Amid a surge in youth migration abroad, 25-year-old Rashmi Kandel chose to remain in Nepal, driven by her determination to accomplish something significant for the country. She is tirelessly working to bring Nepali products to international markets.
Born and raised in Besishahar Municipality-2, Lamjung district in West Nepal, Rashmi grew up in the care of her parents, Sunil Kandel and Laxmi. A creative and average student, she harboured aspirations of making a meaningful impact in her community from an early age.
“Following my parents’ advice, I started studying health care after passing my SLC exams. During my studies, I actively participated in health camps and community-based awareness programmes. However, rather than focusing solely on charity work, I became more inspired to undertake sustainable efforts that could create a lasting impact within the community,” she shared.
Graduating with a degree in Healthcare Management from Pokhara University, Rashmi’s educational background differed from her entrepreneurial pursuits. Yet, she notes that it didn’t deter her from acquiring new skills, mastering IT tools, or learning business strategies to promote Nepal’s rare honey and herbal products globally.
She launched her business when she was just 17.
At a time when obtaining a degree in healthcare or nursing and moving abroad was common, Rashmi aimed to introduce something innovative at the community level that would enhance family incomes.
“While volunteering with a social organisation, I encountered foreign volunteers intrigued by the wild honey found in Lamjung. Knowing I hailed from that region, they requested me to bring some wild honey for them. Being familiar with honey hunting since childhood, I asked my father to arrange some wild honey for my friends, which they enjoyed immensely. They even requested for more honey to be taken to Germany,” she recounted the beginnings of her venture.
From Himalayas to the World
At that time, wild honey lacked a proper market. Misconceptions about its high cost and benefits limited its trade to a few local sellers at Thamel. Regular honey consumption was uncommon among Nepalis, with wild honey used sparingly for medicinal purposes.
This situation moved Rashmi, prompting her to take action for honey-hunting communities. Thus began her journey and over the last seven years she and her team have delivered thousands of jars of wild honey worldwide.
Her entrepreneurial journey in the honey business spans nearly a decade. In 2015, she discovered unused wild cliff honey in her home district, Lamjung. Recognising its market potential, she registered her first company, Everest Organic Home, in 2018 to promote products like Wild Cliff Honey.
Within two years, Rashmi successfully established her “Himalayan Cliff Honey” in Kathmandu’s local markets. By 2018–2019, she identified a growing demand for Himalayan Cliff Honey in global markets.
“We decided to take on a new challenge by exploring, researching, and setting up Himalayan Cliff Honey for international markets. Meanwhile, we introduced two new brands, Everest Shilajit and Everest Saffron,” she explained.
Between 2019 and 2020, Rashmi had three products available, rapidly expanding her global market reach and monthly supplies. Eventually, she began exporting these products wholesale via major e-commerce platforms like Amazon, eBay, and Etsy. Despite the COVID pandemic, her supply grew significantly compared to previous years.
In 2020–2021, Rashmi registered a company, Himalayan Treasure Ltd., in London to advance Nepal’s export industry.
She is now focused on creating a shared platform for producers of high-quality goods and fostering economic development within local communities.
According to Rashmi, her efforts have benefited over 300 farmers and taken Nepali products to 134 countries, amassing 11,000 foreign customers.
She currently sells wild honey (under the brand name Medicinal Mad Honey), spices, shilajit, tea, coffee, black cardamom, and other herbs.
Her work involves close collaboration with over 300 local communities and 2,700 farmers and honey hunters. Despite its undervaluation in Nepal, wild honey is in high demand globally, with her company purchasing 4,000–5,000 kilograms annually.
Her key markets include the U.S., Europe, Japan, the U.K., and the Middle East. According to her, Medicinal Mad Honey is especially renowned abroad. “We supply both wholesale and retail. Our honey is also sold in many stores across the U.S., Canada, and Japan,” she said. “Wild honey (Mad Honey) is used for medicinal and cosmetic research. We’ve sold honey and honeycombs to leading brands in France and South Korea, which they utilise in medicine and cosmetics. This is a significant milestone in our journey, as these market-leading companies show interest in Nepal’s rare honey and herbs.”
Challenges persist, such as the lack of global standards for Nepali products, inadequate testing facilities, and certification issues. Rashmi also cites logistical challenges, such as shipping, packaging, distribution, and Nepalese banks’ reluctance to process international payments, which hampers payment gateways.
Other obstacles include the absence of proper standards for wild honey testing by the Food Department, insufficient coordination with local communities to preserve honey-hunting traditions, and the adverse effects of climate change on bee habitats due to hydropower projects and construction near Himalayan regions. Rashmi also notes the lack of research and identification of wild bee species in Himalayan areas.
Multiple Benefits of Honey
Customers report that Mad Honey helps regulate blood sugar levels and diabetes, maintain cholesterol levels, relieve coughs and sore throats, reduce anxiety, enhance sexual health, improve sleep, aid digestion, and alleviate joint pain.
“In the past, we would eat it with bread. It’s also consumed with herbal shilajit or even with rice as medicine. It helps alleviate pain and boosts appetite,” shared Suresh Gurung, a farmer from Ghyanpokhara in Marsyangdi-2, Lamjung.
Suresh grew up in the village, where his father was a honey hunter. He learned the trade by following his father and brother, eventually forming a community group to collaboratively harvest, sell, and share the income.
“Thanks to Madam Rashmi buying our honey, our regular income has not only increased, but our living standards have improved too,” he shared during a visit to Everest Organic Home in Lalitpur.
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