Oct 2023

I'm thrilled to share some wonderful news with you all. Just a month ago, after a decade of hard work, which included establishing a business in the US, USCIS granted me the immigration approval I've been diligently pursuing this year. With this milestone in hand, I promptly booked a flight to Nepal, and with the unwavering support of my wife, everything fell into place seamlessly.

Returning to Nepal after a decade was a heartwarming experience, from reuniting with my mother to visiting tea gardens and reconnecting with dedicated producers. After a week in Kathmandu, I embarked on a tea tour to 7 of our partner tea farms and even opened a tea bar along the way. This journey served as essential preparation for my role in leading the 2024 tea tours.

What's happening at Nepal Tea Collective?

• Finally, I got a chance to meet my awesome crew in Nepal. We have been growing quite a bit and there are some new faces in the team.
• • We've recently opened a tea bar in the KGH Thamel hotel's  lobby. The grand launch was a great success, fulfilling a long-standing dream.
  • Our tea tours bookings are in full swing. We actually have partnerships with some of our wholesale clients who are providing this opportunity to their customers. 
  • Tea festival in Seattle was a resounding success, offering us the opportunity to connect with our tea industry partners and engage with a diverse community of tea enthusiasts. 
  • We'll be hitting the road for a significant portion of October, so please don't hesitate to reach out if you happen to be in the vicinity and would like to meet up. Here are our travel dates:
  Midwest Tea Festival: 
  • October 21 - October 22
  
  Nevada Tea Festival: 
  • October 28
  
  SF Tea Festival: 
  • November 4 - November 5

• We've recently opened a tea bar in the KGH Thamel hotel's  lobby. The grand launch was a great success, fulfilling a long-standing dream.
• Our tea tours bookings are in full swing. We actually have partnerships with some of our wholesale clients who are providing this opportunity to their customers. 
• Tea festival in Seattle was a resounding success, offering us the opportunity to connect with our tea industry partners and engage with a diverse community of tea enthusiasts. 
• We'll be hitting the road for a significant portion of October, so please don't hesitate to reach out if you happen to be in the vicinity and would like to meet up. Here are our travel dates:

Midwest Tea Festival: 

• October 21 - October 22

Nevada Tea Festival: 

• October 28

SF Tea Festival: 

• November 4 - November 5

Updates from the garden

• I had a humbling encounter with Sharad Dai from Jasbirey, a tea producer who regained hope in the specialty tea industry. He said he had lost hope in the specialty tea industry and it is only because of Nepal Tea Collective and the young people he sees as hopes for the future. Cheers to all of our partners who sell Nepali Teas and are making a positive impact on producers like Sharad on the ground.

• Had a chance to collaborate with our factory manager to organize the first tea tasting for garden supervisors, enabling them to sample teas from around the world. I have promised to conduct a tea tasting session with our garden pucker during my next visit.
• Production is in full swing as we are headed towards the dormant season. Our bigger 2023 tea shipment is enroute and we are planning on spices and herbs production for the coming months.

1% revenue share, what's happening with it?

As most of you are aware, we made a commitment last year to dedicate 1% of our top-line revenue to directly support our producers back home, aiming to empower them for the long term. During my recent tea tours, I had the privilege of setting a specific date for when the 2022 top-line revenue would be disbursed to our producers. In addition, I organized two lunches with all of our garden and factory partners and announced that it would be provided as a festive bonus. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and one of the plucker's sisters approached me, expressing that every time I visit, there will be great anticipation for the positive impact we bring. She eloquently noted that, instead of materialistic gifts, we were delivering something even more precious—hope for a better future.