Building Regenerative Supply Chains

When we opened East Himalayan Homestay, we made a commitment: every rupee spent would circulate within Kalimpong before leaving. This isn't just feel-good economics—it's a deliberate strategy to build resilience in hill communities and preserve traditional crafts that are disappearing.

Why Supply Chains Matter

Tourism typically extracts value from local communities. Hotels buy bulk supplies from cities, employ managers from outside, and send profits to corporate offices. Meanwhile, local farmers struggle to sell produce, artisans can't find markets, and young people leave for city jobs.

We wanted to flip this model. What if a homestay could be an economic engine for the entire community?

The Farming Partnership

Our kitchen sources 80% of ingredients from within 15 km. Here's how we made it work:

Meet Our Farmers

Doma Aunty grows organic vegetables on terraced land her family has farmed for three generations. She supplies us with seasonal greens, radishes, and the most incredible cherry tomatoes.

Pemba Uncle specializes in dairy—his cows graze freely on mountain slopes. We get fresh milk daily, and his wife makes churpi (traditional cheese) that we serve as appetizers.

The Lepcha Collective is a group of 12 farmers who grow cardamom, ginger, and turmeric using ancestral agroforestry methods. Their spices are incomparable.

The Weaver Network

Every textile in our homestay—from bed linens to curtains to napkins—comes from local weavers. This was harder to set up than food sourcing because Kalimpong's weaving tradition was nearly extinct.

We partnered with a women's cooperative that was down to 5 active weavers. We:

• Provided upfront payments to buy quality yarn
• Commissioned large orders (200+ pieces) to make production viable
• Displayed their work with QR codes linking to their collective
• Trained younger women in traditional patterns

Today, the cooperative has 18 weavers and receives orders from three other hotels in the region.

Flowers Tell Stories

Kalimpong is famous for nurseries and orchids, yet most hotels buy imported artificial flowers or shipped arrangements from Siliguri.

We have a standing order with three local nurseries:

• Spring: Rhododendrons and primulas
• Summer: Hydrangeas and gladiolus
• Monsoon: Ferns and moss arrangements
• Winter: Chrysanthemums and evergreen branches

The arrangements change with seasons, reminding guests where they are and connecting them to the hills' natural rhythm.

Furniture & Craft

Every piece of wooden furniture was made by Kalimpong carpenters using sustainable timber. Our carpenter, Lakpa, specializes in traditional Tibetan joinery—no nails, only precise wooden joints that last generations.

The copper light fixtures? Handmade by a family workshop that's been working metal for 80 years. The paintings? Local artists who previously had no market beyond street stalls.

The Challenges

Building regenerative supply chains isn't easy. We've faced:

• Inconsistent supply: Organic farming means crops fail sometimes
• Higher costs: Local sourcing costs 15-20% more
• Quality variation: Handmade means every piece is unique
• Seasonal gaps: Some produce simply isn't available off-season

Our solution? Embrace it. We design menus around what's available. We celebrate imperfection in handmade textiles. We preserve and pickle during harvest season.

What We've Learned

Regenerative supply chains require patience, relationships, and accepting that efficiency isn't the only metric that matters.

But the rewards are real: Our food tastes better. Our spaces have authenticity. Our team feels proud. And our suppliers are invested in our success because we're invested in theirs.