On November 11th we left again for our beloved Nepal. At Amsterdam Airport, before we boarded our flight, we received very good news:

• The soap studio in Chitwan obtained their export license.

• All 3 soap formulae that we want to import into the Netherlands are EU-certified.

A great way to start our trip, just in time for the Royal Christmas Fair in December.

Kathmandu
During our first week, we visited many of our producers and focused on finding new products for our Spring collection. The producers we work with share our DNA and are also driven to create social and economic impact for women in Nepal. They are committed to pay women fair wages and provide good working conditions.
We also spent time on getting all the paperwork done to be able to export our 1500 soap gift boxes to the Netherlands. Our greatest lesson on this trip was: don’t assume you know how the system works! Every day we learn new things about how things work in Nepal.

Chitwan
Soap Studio
Together with Asif and Roshni, our soap experts, we went to Chitwan, to make a new batch of soap and train the women how to package the soaps consistently and with an eye for detail. It was so wonderful to see them again. They really feel like family to us. Kusumi, the proud owner of the soap studio and the other women, Shivarajani, Shanti, Sunita, Goma, Aakriti and Aliza, were very proud to see the beautiful soap gift boxes which they helped create.

Our local IT-expert Pradeep helped optimise the electricity capacity in the soap studio and installed internet and Wi-Fi so that the women can work more efficiently. We also provided the women with 2 laptops and a mobile phone so that they can run the soap business properly.
Together with his local building team, Pradeep will also support us in creating an office space and extending the building with another drying room and storage space.

With Asif and Roshni, we discussed how we can extend our product range with liquid soap for hotels and bigger soap bars for schools. It is important that the soap studio can continue to produce all year round; for this local demand is essential. 
We will also be exploring new products in 2025.

Nature Guides
Every time we visit Chitwan we have dinner with our nature guides. It was great to see how well they are doing and earning a nice income with their profession.
 
Eco Farm
The Eco Farm also came up for discussion. As the current lease for the land ends in 2025, we asked the women working on the farm whether they wanted to continue. A resounding Yes! was the answer as they want to continue to use their acquired farming skills and knowledge to grow and harvest cash crops for the local market and for their own consumption. We will be negotiating a new piece of land to lease in 2025 so that the women can continue farming.

It was a very fruitful trip. We accomplished a lot and are buzzing with new ideas for the future.