In Baglung, a soap industry has been established with an investment of one crore rupees. Teertha Gautam and Tara Sharma from Kathekola Rural Municipality–7 have been producing Kalika Soap for the past two years. Both are postgraduate degree holders. While many of their peers advised them to go abroad, the couple chose a different path.
Even family members suggested that going abroad was the safer option. However, Teertha and Tara dreamed of becoming entrepreneurs in Nepal. Now, they are nurturing their industry alongside their two-year-old son. Their self-established business currently provides employment for six people.
Operating near Hallanchok in Baglung Bazaar, Teertha and Tara produce dishwashing and laundry soaps under T& T Manufacturing. They sell their products in Baglung’s Galkot, Burtibang, Kushmisera, Bareng, as well as in major towns of Myagdi and Parbat districts.
They registered their industry in 2021 BS with the Tourism and Industry Office and Baglung Municipality and started soap production in 2023 BS. Initially starting with a 50 lakh investment, the industry’s capital has now exceeded one crore. In the near future, they aim to produce other cleaning products such as surf, Harpic, and Colin, Tara said.
“Although going abroad is a current trend, we decided to do something here and start our soap industry. We believe in initiating new work ourselves, which also creates employment opportunities for local people,” Tara said.
Most raw materials for soap production are purchased from India, with some sourced from Kathmandu, Teertha explained. They aim for an annual turnover of 50 lakh rupees. The 200-gram Kalika laundry soap is sold at 50 rupees per piece. Teertha emphasized that they focus not only on production but also on maintaining high quality in their soaps.
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