It all started with the hobby of Thanh TRUONG (wife of Bernard KERVYN): watching the long hours spent on a single quilt (3-4 weeks full time for a bed cover), the idea emerged to make it an income generating program for women.

Terre d'Oc, a French company which sells also through the many Nature et Découvertes shops, was looking for a fair trade supplier. Thiên Chi, local NGO & partner of Viêt Nam Plus, was interested, as it was a golden opportunity to create jobs.

For the last 15 years we have been working with the farmers of Bình Thuân and cashew trees are an important resource in the region. But the farmers are not well paid for their hard work and for the risks incurred. The export price from Vietnam is multiplied by 4 or 5 by the many intermediaries till the ultimate customer in Europe!

Terre d'Oc needs rattan to diffuse house perfumes. But rattan has almost disappeared in Vietnam, in Cambodia as well and Cambodia is said to forbid exports to Vietnam soon. The authorities have however trusted Thiên Chí and given it access to the forests in Hàm Thuân Nam, with a plan to replant the precious rattan on a massive scale.