Papaya tea: A startup idea with great potential

The flowers and leaves of the male papaya tree are known to treat coughs, improve digestive system, support cancer treatment... Currently, many consumers are seeking this natural medicinal herb for health care. To meet that need, a group of students from Dong Banh High School, Chi Lang district came up with the idea of start-up from papaya tea.

There have been many scientific works showing that the flowers and leaves of the male papaya tree contain active ingredients that help control blood sugar in people with diabetes; prevent cholesterol and they are antioxidant and antibacterial. In particular, male papaya leaves and flowers have many chemical compounds with anti-cancer activity, effective against many types of cancer cell (liver cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer...) by mechanisms such as causing cytotoxicity, inducing apoptosis, inducing cell division... In daily life, male papaya flowers combined with honey and rock sugar are effective in treating coughs, treating stomach ulcers, lowering blood sugar, improving digestive system... In recent years, many people often seek male papaya leaves and flowers to use as medical herb to treat diseases and for health care. Realizing that this is an available source of raw materials in the district that can be used for production and processing to meet market needs, in 2023, the group of students includes Do Khai Nguyen, Nguyen Hoang Son, Nguyen The Vu, Ha Tuan Anh, Luong Thi Hien, students of class 10A1 (school year 2022 - 2023), Dong Banh High School, Chi Lang district had the idea of implementing the papaya tea project named "Chi Lang Papaya Tea".

Do Khai Nguyen, leader of the startup group, shared: “Through research, we realized that papaya tea with hygienic processing and convenient packaging for users has yet been popular on the market, so we had the idea of starting a business from this product. However, we do not have any money for production or investment in machinery and equipment. Therefore, we asked Hong Nhung turmeric starch production facility (Quan Son commune, Chi Lang district) to allow us to use available machinery and equipment at the facility such as dryers, crusher, filter bagging machine... to create our products.

Raw materials for producing papaya tea are male papaya leaves and flowers purchased from gardens or those naturally growing trees in the district. After harvesting male papaya leaves and flowers, people remove the crushed, decayed, damaged or unsatisfactory parts and wash several times with clean water to remove dirt. After preliminary processing, the raw materials are dried at the appropriate temperature to ensure that the product not only has a natural fragrance but also retains its inherent medicinal properties. When the ingredients are dry, they are grind and packed into filter bags weighing 5 grams, then packed into large bags, attached stamps and labels. Regarding papaya flower tea soaked in honey, the bunches of fresh green male papaya flowers will be chosen with their stems, old and wilted petals removed and washed under running water. The flowers will be dried in the shade until completely drained, then soaked with honey within 1 month. Besides processing, the student group also focuses on designing packaging and labels for the product. After 2 months of researching and testing recipes, 4 products including male papaya flower tea, male papaya flower tea with honey, papaya leaf tea, papaya leaf powder were completed.

Afterwards, the products were introduced by the student group at school, Chi Lang town market and social networking platforms such as Zalo and Facebook. Papaya tea products are priced from 25,000 to 190,000 VND/product depending on weight. With a reasonable price, convenience to use and practical health benefits, the product has been known to many consumers in Chi Lang district, each month the group sells from 300 to 1,000 products.

Ms. Luong Thi Tham, Chi Lang town, Chi Lang district said: “I have tried male papaya flower tea, male papaya flower tea with honey from students of Dong Banh High School right when I was coughing due to sore throat. After using it, my coughing is reduced and the throat is better. Tea from male papaya flowers is packed in filter bags, just put it in a cup, add boiling water and wait a few minutes to use, it is very convenient, the taste of the tea is very fragrant and easy to drink.”

Participating in competitions for students with startup ideas at the provincial level for the 2022 - 2023 school year organized by the Department of Education and Training in coordination with the Provincial Youth Union and the Startup Ideas competition among youth union members and the young of the province organized by the Provincial Youth Union in Lang Son 2023, the project "Chi Lang Papaya Tea" surpassed dozens of ideas and excellently won the third prize.

From the idea, the group of students began researching and creating startup products that were initially highly appreciated by consumers. It is believed that in the coming time, they will receive support from agencies, organizations and businesses in realizing their ideas, creating products and bringing jobs and income for themselves as well as local workers.