NE Origins attempts to spotlight the foods of the Northeast by selling products from regions that they are native to. With bamboo shoot pickles from Manipur, stingless bee honey from Nagaland, and Gundruk (dehydrated fermented mustard leaves) from Sikkim, the organisation brings diversity to our plates, bridging the gap between the mainland and Northeast.
A brainchild of Rewaj Chettri, who has years of experience in policy formulation and reform building as a part of the Sikkim Entrepreneurship and Economic Development Cell, NE Origins was inspired by the founder’s travel and tourism services company: NE Taxi. A decade into business, the covid-19 pandemic hit, and Rewaj decided to take “the Northeast to the rest of world through food rather than endeavour to bring the world to visit the eight states”.
Even as NE Taxi thrives, NE Origins has since sculpted itself as a platform for varied food products from the Northeast, anchored by food cultures and culinary practices of diverse communities. By partnering with brands whose products represent the food heritage of their region—like Hornbill Foods, Meira Foods and Temi Tea Estate—it amplifies the work of small enterprises to initiate conversations around indigenous foods.
Why We Love NE Origins
- Quality of produce – The products represent the regions’ nuanced flavours as they are sourced from the land they belong to. From the Axone King Chilli Pickle and Smoked Pork Pickle of Nagaland, to the Orthodox Black Tea of Sikkim, the ethos of NE Origins shines through each of their products. With strong aromas and textural differences, NE Origins promises to deliver unhampered foods to its customers. Travelling to the Northeast through your palate doesn’t get easier!
- Focus on representation – The crux of the organisation is to provide an honest representation of the culinary heritage of the different regions in the Northeast of India. By amplifying their ethos, they have been able to pull back the youth of the region from following the path of urban migration.
- NE Stories – A section on their website houses stories and information about different products from their portfolio like bamboo shoot, lakadong turmeric and black rice. It provides immense insight into the geographical and nutritional importance of the foods of the Northeast for someone who is new to exploring them.
Note from the Producer
“NE Origins is an organisation started to bring indigenous food from India’s Northeast to the centrestage. From the purest raw forest honey from Nagaland and indigenous gundruk from Sikkim to kadak chai from Assam, ingredients travel directly from the producer to your house. We bring to you the best of the Northeast, carefully curated and co-created with indigenous local producers. Come explore the Northeast with us.”
— Rewaj Chettri, Founder, NE Origins
The Locavore Bite
TL Bite offers a glimpse into how a partner producer runs their operations, and reflects their core principles and values. The idea is to provide insights into their practices and highlight their positive efforts descriptively. We have identified seven key areas of assessment – origin and source of ingredients, composition and integrity of the products, workforce policies, production practices, community-related initiatives, approach towards preserving or celebrating traditional knowledge and the materials used in packaging. While this assessment may not be entirely comprehensive, we hope it helps you make an informed decision about why you might want to support them, and the ways in which to.
The information below offers you a snapshot of where NE Origins stands on these parameters. We have put this together based on several rounds of conversation with Rewaj Chettri, Founder of NE Origins. Click on a piece of the pie below to find out more.
If you’re interested in finding out more about NE Origins, read our interview with them here.
Products We Recommend
Lakadong Turmeric
King Chilli Pickle
How to Buy
If you would like to learn more about NE Origins, or try their products, check out their website. If you’re interested in supporting them in other ways, please contact us at connect@thelocavore.in.
This is a paid partnership with NE Origins. We strive to keep the practices of a producer transparent and honest across all forms of partnerships.
