Pure Honey: A Sweet Reward, a Hard Earned Harvest

Himalayan Honey Company was established in 2000 in Lalitpur. Prem has been a dedicated member of the company for the past 13 years. Initially, his role involved packaging, but over time, his responsibilities expanded to marketing, sales assistance, beekeeping, and honey collection. As the demand for the product increased in Pokhara, he also opened his own honey shop in 2018, and have been managing the shop since then. "Of all tasks, honey collection is one of the most  challenging tasks to accomplish’. Honey collection requires traveling across Nepal, by foot or vehicle. When extracting honey, some locations offer easy vehicle access, while others require expensive vehicle reservations. In some areas, motorable roads exist, but vehicles can't reach the spot, demanding a 3 to 4-hour walk and manual transportation of the honey. Additionally, obtaining high-quality resources and equipment for  honey extraction is challenging and costly. Traveling to remote locations for extraction often  requires carrying all provisions for food and lodging. 

Furthermore, the lack of technology in Nepal makes it difficult to store honeycombs for long  periods. Inconsistent temperature control can lead to infestations and rot in the combs. And  if the honey is crystalized, people become hesitant to consume believing in a misconception  that crystallized honey is impure, which poses challenges for sales and distribution. 

 

In the past, inadequate safety tools resulted in frequent bee stings on the face, head, and neck. Although improvements have been made, stings are still common on the hands. In addition, extracting honey becomes challenging in intense sunlight and is not feasible during very cold weather or rain, as the bees become more aggressive and risk dying. Beekeeping in Nepal faces significant challenges: high bee mortality from pesticide  use, poor industry management, and the impact of climate change affecting bee and honey  production.

I met Wendy and her husband Dan when they visited my shop for the first time. We had good  conversations which build our friendships. I am glad to partner with Crafted, allowing our products to reach a broader customer base and enabling them to experience the diverse  benefits we offer. 

“Our goal is to distribute our products both within Nepal and internationally, earning  recognition for their superior quality. We are committed to consistently producing high quality products that provide exceptional health benefits to our customers." 

Prem extracting honey from its comb in Hemja.