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1. What is a grass straw?

How many foreign tourists come to Vietnam then leave but legate their hearts in the West of the river, in an afternoon walking along the  grass, listening to the sweet voice:

“Quê hương tôi những mùa nước lớn mênh mang

Anh giăng câu em giã bàng đan nón

Tiếng bịp chiều

Nhớ bông súng mắm kho…”

(Track excerpt “Tiền Giang quê tôi”).

The strange attraction of Vietnam lies in the melodious tales, the smile tilted under the grass cone; both rustic and generous

Western papyrus hats are made from grass. This is a species of tree in the family

Sedge (Cyperaceae); Hard body, about 8–10 mm large, about 1m high body.

Grass often grows in wetlands such as Dong Thap, Ha Tien, Long An …

Grass Straw is a trend “strange” appeared since 2018; replacing rice straws, bamboo straws.

“Strange” because since ancient times, people have only used Indian grass as a sedge hat to shade the sun, make mats, shopping bags, or roofing against rain.

No one did make straws online, until 2018, including La Xanh.

La Xanh follows a clear process.

• After collecting the grass pipe, the worker will soak the tube in water mixed with clamshell flour to kill bacteria.
• Then cut the piece from 18 to 20 cm, Perforated compartments inside the tube, soak the second bactericidal; and then dried.
• Finally, canned, delivered to wholesale customers, or retail customers placed via Tiki and Lazada.

2. Trends 2019: no use plastic products

Speaker Janice Dickinson has a very famous saying for women:

“Follow sound business trends, not fashion trends”

The interest of business owners should be the trend.

Business trends, market trends, customer trends, not clothing trends.

Being sensitive to the trend is the instinct of successful business people.

The more you have to be a small and medium business owner, the better you have to practice this capability.

And using environmentally friendly items is the dominant trend of 2019.

According to Forbes, since April 2019, New York City has officially banned plastic bags, and considered banning plastic straws.

Because micro plastic particles not only pollute the environment, but also damage the health of users.

Therefore, the intellectual tourists from New York in particular, and Europe and America in general; are very sensitive to the use of plastic, they want to limit as little as possible.

3. Plastic alternatives: Not easy!

As for business owners, once they are compassionate business people, they will always look for the best methods for their customers.

They seek green solutions, but they are really confused, because:

Any green solution is not easy, but an easy solution is no longer green.

Because it was so difficult, people have just fallen into the comfort trap of plastic for nearly 200 years.

The question now is: trade off comfort in exchange for green; or close my eyes and close my nose with a plastic bag and think, whatever, I die anyway?

The answer La Xanh given:

Must balance.

4. Grass straws is a solution to protect health

For La xanh, all solutions must have a balance between comfort – environment to be used for long term; because of:

What is so extreme is not durable, that is the law of nature.

Of the straw solutions, grass straw is the most balanced answer, satisfying 4 factors:

• Good for health.
• Help business owners promote the brand.
• Reasonable price (VND 600 – VND 1,000 per tube).

It is convenient that the straws can be used once and then discarded.

Some groups of guests, especially from Japan and Korea, have a culture of not using second hand goods, especially straws, chopsticks, spoons.

Therefore, using a bamboo straw with a hotel restaurant is not a good solution; because it will offend those skillful.

But grass straw can do this.

The process of making a grass straw no preservatives, no plastic, no environmental damage; Should use does not harm health, does not affect nature.

Therefore, customers, especially from European – American descent, are particularly interested in the kind of grass straw.

From VND 600 to VND 1,000 (equivalent to 3-5 cents) for a grass straw, equivalent to a candy; tourists choose right without thinking.

They even bought a lot to bring their country to use.

5. Grass straws also helps promote brand with low cost

And two important effects that business owners most need, that is to help promote brand and reasonable price.

With a profit margin of about 10% to 15% a year, the cost problem is always a headache for every business owner. Because only big expenses are incurred; then that month, that year will fall into a break-even, or a loss.

Tiny expenses such as coffee, tea, cake, water, advertising, PR … if not careful will turn into  “small shipwrecked holes”.

Bamboo straws with high cost (about VND 9,000 per pipe) are difficult to become a long-term solution.

But the grass straw cost only 600 VND – 1000 VND each; even lower when buying in bulk (about 10,000 or more).

Moreover, when using the straw grass, the brand also has the sympathy of the guests; Customers will spread the word of mouth to your friends in the coffee party.

So 600 dong is not the cost of the straw. It is very cheap cost to retain customers and promote the brand.