Burlap & Barrel and CHOICE Humanitarian Partner to Bring Critical Economic Opportunities to Rural Nepal

WEST JORDAN, UT, September 21, 2022 -- Burlap & Barrel, a single origin spice company and social enterprise working with smallholder farmers, is collaborating with CHOICE Humanitarian to produce wild Timur pepper from farmers in the rural Bardiya District of Nepal.

To source this rare pepper, Burlap & Barrel selected CHOICE because its nonprofit international development operations in Nepal span nearly 20 years. CHOICE specializes in addressing the critical needs of those living in poverty in the remote regions of the country, including food and water security, access to improved health resources, and more robust economic development.

"We're thrilled that Burlap & Barrel is making possible these critical economic opportunities for Nepalese farmers," said Steven Pierce, CEO of CHOICE Humanitarian. "To date, there have been 500 kilos of Timur pepper harvested with an additional order of 150 kilos requested, and this is just the beginning of what we do together. In addition, and perhaps more important, many rural areas will now have improved access to clean water, education, and medical services."

Historically, Nepalese harvesters and farmers have been at the mercy of middlemen that often only buy a portion of their crops, and they typically receive unpredictable and unfair compensation for their harvests. Now these farmers have reliable sourcing relationships, as well as fair and on-time payments that impact everyone along the value chain.

"Burlap & Barrel has long-standing relationships with the farmers, suppliers and local communities we work with," said Ethan Frisch, co-founder and co-CEO of Burlap & Barrel. "Our work with CHOICE fits perfectly into our social impact mission to end inequality and exploitation in food systems—by connecting farmers to high-value markets and helping smallholder farmers add value and earn more from their exceptional products."

Timur peppers have a citrusy, zesty complexity that doesn't exist in any other peppers. In Nepal, Timur is commonly used in dry vegetable dishes, especially with potatoes, and is also used in tomato-based dishes and curries. In addition to its powerful flavor, Timur has robust anti-inflammatory properties, stimulates circulation, reduces bad (LDL) cholesterol levels, and helps reduce high blood pressure.

For more information about CHOICE and Burlap & Barrel's work in Nepal, visit choicehumanitarian.org/where-we-work.

See the press release on 24-7pressrelease.com.

About CHOICE Humanitarian

CHOICE Humanitarian is a non-profit development organization with four decades of experience working to reduce poverty in Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Kenya, Mexico, the Navajo Nation, Nepal, and Peru. CHOICE works with the people of rural areas in some of the most remote, underserved regions of the country where community members struggle with the many dimensions of poverty, including high unemployment and lack of income generation opportunities, poor housing, lack of educational opportunities, poor nutrition and food insecurity, and little or no health infrastructure. CHOICE works with and through community members, local leadership, and other partners to mobilize poverty solutions that support communities to unlock choice, build capacity, and cultivate resilience.

About Burlap & Barrel

Burlap & Barrel sources incredible spices for professional chefs and home cooks. As a Public Benefit Corporation, they partner directly with smallholder farmers to source spices that have never been available in the US before and help improve the livelihoods of their partner farmers.