Gurung Tea Partners With ANSAB & Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network to Protect Iconic Wildlife

HONG KONG - Sept. 12, 2019 - PRLog -- Tiffany Soong and Manching Lee were on a spiritual trip together in Nepal when they discovered the work of the Asia Network for Sustainable Agriculture and Bioresources (ANSAB), a Nepalese nonprofit that addresses poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation by providing assistance to community members to gain resource tenure.  The result was Gurung Tea, founded in 2012 around the idea that a sustainably-produced product line could help alleviate poverty.  The artisan paper produced by Himalayan Bio Trade Ltd. (HBTL), a natural products processing and trading company owned by a consortium of Nepalese community-based forest enterprises, is made using ancient techniques. Sourced for product packaging by Gurung Tea, this paper is Certified Wildlife Friendly™ by the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network (WFEN), providing a market incentive for the protection of endangered and iconic wildlife such as the snow leopard, red panda and Himalayan yak.  "Connecting local farmers to a wider market and helping contribute to a sustainable income for the same local communities who hold the future of wildlife and forests in their hands is what makes this partnership a model for Wildlife Friendly™ enterprise" said Julie Stein, Executive Director and cofounder of WFEN.

Nepali handmade paper is well known for it's unique strength, softness and durability. Handmade paper has been produced in traditional ways in the hill districts of Nepal since the twelfth century. Known for its long-lasting qualities this special paper was used for official state documents and still today legal documents in Nepal are prepared with handmade papers which are compatible with modern printing technology.

HBTL is a joint effort facilitated by ANSAB, creating a private-public partnership that markets Nepal's unique natural products to national and international markets. HBTL is a consortium of community-based enterprises that specialize in natural and sustainably sourced non-timber forest products including essential oils, handmade paper, and medicinal and aromatic plants. Since its establishment, HBTL has provided a marketing platform for community-based natural products with the goal of linking communities to high-value markets creating benefits for the indigenous, smallholder farmers of the remote Himalayan forests. HBTL's mission is to support the creation of quality products from sustainable forest resources in Nepal and to provide income and employment benefits to forest communities.

For wholesalers, retailers and consumers interested in purchasing please contact:  Tiffany Soong via Tiffany.soong@gurungtea.com or visit https://www.gurungtea.com