PRESS RELEASE

SATORI TEA WELCOMES NEPALESE TEA VISIONARY TO THE US

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Victoria Boyert

Tel: 408-292-1502

Email: info@satoriteausa.com

SAN JOSE, CA - Satori Tea Company and the Changing Lives Nepal Fund will welcome Nepalese organic tea visionary Parshu Dahal to the United States on September 7, 2013 at 11am for a "tea party" at Satori Tea Company.  

Parshu is the Executive Director of the Society Development Center (SODEC), a grassroots non-profit in Nepal focused on reducing poverty through sustainable organic agriculture and other programs.  Parshu will share the story of farmers in these remote communities of the Himalayan foothills, discuss the impact of organic cash crops, and describe ongoing projects and future plans. Organic tea, grown in Nepal, will be served along with light tea treats.

In 2001, Parshu Dahal helped start the Society Development Center (SODEC).  Parshu wanted to address poverty in his village region by focusing on organic growing and processing of tea for the export market. Realizing that tea could grow on otherwise useless land, he organized villagers and trained them on the planting, care, and harvest of tea. Parshu has inspired field staff to work on a volunteer basis when necessary, has gained the trust of risk-averse farmers, and has successfully tapped local, governmental, and non-profit resources–including writing a major grant to build the factory. In 2012, the processing unit, collectively owned by 155 farmer families, went into operation. This is the first large cooperative tea factory of its kind in Nepal. Now, Parshu is leading a 5-year project of planting organic almonds in rural Nepal and helping farmers in a new area start an income-generating industry for their future.

Parshu will be visiting the United States in September to observe and learn more about organic farming, sustainable food models, rooftop gardening, high-altitude gardening, and multi-cropping, in order to utilize new techniques in SODEC’s current and future projects in Nepal. He will be speaking at the University of San Francisco and UC Davis. Parshu will be also be visiting tea outlets and meeting with tea specialists to better understand marketing, quality, wholesale, retail, and packaging as the Nepal tea factory begins to produce for the export market.

Satori Tea Company is an award winning purveyor of artisanal loose leaf teas and handcrafted blends with a tea atelier in San Jose. Satori is proud to help Parshu and the Changing Lives Nepal Fund achieve their philanthropic goals in Nepal. They are all thrilled to be able to share this experience with their community.

To learn more about Satori Tea Company or Changing Lives Nepal Fund supports please visit: http://satoriteausa.com