, “Food Industry Brand Queen 2018”, and the Farmer’s Scientist Certificate 2022. She is the key figure helping the “Tam Dao Honey” brand reach the international market.

Xuan Hung