Ms Rashmi Kandel
| Ms Rashmi Kandel | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| 🏳️ Nationality | Nepali |
| Other names | Gajalu |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Title | CEO and Founder |
| 🌐 Website | https://medicinalmadhoney.com |
| rashmikandel | |
| gajalu_/ | |
| rashmikandel | |
Early Life
Rashmi Kandel was born and raised in Talphant, Besishahar Municipality-2 of Lamjung district, Nepal. Growing up in a Gurung honey-hunting community, she was deeply connected to the traditional practices of wild cliff honey harvesting from an early age. Raised by her parents, Sunil and Laxmi Kandel, Rashmi was a bright and creative child who dreamed of making a meaningful impact on her community. Her early exposure to nature, culture, and community-based practices deeply influenced her values and future aspirations.
Career
Following her parents’ wishes, Rashmi pursued studies in the medical field after completing her SLC exams. She became actively involved in health camps and community awareness programs during her academic journey, which later inspired her shift toward sustainable development. She earned a degree in Healthcare Management from Pokhara University, gaining a solid foundation in health systems and community needs. Despite her educational background being unrelated to business, Rashmi began learning herself IT tools, digital marketing, ecommerce and international trade strategies to promote Nepali products.
At just 17 years old, a chance interaction with foreign volunteers sparked her entrepreneurial journey. Fascinated by the wild honey from her home region, they encouraged her to send some to abroad marking the beginning of Medicinal Mad Honey what would become a global business venture.
Entrepreneurial Journey and Achievements
In 2017, Rashmi formally entered the honey business to help local honey-hunting communities and bring Nepal’s rare wild honey to the global market. She registered her first company, Everest Organic Home, in 2018 to promote Himalayan Cliff Honey. By 2019, she had built a strong presence in Kathmandu’s local markets and began expanding into global exports through major platforms like Amazon, Etsy, and eBay.
Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rashmi’s export volume increased significantly. In 2020, she registered Himalayan Treasures Ltd. in London to advance Nepal's export industry. Today, her business has reached 134 countries, supports over 2,700 farmers and honey hunters, and serves 11,000+ international customers. Her product line has expanded to include Medicinal Mad Honey, saffron, shilajit, tea, coffee, black cardamom, and other herbal products.
Rashmi has successfully positioned Mad Honey as a premium, medicinal, and cosmetic ingredient in high-end markets like the U.S., Europe, Japan, South Korea, and the Middle East. She supplies to both retail and wholesale buyers, including international beauty and pharmaceutical brands. She is also actively selling promoting wellness product called Shilajit with a brand name of Everest Shilajit which supplies premium Shilajit across the Globe.
