Every Himali Cup tea comes from an independent maker in the Darjeeling hills, someone I know by name, visit in person, and pay directly. No estates, no middlemen. These are the people behind your cup.
Yankhu Tamang
Yankhu is one of the local independent producers we partner with directly. In an industry dominated by large estates, she stands apart. She began as a leaf dealer, collecting harvests for big plantations, until the day her hard work was callously rejected. That moment of dismissal sparked a fire and became a turning point in her life. With the unwavering support of her family, she built her own factory from the ground up.
Today, she has transformed that struggle into a legacy of small-batch craftsmanship. Working alongside local farmers, she creates exceptional specialty teas on her own terms. Her work embodies the reason I started this: to ensure the value of Darjeeling tea stays with the people who make it, preserving both fair wages and our shared heritage.
Sonam Lama
For Sonam, tea isn't just a business; it is his life's purpose and identity. The grandson of a seasoned planter, he began his journey as a young intern studying tea clones straight out of Delhi University.
After spending a decade in Nepal, deeply involved in empowering small farmers, he was urged by his grandfather to return home to Darjeeling. He answered the call, determined to use his global experience to help local small growers who were struggling to survive under the shadow of colonial-era mega-plantations. To bring this vision to life, he opened his own small factory near Peshok in 2025. Because local farmers were too busy just trying to survive, he leases and manages 15 to 20 hectares of small gardens himself to ensure the highest-quality leaf.
What I admire most is his profound respect for both his community and the craft; he even pays his factory workers double the standard regional wages. During our conversation, he told me that nature uses us to propagate its messages, and he called me a "messenger" meant to share the true story of Darjeeling with you all here in Berlin. When you drink his tea, you are experiencing decades of heritage and a profound, spiritual love for the leaf.
You can taste everything they make, brewed fresh, every Saturday at our stall on Boxhagener Platz, Mauer Park, or bring their teas home from the shop.