There are days when I ask myself that repeatedly, but really I am enjoying myself being here.... on a serious note.I have not written much about my work yet, so this is an opportunity to let people know what I am doing here in Nepal. I am working for a natural products processing and trading company called Himalayan Bio Trade. The main products that they sell are essential oils (7 types including wintergreen, juniper, rhododendron, jatamansi, zanthoxylum, Artemisia, and abies) and handmade paper products (books, stationary, gift bags and gift boxes, picture frames, lanterns etc.). My job is to assist with their marketing efforts by putting together a marketing plan and helping with international marketing.
One of the many challenges that small essential oil producers face is capacity and ability to deal on an international level. This has been made easier through the increasing popularity of the fair trade movement where the value chain is shortened and the producer comes in more direct contact with the retailer of the product. By cutting out middlemen (wholesalers), producers can take home a bigger piece of the pie!
One of the great advantages that the Himalayan Bio Trade has is that their essential oils are wild crafted and not cultivated. This means that the raw materials are harvested from the forest and not grown in cultivated crops. When harvested in a responsible manner, this is a much more environmentally friendly and sustainable way of utilizing resources. In addition, Himalayan Bio Trade has certified organic products, so consumers can be assured that there are no unnatural chemicals (ie. Pesticides) applied to the raw plant material or the oils.
An objective in Himalayan Bio Trade’s mission is to provide economic benefit to the rural communities and rural disadvantaged groups. Often it is difficult to make a living in rural Nepal as it is a heavily agrarian society with often difficult terrain and marginally arable land. The challenge is to find ways to bring economic prosperity to these communities. Himalayan Bio Trade offers employment to many rural poor by giving a fair wage to those who harvest the raw materials for both production of essential oils and handmade paper.
Himalayan Bio Trade also does what we call “value add” processing which sees the distillation of essential oils and also paper manufacturing in the rural areas. Where other operations may ship raw materials to the city or even sell and export raw materials, more value can be derived by exporting processed products, but also shipping costs can be reduced by processing in the field.
So… my job is to develop a marketing strategy and messaging that can help Himalayan Bio Trade grow. To increase market presence, but not so much that they cant deliver “the goods” so to speak. The organic certification and Forest Stewardship Council certification will help in creating a unique selling proposition. Overall it’s been a really good experience so far and I am proud to help a company that has it’s heart in the right place.
One of the many challenges that small essential oil producers face is capacity and ability to deal on an international level. This has been made easier through the increasing popularity of the fair trade movement where the value chain is shortened and the producer comes in more direct contact with the retailer of the product. By cutting out middlemen (wholesalers), producers can take home a bigger piece of the pie!
One of the great advantages that the Himalayan Bio Trade has is that their essential oils are wild crafted and not cultivated. This means that the raw materials are harvested from the forest and not grown in cultivated crops. When harvested in a responsible manner, this is a much more environmentally friendly and sustainable way of utilizing resources. In addition, Himalayan Bio Trade has certified organic products, so consumers can be assured that there are no unnatural chemicals (ie. Pesticides) applied to the raw plant material or the oils.
An objective in Himalayan Bio Trade’s mission is to provide economic benefit to the rural communities and rural disadvantaged groups. Often it is difficult to make a living in rural Nepal as it is a heavily agrarian society with often difficult terrain and marginally arable land. The challenge is to find ways to bring economic prosperity to these communities. Himalayan Bio Trade offers employment to many rural poor by giving a fair wage to those who harvest the raw materials for both production of essential oils and handmade paper.Himalayan Bio Trade also does what we call “value add” processing which sees the distillation of essential oils and also paper manufacturing in the rural areas. Where other operations may ship raw materials to the city or even sell and export raw materials, more value can be derived by exporting processed products, but also shipping costs can be reduced by processing in the field.
So… my job is to develop a marketing strategy and messaging that can help Himalayan Bio Trade grow. To increase market presence, but not so much that they cant deliver “the goods” so to speak. The organic certification and Forest Stewardship Council certification will help in creating a unique selling proposition. Overall it’s been a really good experience so far and I am proud to help a company that has it’s heart in the right place. 
I understand that there are stages of adaptation to a different culture: interest,amusement, love, irritation, hate, all-knowing, adoption, and then finally, if you stick it out long enough, appreciation for one's own culture and homeland.
ReplyDeleteGood luck and love!
Aunt Mits