Little did we know that the plane ride which we thought would be our last would shape our lives for the better.
We, the co-founders accepted a friend’s offer to visit his village situated in a remote area of Nepal without knowing much about how the situation of the village. All the people in the plane (including ourselves) were certain that we would not land in the Taplejung Airport in one piece due to the suddenly arose challenging weather condition, but thanks to the chilled yet skilled pilots we made it there alive, to our surprise.
Even though the plane landed on an imaginary landing strip that only the pilot could see we felt like the mystic air of Taplejung had a certain gift in store for us. Means of transportation were limited, facilities were almost nonexistent and people there were certainly not living in convenience.
Despite all that the people there were so welcoming, sincere, and hardworking.
We were given ‘Chhurpi/Durkha’ to snack on in the long and tiring paths to the Pathibhara Temple because other snacks were not easily accessible.
‘Chhurpi/Durkha’ (Hard Cheese) was a snack that we were given to since our childhood but the consistency and flavor of it in Taplejung were very different. We both noticed the difference in the taste.
We were moved by the challenging lifestyle there and even with such limited resources the people there were still not complaining!
The abundance of Chhurpi/Durkha and the demand that was not high there made it difficult for the farmers to sustain a comfortable lifestyle. It was heartbreaking to see how something so nutritious and healthy was not being consumed and paid for its actual worth.
While coming back to Kathmandu, we both made a pact that we would do something for those farmers there. While brainstorming we figured that the demand in Kathmandu was less compared to the Chhurpi/Durkha supply.
‘Chhurpi/Durkha’ needed a different use, not just human consumption. We both were discussing day and night about what the different uses could be.
When Noona my dog chewed on the Chhurpi/Durkha that had fallen on the floor and enjoyed it as a scrumptious treat the idea of using it as a natural and organic dog chew clicked.
Somehow everything fell into place, we were not just going to provide opportunities to the farmers in Taplejung but we were also going to give back to man’s best friend and also make a business out of it.
Our experience in the field of export helped a great deal to convert this idea into a reality. We analyzed the scope of the concept by sending samples to interested international companies and attending global pet exhibitions. The response was overwhelming and now we are exporting this product under our trademark brand CHEESTICK Dog Chew in nine countries and counting.
CHEESTICK 