Mudhouse is proud to host the UVA Tibet Center for a Himalayan Heritage Trunk Show on Friday, June 21 from 3 PM - 6 PM at our downtown location. This is a cool happening!
A unique cultural event, the Himalayan Heritage Trunk Show, features 16 diverse social entrepreneurs from South Asia - Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet who will showcase their extraordinary creations inspired by the rich heritage of the Himalayas.
Attendees will have the opportunity to experience the vibrant cultures, intricate designs, and timeless traditions of the Himalayas. The trunk show promises to be more than just a display of art; it’s a celebration of cultural exchange, creativity,
and global connection. We are thrilled to host this incredible showcase that not only highlights the beautiful artistry of the Himalayan region but also fosters a spirit of cultural understanding and appreciation. Each entrepreneur brings a piece of their heritage, and we are honored to provide a platform for their work.
This event is near and dear to our hearts. We have been working with UVA Tibet Center since 2017, visiting three provinces in the Tibetan Region of China to participate in workshops with small business owners and startups on business management, operations, marketing, and financial management and then welcoming entrepreneurs to come intern with us to learn at each of the levels of the specialty coffee business.
Highlights of the event:
● Unique creations ranging from textiles to traditional wellness, social welfare to advocacy of animals and adventure in the Himalayas each telling a story of the Himalayas.
● An opportunity to engage with the entrepreneurs, learn about their craft, and the cultural significance behind their work.
● A vibrant atmosphere perfect for families, art enthusiasts, adventure seekers and anyone interested in cultural diversity.
Mudhouse Specialty Coffee Roasters invites the community to join in this celebration of global creativity and heritage. Enjoy your favorite coffee while immersing yourself in an unforgettable cultural experience. This event is a must-attend for those looking to support and celebrate diversity through art and tradition.
Learn More about the Participants
Ang Dolma Sherpa
After spending her early career working in nonprofits and as a hospital receptionist, Ang Dolma Sherpa saw a need for ecologically friendly traditional prayer flags and offering scarves. Most modern mass-produced flags, known as lungta, and scarves, called khatak, are made with synthetic fabrics and dyes. Often hung outdoors, the lungta, meant to be an offering of prayers, instead end up polluting the natural environment. Sherpa's business uses sustainable dyes and fabrics for their lungta and khatak, and is eager to learn how to expand her clientele. She co-authored an article in the influential anthropological magazine Sapiens, was covered in the Kathmandu Post, Kathmandu's leading English-language newspaper, and in the French-produced, English-language newspaper Le Monde
Jag Bahadur Budha
Jag Bahadur Budha owns and operates a trekking company in Nepal. Despite earning a college degree in anthropology, he decided he could better serve his community by providing more sustainable trekking services. While currently reliant on tent stays, Jag aims to grow capacity in the small villages along the trekking routes, helping them to establish tea houses and homestays that would suit his international clientele.
IG @HimalayanCompanion, website, and YouTube
Leki Sangay
Leki Sangay is an educator in rural eastern Bhutan. In his role at Sherubtse College, he is responsible to train aspiring entrepreneurs in how to run a successful business. As is often the case, educators can be tasked with teaching subjects outside of their training. Leki is eager to learn new skills in the UVA program, and to learn how entrepreneurship is taught and practiced in the United States so that he can then in turn share that knowledge with students. As Leki works in a part of Bhutan with large Tibetan and Tibetan-Bhutanese populations who run local businesses, Leki also conducts workshops and outreach to those who live comparatively nearby the school. He looks forward to learning financial management techniques and coaching in particular.
Lobsang Tashi
Lobsang Tashi founded his tax service business in 2015, aiming to provide professional services to a predominantly Tibetan clientele. His business supports individuals, companies, and NGOs through providing paid services, while he also provides pro bono services. Lobsang's non-profit, Tibet Hope Centre, supports youth and senior citizens to help those who have limited means of sustainance. Despite some successes, he hopes to learn more formal skill sets so that he can better serve his community.
Kunchok Dolma J
After a decade in dentistry in Mysore, Dr. Kunchok opened her own clinic in the Tibetan community of Byalakuppe, her hometown. Having a high-quality clinic on sight removes the need for community members to travel the over 90 kilometers to Mysore to receive dental treatment. Her goal in the next five years is to upgrade the clinic's equipment to be able to provide more advanced services, and is eager to learn financial management techniques.
Kunchok Rabten
A cafe owner, Kunchok Rabten uses his business in Dharamsala to host events and arts exhibitions, providing community and a platform for young professionals. In addition, he is involved with translating and writing children's books in Tibetan language. Having had no formal training in entrepreneurship, he applied with the aspiration to learn more about every aspect of business–financial management, business planning, and marketing strategies.
