With the aim to promote a healthier lifestyle through organic products, Organic Valley was founded on 20th May 2018, producing locally made chemical-free fruits and vegetables. I sat down to talk with to Ms Kyay Mon Lwin, the founder of Organic Valley, on how she is encouraging people to change their lifestyle by eating organic fruits and vegetables and also how she helps farmers in the country by selling these locally produced products.
Ms Kye Mon Lwin decided to establish Organic Valley when she realized that there was no place in Yangon where she could buy organic vegetables. Also, farmers who produce these products did not know how to enter the market sector to sell the products.
Organic Valley started with chemical-free fruits and vegetables from Shan State, especially from May Myo, and is now expanding the business by producing value-added products such as Dani syrup from Mrauk-U in Rakhine state, sweet potato powder from Inle, herbal tea, etc. Such products have been produced for quite a long time yet they were not properly introduced to the market. However, Organic Valley made sure that these gems got into the hands of people in Yangon, which cannot only enhance healthier eating habits but also helps to support farmers to run their business.
Organic Valley is now in the process of producing four new value-added products. The first one is jam, made by farmers from Inle. You can have it together with bread or biscuit and it will come in 4 to 5 flavours. The second one is plain yoghurt, made for vegans who are changing their lifestyle by eating healthier food. It will be sold in 1kg tubs, as you can see in the below picture.
And here comes the pickles with an inspiring reason behind. When the COVID-19 pandemic first started, Organic Valley had to face a lot of hardships with the transportation of the products from their origins to Yangon and it resulted in a large number of unsold fruits and vegetables. So, Organic Valley came up with an idea to turn those vegetables into pickles. And that’s how this product was implemented. It will start with the launch of organic cucumber pickles, made with only vinegar and it is now available to order for just 4,000 Ks per 500 ml tub.
The last one is another type of jam, made with Dani syrup from Mrauk-U in Rakhine state. Dani syrup has already been used to make Dani caramel candy before, however, now it is made as a Dani sauce. It can be used together with bread, biscuit, cracker and it is expected to be launched within this month.
Before the conversation ended, I asked Ms. Kye Mon Lwin about the operation of Organic Valley during this crisis. “There have been a lot of lessons that I learned from COVID-19. I realized that we need to rely more on our local products, especially at a time like this. Since locally made products are fresh, organic and produced to be eco-friendly, it is better to use those rather than imported products from other countries and it can also help the economic situation of the country. Another thing is we ought to brainstorm ideas and plans to create better products and solutions for the customers, regardless of the current situation. We cannot just sit still and be depressed or worried about the crisis. We have to come up with ideas to make and create better solutions.”
For the delivery service, Organic Valley is operating as usual and following the rules and regulations of social distancing made by the officials. The delivery team drops off the orders in front of the houses and cashless payment such as digital banking is suggested to be used to reduce social interactions as much as possible. You just need to order the items one day in advance and enjoy fresh, organic and healthy local products for a healthier lifestyle.
Facebook: Organic Valley
Tel: 09 761 066 802
