For many people, being an entrepreneur is not mainly about money or ambition, but about doing what makes them happy. And given that happiness is such an important theme in the country, perhaps we should consider an increase in entrepreneurship as a way to also increase national happiness. 

Yes, entrepreneurs face struggles and risks galore but also have the freedom to be their own boss and drive their own destinies. 

An Entrepreneur, Phuntsho Wangmo is the founder of Bhutan Ramen, also known as YaaTa Noodle. The company was founded in 2017 with the mission to produce high-quality and organic buckwheat noodles from Bhutan.

“Goal is to bring the best and healthy noodles from Bhutan to the world and promote local and organic products internationally,” she said, adding a commitment to sourcing ingredients from local farmers and using sustainable practices in production to support the local community and economy.

Phuntsho shared that they strive to make their noodles available to everyone and are working to expand their production unit and reach international markets. “Our team is driven by a social mandate to work with farmers and contribute to community development.”

YaaTa Noodle! – Jangbali is darker in color-crafted from buckwheat flour. They are thin noodles and have a nutty flavor and earthy taste, making them an awesome addition to salads.

“We are proud to be the first commercialized buckwheat noodle company in Bhutan and are dedicated to preserving the Bhutanese tradition of making noodles,” she said, adding that their brand name, YaaTa, means high-quality food and reflects our commitment to using only the best ingredients sourced from high-land green-grown areas.

It is locally known as “Puta,” made from buckwheat, on every special day, especially during Losar. However, now noodles from other countries are taking over, and people show less interest in traditional noodles.

“As increasing trends of Bhutanese switching to Korean noodles and testing various noodles produced in other countries, I took it as a business idea to make a noodle out of buckwheat. It also adds to organic food culture,” Phuntsho said.

Phuntsho said it was founded to promote the products as one of the healthy foods in our country and contribute to the growth of the nation’s economy, “even though my products make only a minor contribution.”

When she started her business-YaaTA Noodles, she began with little funding. “I received offers from several sources about providing funding for production after about a month of events, and with the help of DCSI, I started the business of YaaTA in 2017.”https://loden.org/entrepreneurs/phuntsho-wangmo/

Phuntsho started her business with a total investment of Nu 500,000 in 2017 at the Startup center at Changzamtok. Today, she is one of the entrepreneurs who want to substitute various imported noodles.

“With time and development, the import of goods has increased drastically. Thereby, people’s choices change due to the abundance of options,” she said, adding that to a certain extent, noodles also reflect the Bhutanese traditional food and customs of China.

One distinguishing feature of her product is that the flavor of her noodles is nutty and earthy, which gives them a naturally sweet taste. They are made with higher ratios of buckwheat in addition to maida and atta, giving them the taste of locally produced buckwheat.

“Nowadays, she receives orders to take her noodles from her store,” she said, adding that the noodles she created are designed in such a way that noodle is served to people of all ages.

One package of her noodles Puta costs Nu 90, and Jangbhali costs Nu 100, and they are dealing both in wholesale and retail. “We understand that as a start-up, it can be difficult to compete with imported noodles, but we are confident that once people try our pure and natural YaaTa noodles, they will be hooked.”

Recently, Phuntsho established the YaaTA Noodle factory in July this year, at Wangsisina, with the project name ‘Bhutan ramen’ and the brand name ‘YaaTA noodles,’ becoming the very first company in the country to produce noodles out of buckwheat to replace imports of noodles from other countries.

“After production, it is also difficult to obtain a good market from the people because most people are unaware of the recipe and most people are new to my product, and it is difficult to obtain a business from our people because most people prefer non-locally produced noodles.” She also added that another difficult area is packaging, where they are unable to produce the same labeling and packaging as products from other countries.

However, she said that being an entrepreneur was challenging and that she had to face numerous obstacles, but she shared that she confronts herself, saying, “If I can positively impact my society by offering employment opportunities in the future, and if I can give good service to my community keeping that in mind, it helps me keep going.” Presently, four of them are working in her factory of YaaTA noodles.

Additionally, she said that at first, she knew that she had to work hard and spend long working hours a day because her business is still in its infancy, but she added, “I have a desire for success that keeps me going with positive vibes.”

She also said that, as of now, there is not much income, “I would say that there is a kind of self-satisfaction that keeps me happy while working as an entrepreneur and that this is probably what people prefer.”