Star anise from the hills of Lạng Sơn province in northern Vietnam is one of the botanicals in Jägermeister, grown by smallholder families and supplied by the Vietnamese company Vina Samex. With the plantations ageing and yields falling, Jägermeister asked ECOTOP in 2026 to assess the farming situation and to recommend how dynamic agroforestry and better tree management can bring the trees back to health.
The first assessment mission took place in July 2026. Training and advisory follow-up with the farmers and the Vina Samex team are the next steps.
The star anise plantations of That Khe commune are ageing, and yields are declining. The objective is to improve tree health, productivity and the long-term quality of the raw material with practices the farming families can carry out themselves, built on the principles of dynamic agroforestry.
• Diagnosis of eight star anise farms in the villages of Ban Quyen, Khau Ca and Coc Lung, from young plantations to stands over 50 years old
• Two introductory workshops with farmers in Duan Ket and Ban Quyen: a participatory analysis of the production problems and of what the farmers themselves propose
• Field demonstrations of pruning, height control and selective weed management
• Recommendations for the plantation types found, and a training and advisory programme for the follow-up
Vina Samex – the Vietnamese spice company that works with the star anise farmers of Lạng Sơn and organised the mission on the ground.
