Growing, processing, and marketing of organic edible flowers from a rural farming community in Bhutan

OUR STORY

Druk Metho (Dragon Flower) wants to help reverse the trend of rural-urban migration by developing more lucrative and diverse livelihoods for rural farming communities and empowering women and young people in the villages. Valuable edible flowers will be grown by the Drachukha Flower Group and processed by Druk Metho in partnership for export to Switzerland as well as for local value-addition.

Our farm will be the first EU-certified organic farm in Bhutan, making an important contribution to the country’s goal to go 100% organic.

Through brainstorming with international experts, our team discovered the huge potential that the growing of organic edible flowers could have in Bhutan. The dried flower petals have an ever-increasing demand in high-value markets around the world as ingredients in innovative food and beverage products.

BEFIT 2019 Documentary (VIII)

Final Documentary Video featuring Druk Metho (Blossoms of Bhutan), a company producing niche high value products from locally grown edible flowers. Druk Metho’s business model is built on profit sharing with the community and is a pioneer of the new entrepreneurship culture of sustainable and socially responsible business. #BEFIT2019#Bhutan

Posted by Royal Monetary Authority on Sunday, July 14, 2019
CROWDFUNDING

We launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to raise funds to initiate our project.
Thanks to the generous contribution of our backers, we have raised USD 10,140! Shout-out to all our amazing backers!!!
Our priority now will be to deliver on our commitments to our backers!
Visit our campaign for more info- https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/organic-edible-flowers-from-the-land-of-happiness--2/x/18635002#/

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OUR TEAM

 

The Drachukha Flower Group has been founded by three young entrepreneurial women from a farming community in the Punakha Valley: Choki Seldon, Tshering Yangden and Wangchuck Dema. The Drachukha Flower Group will grow and harvest different varieties of edible flowers in organically certified quality. After a successful trial phase, additional farmers from Drachukha will join the group.

“We had a school education, but decided to go back to our community to farm our parents' lands. Our parents have always done sustainable farming in the sense that they produced just enough for their families to eat. But we young people, we have to come up with new ideas to create sustainable livelihoods for ourselves and our families.”
Choki Seldon
Choki Seldon
Chairperson, Drachukha Flower Group

 

The Druk Metho business was started by the social entrepreneur Thinley Namgay from Thimphu. Druk Metho will process the flower petals, organize logistics and ensure quality requirements of the market in Switzerland.

“With this project, we want to prove that it is possible to thrive in Drachukha, and that there is a future for young people in Bhutan’s rural areas."
Thinley Namgay
Thinley Namgay
Founder, Druk Metho

 

We have partnered with the Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law’s Entrepreneurialism Clinic, headed by Adrian von Bernstorff. The Clinic is developing a farmer-centric business and governance model for our flower project and hopes to use this model to inspire other communities in Bhutan facing similar problems to our own.

“We want to develop inclusive business models that can ensure equal participation and representation of the stakeholders in a value-chain.”
Adrian von Bernstorff
Adrian von Bernstorff
Director, Entrepreneurialism Clinic, JSW
DRACHUKHA
We are from Drachukha, a beautiful rural farming village in Central Bhutan. Drachukha has 20 households, 53 farmers and all together 114 family members. Most of our fertile farmland is used for rice cultivation during the main growing season, a crop which is central to our diet. We also all grow a variety of crops for home consumption, such that we depend very little on importing outside products.
The rice terraces of Drachukha are located in the middle of a dense and wild highland old-growth forest, replete with wild animals such as tigers, takins, and bears, many of which survive only in Bhutan.
Life in Drachukha is not easy. But our strong sense of community and the natural beauty of where we live give us more than enough reasons to try sustaining ourselves and our families at home in our village!
After a successful trial, all 20 households in the community will join the Farmers Group. Here are some portraits of the farmer of Drachukha.

OUR PRODUCTS

We have seven products in the market; 2 Risotto Mixes, 3 Salt Mixes, a Flower Mix and a Tea Mix. These niche products are a perfect blend of our organic edible flowers (grown by our women farmers) and vegetables, herbs and spices from the Drachukha community.

YOU CAN FIND OUR PRODUCTS IN THE FOLLOWING OUTLETS

PARO

  • One Gewog One Product (OGOP) outlets;
    Location: Paro International Airport, Paro (Departure Section) OGOP Outlet
  • Kuzu Souvenir and Mater Piece Handicraft
    Location: Paro Main Town

THIMPHU

  • Chuniding Food
    Location: Chang Lam, Thimphu
  • Druk Sell
    Location: Beside Druk Pizza
  • Craft Gallery outlet
    Location: Norzin Lam, Thimphu (above craft bazar/Hotel Taj, next to duty free shop)

PUNAKHKA

  • The Old Town Café
    Location: Opp Punakha Dzong Parking, Punakha

And 14 other outlets in Paro and Thimphu.

CONTACT US

We are easy to reach!

email us: drukmetho@gmail.com or call us @ 00975 17602808