18 Years of Feeding Trekkers: How a Family-Run Lakeside Bakery Survived Pokhara's Tourism Revolutions
From kerosene ovens during 18-hour load-shedding to artisanal sourdough in the digital nomad era, owner Hari Shrestha reflects on two decades on the Annapurna trail.
POKHARA: At 5:00 AM, while mist still rests across the quiet waters of Phewa Lake, the aroma of roasted cardamom and freshly browned rye dough drifts through Baidam's waking streets. Guides adjusting mountain packs and solo trekkers in fleece jackets gather at the threshold for warm sourdough rolls and apple muffins before catching morning jeeps into the foothills.
Enterprise Fact Box: Local Business Profile
- Established: 2008 (Hallan Chowk, Lakeside, Pokhara).
- Founder: Hari Bahadur Shrestha & Family.
- Specialties: Naturally fermented sourdough, Mustang apple strudel, Annapurna wild honey cake.
- Supply Chain: Direct sourcing from organic dairy and coffee farmers in Kaski and Syangja districts.
- Team: 12 full-time staff, primarily trained local women and culinary youth.
Starting in the Dark: The Era of 18-Hour Load-Shedding
"When we lit our first fire in 2008, electricity was available for perhaps six hours a day across Pokhara," recalls 54-year-old Hari Shrestha. "Diesel generator fuel was prohibitively costly. We adapted a kerosene-pressurized oven brought from Kathmandu, kneading dough entirely by hand through chilly mountain midnights."
In those years, independent mountaineers needed dense, calorie-rich breads capable of staying fresh across three-week treks over the Thorong La pass. Shrestha’s commitment to preservative-free natural sourdough quickly turned word-of-mouth recommendations in guidebooks into morning queues out the door.
Weathering External Shocks Through Community Ties
Over eighteen years, Pokhara’s tourism economy has absorbed repeated jolts: the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, regional flight disruptions, and international travel pauses. Rather than shuttering during downturns, the Shrestha family pivoted inward, developing affordable, wholesome loaves for local Pokhara households and hospital workers.
"A tourism business that relies exclusively on seasonal foreigners is fragile," Shrestha explains. "When you cultivate relationships with local residents and neighborhood families, your foundation holds steady no matter what happens to international flight corridors."
The Shift Toward Digital Nomads and Conscious Travel
In 2026, Lakeside’s visitor demographic is evolving. Alongside traditional high-altitude trekkers, a growing community of remote technologists and long-stay writers spends months working with lake views. The bakery added optical fiber connectivity, communal wooden tables, and single-origin shade-grown coffee from western Nepal hills.
Advice for Nepal's Next Generation of Hospitality Founders
For young Nepalis returning from abroad or launching local enterprises, Shrestha offers simple counsel: "Never view a visitor as a single transaction. The warmth and honesty they experience here is what brings their friends to Nepal five years later. Authenticity cannot be advertised—it has to be baked fresh every day."
HamroBuzz Enterprise Feature: Part of our weekly investigative coverage profiling independent local businesses, mountain supply chains, and grassroots economic resilience in Gandaki Province.
Before you go
- 1Founded in 2008 with a single kerosene-fired oven near Hallan Chowk, this family bakery has nourished generations of Annapurna Circuit and Sanctuary trekkers.
- 2Surviving extreme 18-hour daily power cuts, the 2015 earthquake, and border closures, the business persevered by prioritizing local organic grain and natural sourdough fermentation.
- 3Today, the bakery sources organic honey and dairy directly from Kaski mountain farmers while providing an informal community hub for international remote workers.
Senior economic and policy correspondent covering public procurement, government fiscal decisions, and macroeconomic governance at HamroBuzz.