Rinzin Wangyal
When Rinzin Wangyal majored environmental studies and science, he never envisioned working on the streets of Delhi. Yet, when confronted with the state of stray dogs, many of which were being actively mistreated by locals and most of which received no medical care at all, he and two friends co-founded a nonprofit dedicated to making the pups' lives better. For seven years, Yamuna Khimtsang has provided vaccinations, food, and, in partnership with another local organization, sterilization to the street dogs in and around the Tibetan-majority Manjukatilla neighborhood of Delhi. They also provide trainings to locals and encourage them to be kinder to their four-legged cohabitants. Wangyal looks forward to learning more structured planning methods.
Sonam Paldon
Sonam Paldon runs a tourism based social enterprise that organizes wellness and spiritual tours to the Indian Himalayas (Ladakh and Dharamshala) and Kerala in South India. Loving Tara aims to empower women through supporting them to have increased access to income streams through direct employment and service provision. Further, Paldon offers health and wellness workshops, including yoga and breast cancer awareness event. She hopes to learn about branding, how to grow and expand her business, business and financial planning and fundraising.
Sonam Pelmo
Founder and CEO of Himalayan Herbal Wellness Products, Sonam Pelmo runs two traditional Tibetan herbal medicine clinics in Kathmandu. Drawing on her training as a traditional Tibetan doctor (Amchi), Pelmo pivoted to producing medicines and opening her own clinics after losing her own job at a charity hospital when Covid hit. Now the company produces over 120 medicines, teas, oils, and ointments that use the traditional medical system, which is called sowa rigpa. She hopes to expand a pilot project in growing their own organic herbs, and in the program looks forward to learn business management, market surveys, and budgeting.
Tenzin Choney
As covid shut down her hometown Tibetan community of Mundgod, Tenzin Choney watched in horror as many people in her community succumbed to heart related illnesses and fatalities. In response, she drew on her training as a nurse to found the Tibetan Heart Foundation, a nonprofit that provides education about heart disease, heart health, and other heart-related issues to members of the Tibetan community. Further, Tibetan Heart provides extremely low cost (>$2/day) lodging and meals to patients undergoing medical treatment, as well as free medical camps and financial aid for heart surgeries. Choney is eager to learn business management techniques that complement her medical training and her organization's mission.
Tenzin Kyizom
Born in Tibet, Tenzin Kyizom relocated from Dharamsala to Delhi, where she noticed that there were no shops offering the delicious popsicles and ice creams she'd had as a kid. She took to the internet to teach herself to make them and quickly built a small following that enabled her to rent a small shop in Manjuka Tilla, the heart of Delhi's Tibetan community. She is interested to increase her marketing and financial management skills to take her products to the next level.
IG: @ice_scream_mkt
Tenzin Norbu
Tenor is the founder of Sharlho, a sustainable slow fashion label based in McLeodganj, Dharmshala. Tenor’s initiative prioritizes zero-wastage by using leftover materials to create small accessories and stuffing for cushions, moving away from the detrimental effects of fast fashion on the environment. His work focuses on preserving traditional techniques, providing jobs, and contributing to the local community.
Tenzin Nyima
Since 2013, Tenzin Nyima has provided professional dance instruction to students in and around Delhi. Alongside offering private lessons, he has developed local programs to promote dance education as a way for young people to be more active and more comfortable with their bodies. At present, Tenzin has to turn potential students away as most of his lessons are one-on-one; accordingly, he is interested to learn how to build capital and set prices in a way that will better enable him to rent a studio space in Delhi so that he can begin offering group classes.
Tenzin Youdon
With the help of family, in 2017 Tenzin Youdon opened her own fashion boutique in Delhi, designing traditional Tibetan wear with a modern twist. In 2022, she relocated her business to the Dekyiling Tibetan Colony where she was born. Her next steps are to register her business formally and to open a fashion academy where Tibetans can learn to sew, make patterns, and embroider. Youdon is interested to learn about hiring and growth strategies, and how to secure capital.
Tsering Kyizom
Tsering Kyizom has turned her teaching talents into an entrepreneurial endeavor, designing and producing resources for kids to improve their Tibetan and English language skills. Each of the puzzles, worksheets and books is designed to help children with language acquisition. When Covid caused schools to shut down, Kyizom found online markets. She is looking forward to learn strategic planning, marketing, and leadership skills.
IG: @tse_kizom, YouTube
Tshering
Originally part of Bhutan's tourism industry, Tshering left full-time guiding to open a plant nursery near the capital city, Thimphu. After just four years in the business, his nursery has provided the plants that beautify the recently renovated central market complex, the Thimphu-Babesa highway, and other high-profile projects. Though he is gaining some traction, he hopes to learn financial and business management to be able to maximize profit while maintaining the midlevel price point that keeps him competitive.
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