In the business world, there is an interesting “principle”: The brand that is first to open a market often becomes number one. SOLSE Smoked Cheese was fortunate to follow this principle. Behind its journey from “the first” to “the most popular smoked string cheese in Vietnam” are many untold stories.

SOLSE Smoked Cheese has been produced in Vietnam by Nguyen Hong Group since 2004, marking more than 20 years of development to today.

This smoked string cheese is made based on the recipe and inspiration of Armenian cheese, with a braided shape and a rich, chewy, aromatic, and slightly salty taste.

On its journey to becoming the most popular smoked cheese in Vietnam, SOLSE has gone through many memorable moments. To discover these untold stories, please follow the interview with Ms. Tran Thanh Huyen – Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Nguyen Hong Group.

Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Nguyen Hong Group

Interview with Ms. Tran Thanh Huyen

Question: Could you share your first impressions and memories from the early days of bringing SOLSE to the market?
Ms. Tran Thanh Huyen: In 2004, Nguyen Hong Group began producing SOLSE Smoked Cheese in Vietnam. At that time, the product was still very new to Vietnamese consumers. Therefore, we first introduced SOLSE to people who were close to Eastern European culture and familiar with Eastern European products.

I clearly remember the positive reactions of the consumers – the ones had lived in Eastern Europe or worked at embassies. They said: “This is good! Which Armenian cheese brand is this?”. They liked it and even thought it was a Armenian-made cheese.

From that confidence, we gradually introduced SOLSE to Vietnamese consumers who had never known about smoked cheese before. They tried it and were pleasantly surprised, because they did not expect milk to create a food that was so chewy, rich, and flavorful.

From there, SOLSE Smoked Cheese slowly spread and became popular on cold-cut platters, as well as a familiar snack among young people.

Question: After a successful launch, Nguyen Hong and SOLSE expanded the market. Expansion often brings mixed opinions. Did SOLSE face any negative feedback, and how did Nguyen Hong respond?
Ms. Tran Thanh Huyen:  Yes, when expanding, any brand or business will face different opinions. However, for Nguyen Hong and SOLSE, we did not see this as a problem, but as an opportunity to move forward.

Specifically, some people were not familiar with SOLSE’s taste, or even did not know how to eat it properly (by pulling it into strands), so they asked: “Why is it so salty?”

SOLSE is made based on the recipe and idea of Armenian smoked cheese. Many Armenian foods are salty because people do not use preservatives. They consider salt a natural preservative.

Many generations of Armenians have eaten this way and remained healthy and strong.

Of course, when bringing the product to Vietnam, Nguyen Hong worked hard to reduce the saltiness and avoid preservatives. This was truly an “intellectual challenge”, because to reduce salt while still keeping the product’s shelf life, we had to change the structure of the cheese strands. This was not a simple problem.

Up to now, the salt reduction process can be considered optimal. We call it a signature savory taste. The salty flavor, together with the chewy and rich texture of SOLSE Smoked Cheese, is like a cultural feature – those who can enjoy it will truly love it.

Question: After more than 20 years on the market, SOLSE has become the most popular smoked string cheese in Vietnam. Could you summarize the most memorable achievements?
Ms. Tran Thanh Huyen: In terms of official recognition, we have received important certifications such as ISO 22000, Halal, and the title Top 1 Vietnamese Product Loved by Consumers 2024 for SOLSE Smoked Cheese.

In the consumer market, Nguyen Hong has brought SOLSE into major supermarket systems across Vietnam, including WinMart, Topsmarket, Big C, AEON, LOTTE Mart, Circle K, and others.

On social media, people are also excited to create TikTok trends like “Pull SOLSE to enjoy it the right way”. Both adults and children enjoy it. First, people try it. Then they learn how to eat it properly. From there, they start to love it.

As a result, we have stable sales across Vietnam. People tell each other that whenever they see a roll of smoked string cheese, they immediately know it is SOLSE, from Nguyen Hong. That is truly our greatest joy.

Question: What are the next milestones and goals that Nguyen Hong and SOLSE are aiming for?
Ms. Tran Thanh Huyen: From the achievements we have today, we hope to move toward many positive goals in the future. Most importantly, these ambitions must be built on a foundation that has already been recognized, loved, and supported.

In the near future, we plan to redesign the packaging of SOLSE Smoked Cheese to reposition the brand.

Looking further ahead, Nguyen Hong aims to create more interesting cheese products under the SOLSE brand. We have already launched SOLSE Smoked Cheese Floss, and there will be more products in the future to build a complete “The SOLSE Brand house”.

Every day, every hour, the people at Nguyen Hong continue to work with focus and excitement toward these goals.

Thank you very much for taking the time to share this interesting conversation with us!