Made in Nepal – Saugat Griha
Nestled along the busy Tripureshwore street with only a stone’s throw away from Kathmandu’s United World Trade Centre lies Saugat Griha, a unique establishment which houses goods made of raw materials and handicrafts produced in Nepal.
Since the store opened its door to the public back in 2007, Saugat Griha has aimed to be the hub for Nepal made goods for people of Kathmandu and beyond. Having received assistance during its initial phase from Micro Enterprise Development Program (MEDEP) – a joint initiative of the government of Nepal – Ministry of Industry and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Saugat Griha was able to be in direct communication with micro-entrepreneurs with varied skills from diverse parts of the country. The quaint shop houses products made in over fifty-five districts including Darchula, Sankhuwasabha, Kanchanpur and Tehrathum. Visitors can expect to buy anything from natural soap, bags and purses, notebooks, pickles to Nepali sweets.
“We buy the goods from the micro-entrepreneurs and sell them at the store here and abroad, whatever the price difference that we sell the products at is the profit made in store” says Chandra Nepali, the manager of Saugat Griha. Nepali who hails from Parbat talks about the encouraging signs shown by clothing materials including nettle products produced in Nepal in the overseas market. Positive acceptance to the products has helped the store reach out to Japanese buyers and inspire individuals like Chandra to do more to take the Nepali products all over the world. The store also has a progressive relationship with the Non-resident-Nepali Association USA. Closer to home, the store attracts the emerging health-conscious population, individuals from different NGO/INGO’s and those that believe in shopping green and being ethical.
The store manager also spoke about the availability of the goods in different districts through local sellers. When asked about the future of Saugat Griha, Nepali simply stated “To continue providing marketing linkages to the products of Micro Entrepreneurs spread across the country and to continue spreading Nepali products”.
PS. The bags have been modelled by Astha Mainali.
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