Interview with Ramesh Pathak, the Nepal scarves chief

Nepalese scarves are one of our warmest and most beautiful bestsellers. Like loving hugs from someone who cares about you. We have decided to introduce you to the person who produces them for you. Our hero's name is Ramesh Patak, he lives in Nepal and manages the production of our beloved giant scarves. We spoke with Ramesh about Nepal, his family, how the business started, and learned interesting facts about production.

Could you tell us about yourself: Where were you born, what is your family like, where do you live?

My name is Ramesh Pathak. I was born 42 years ago in Nuwakot, Nepal, as the fourth son of 10 children in our family. There I spent my childhood and also attended school. After school I came to Kathmandu city for further study. However it was not easy in those days to survive in the big city so I started various jobs but after all I started my small own business in the street with my mom. She knitted some woollen items which she did in her free time when she was not taking care of all the kids.

Tell us a little about your country. Where is Nepal located, what year is it now, what is the official language and currency, what is the population and what are the major cities?

Nepal is located in South Asia and has borders with China and India. Now it running 2080 year by the Bikram Sambat calendar. Official language is Nepali and local Currency - Nepali rupees (NPR). The population is 30 million. Major cities are: Kathmandu - the capital city, Pokhara, Bhairahawa, Dhangadhi, Biratnagar, Birgung, Janakpur, Chitwan. 

What is your favourite and most striking fact about Nepal?

People, culture and weather.

Now let’s talk about scarves. How did you start making scarves? And how did it all turn into a business?

At the beginning I started with my mom, she weaved in the hand loom. I was inspired by that and first I started just selling the items, which my mom weaved in her free time. But soon we started to get orders from different customers.

How many people are currently involved in production? What do they do?

Totally 18 people are involved in the production. They do weaving, quality checking and packing. But we also provide looms to people from the countryside and villages who can make scarves at their home during their free time.

How much time does it take to produce one scarf?

During an 8-hours work day one person can make 4 scarves.

What materials do you use and where do you buy them?

We use cotton, wool and acrylic blend. Wool and cotton are Nepali products and acrylic we buy from importers. 

Is your product popular in the local market? Where else do you sell scarves?

Yes, it is a very popular product in the local market, so it is the major market. We also export to Belgium, Russia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Norway, UK, Canada and USA - those are the major abroad buyers we have now.

Tell us about the patterns on the scarves. How are they related to the local culture?

We mostly use local paisley design which is traditional for clothes, but we make a different pattern, which is about the colour of the scarves as well. Almost 90% people use this design in the major festival time, it is called local design (Nepali folk traditional).

What difficulties do you face in the production and further sale of scarves?

It was difficult to find a skilful person to weave but after our training we have them now. And we also find disturbing the great amount of copied products with low quality. 

Do you produce anything else besides scarves or maybe you dream about something new to produce?

We had started a few felt products but our hand knitted woolen products are much popular nowadays. I hope we can manage this and have plans to pay more attention to the marketing. 

Why do you think people all over the world love your scarves so much? What is their secret?

People love our scarves because of their design, smooth and warm. I think their secret is quality.