𝑀𝑦𝐵𝑖𝑧 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐵ℎ𝑢𝑡𝑎𝑛 𝐸𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝐴𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 2022 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑠 – Kingdom Essences Pvt. Ltd

Upon returning to the village after college, Kuenga intended to establish an organic farming cooperative to assist local farmers in growing and selling organic produce in the capital city of Thimphu.

“We discovered that many of the villagers were already growing high-quality Schezwan Pepper (Thingye). A government facility was also available, a distillery, for extracting essential oils from the pepper, but it was not being utilized due to a lack of management,” Kuenga said.

Kuenga Dhendup and Pema Choden Gyaltshen started exploring the equipment, and it was much later that they recognized that it can be a viable business idea for the community.

They shared, “One winter day in 2016, we got the opportunity to meet His Majesty the King after the National Day held in Trongsa. We have been immensely lucky to have been recognized by His Majesty on that National Day and been asked what are the things that we may need help with and we took the opportunity to request His Majesty on availing training to learn more about Essential Oils and to make valued added products using essential oils and since then, we haven’t looked back,”

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗘𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗣𝘃𝘁. 𝗟𝘁𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝗕𝗵𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀”.

At the time, aromatherapy was a relatively new concept in the market and there was not a lot of information available about it, Kuenga said, adding that despite this, we saw potential in the field and decided to pursue it, learning as much as we could and experimenting with different essential oils and techniques to see what worked best.

“The aromatherapy market in our local area was still relatively new, making it difficult to sell our products within the country. However, there is a high demand for pure and therapeutic essential oils in the international market.”

“𝐎𝐛𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞,” 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝.

Speaking to Magazine, they shared that one of the major challenges they face is the need to meet specific certification requirements for each country, which can be difficult due to our country’s lack of testing facilities, standards, and regulations. “We often have to send our products to other countries for testing, which can be costly as we have to get separate certifications for each plant oil.”

As we gained more experience and knowledge, Kuenga expressed that they started participating in government fairs and trade shows to create any kind of awareness of our product and we feel this has been a huge challenge for us which we face to date.

However, they have recently made significant progress in this area by obtaining organic certification for our pine, khempa, and wintergreen essential oils for the European market.

“Pure essential oils tend to be more expensive than synthetic ones due to the cost of producing them.” They are made from pure, natural plant extracts and are not diluted or altered in any way, which adds to their cost.

Synthetic oils, on the other hand, are made from synthetic ingredients and are often less expensive, but synthetic essential oils do not offer any therapeutic benefits, although they may have a psychological effect. They are trying to communicate this to the public on most days as much as they can.

“Take advantage of the opportunity the government is offering. Don’t miss out on this chance to make a difference and contribute to your community. Whether it’s a grant, a program, or a new initiative, seize the opportunity and make the most of it,” Kuenga said.

He added that when choosing an idea or project, be sure to do thorough research and think carefully about your decision. “Don’t rely on others to guide you or hold your hand through the process. Take the time to explore your options and make an informed choice that aligns with your goals and values,” he said.

𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.

“They can spot an opportunity, come up with an innovative solution, and bring it to market successfully. A person who identifies a need or opportunity and creates a solution to fill that gap. They use their skills, knowledge, and resources to market a new product or service, often taking on financial risks.”