Chansangium Kamphangkaew lived a comfortable life. Her family-run factory in Samut Prakan made auto parts and farm machinery for several leading brands and employed more than 100 workers.
Then everything fell apart with the 1997 financial crisis. The same factory that generated revenue of several million baht a month became a liability weighed down by huge debts and was eventually liquidated.
With four children to support, Mrs Chansangium and her husband faced gloomy prospects.
Luckily she had a grandmother who was once a folk doctor with knowledge of traditional medicinal herbs. From her, Mrs Chansangium gained the know-how to start a new business. She learned to make personal-care and cosmetic products, from washing-up liquid and soap to shampoo and conditioner, using her family members as guinea pigs.
When the One Tambon One Product (Otop) scheme was launched 10 years ago, the family did not hesitate to apply. The products were screened and certified, and that was the genesis of Numbudh, a home-grown brand founded in 2005.
Numbudh mixes various types of herbs through a non-heated process in which nutrients remain intact, preserving the traditional way of production.
Over a decade, the Numbudh brand grew in name recognition. Mrs Chansangium and her family churned out a wider range of products such as face serum, body lotion, perfumed powder and toner.
“We have to give credit as well to the Otop scheme and the authorities involved who helped us run the cosmetics business over the past 10 years,” said Mrs Chansangium, 64.
“From the first day when we hardly had sales skills and experience in cosmetics and did not know even how to invite potential buyers to try and buy our products, we’re now quite experienced.”
Otop is a local entrepreneurship scheme aimed at supporting unique, locally made products from tambons all over Thailand.
The scheme, which drew inspiration from Japan's One Village One Product scheme, selects one superior product from each tambon to receive formal branding as a "starred Otop product". Otop provides a local and international stage for promotion of these goods.
Various product groups have been classified for promotion: food items and beverages, textiles and clothing, woven handicrafts, artistry items, gifts, household and decorative items and non-edible herbal products.
Village-made Otop products are selected for promotion based on their quality and export potential. Many silks and Benjarong ceramics, for instance, are works of art, intricately and lovingly crafted by hand.
The project has strong government support on many levels such as identifying potential Otop products and providing advice on production, quality control, packaging and design to make products more attractive to domestic and export markets.
The entire Otop product cycle comes under the supervision of the National Otop Committee, with regional and provincial committees helping to identify, develop and grade Otop products.
The incumbent government led by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is committed to upgrading the Otop scheme to help participants tap export markets.
The Otop committee, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, recently approved an Otop development plan.
The panel asked the Science and Technology Ministry to help apply more innovation and the Industry Ministry to help improve packaging.
The Commerce Ministry was told to help Otop participants gain greater access to export markets.
Some 5,000 Otop products have high export potential, said Deputy Commerce Minister Suvit Maesincee. Otop exports are estimated to reach 20 billion baht this year, with 20% growth expected next year.
Some 40,000 Otop products are forecast to generate 100 billion baht in revenue this year.
Mr Suvit said the committee had agreed to implement an Otop Academy, under which educational institutes will be asked to cooperate in supporting research and development. The government also wants to upgrade ThailandBest.com to become an Otop channel.
The Otop Village Champion scheme, meanwhile, is an effort to convert Otop production into a tourist attraction. There are 60 Otop Village Champions, each chosen from among their communities.
Mrs Chansangium said the herb-based cosmetics business had helped her family to weather the bad times. She credits Numbudh’s adherence to traditional wisdom, focusing on Thai herbs as raw materials and organic products.