Saving Bac Giang’s Lychee—One Drying Tray at a Time

June marks the peak of Bac Giang’s lychee season, when hundreds of tons flood Vietnam’s wholesale markets. But a single unseasonal rainstorm can lead to mass waste—bruised, fallen, or smaller lychees are instantly discarded. That’s when Green Snack stepped in, experimenting with manual lychee drying—no added sugar, no chemicals—using fruits once considered waste.

 

We reached out to the Tan Son Cooperative (Luc Ngan, Bac Giang), which oversees more than 100 hectares of lychee. We partnered with two large farming households to set up an on-site “3-in-1” system: peeling, drying, and packing at the farmer’s home. Under the summer sun, five people peeled the lychees and placed them onto 3-tier bamboo trays, each about 1 meter tall, then dried them in a heat-circulated oven at 60–65°C for two days.

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The result? Beautifully dried lychees—pliable, non-burnt, and rich in natural red tones. The first batch produced approximately 120kg of dried lychee, packed in 200g bags with QR codes for traceability.

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This pilot not only saved wasted lychees but also helped us document a story of labor, seasonality, and sustainable agribusiness innovation. Even imperfect fruits can become local delicacies—if we treat them with care and intention.