April 23, 2026
TRASHIGANG – When Phurpa Dema, 28, left her office job in Chukha to return to her highland home in Merak, she carried with her an idea: to make fresh bread and pastries accessible to a community long cut off from them.
Located at more than 3,500 metres above sea level, Merak is among Bhutan’s most remote settlements. Until recently, residents seeking pastries had little choice but to travel to Rangjung or wait for supplies transported from Trashigang town. And pastries bought from outside had a shelf life of barely one week.
That’s where Phurpa Dema saw an opportunity. “I thought, if I could start a bakery here, people would not have to depend on outside supplies,” she said.
Today, her shop, Phurpa’s Bliss Bite, is the only bakery in Merak. Built with support from the Loden Foundation and assistance from her brother, the business began without formal training but with determination to adapt to one of the harshest baking environments imaginable.
The early days were difficult.
In the thin, cold mountain air, dough refused to rise. Customers, initially drawn by the novelty, quickly compared her products with those from urban bakeries when her products fell short of what they could buy in town.
“People compared my pastries to the ones sold in Rangjung and Trashigang town,” she said.
Rather than giving up, she sought advice from friends with baking experience. Their guidance led her to invest in a proofer, a machine that creates a controlled environment for dough to rise despite the cold.
“There is a noticeable difference in softness,” she said. “But here, the machine is essential.”
A few months ago, she enrolled in a week-long bakery training at the NLD Training Centre, paying Nu 8,000 to formalise skills she had acquired through trial and error.
Yet there are other challenges. Running a bakery at the far end of a supply chain has proven costly. Ingredients and packaging materials are not available in Trashigang, forcing her to source them from Thimphu and Phuentsholing.
“I pay around Nu 50,000 for ingredients and packaging boxes, delivered by bus,” she said.
On top of that, transporting the delicate goods for the final stretch to Merak by taxi costs between Nu 1,000 and Nu 2,000 extra. “They charge more when I tell them the items are fragile.”
Despite these obstacles, the bakery has steadily gained the community’s trust. Phurpa’s Bliss Bite offers cakes in vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate, along with pastries and biscuits, all priced with local affordability in mind.
“I try to keep the prices lower than in towns with products at smaller sizes, so the locals can enjoy them,” she said.
A slice of cake costs Nu 40, as does a packet of cookies or pastries.
Demand has grown. Families now commission her to bake for religious rituals, and during the Rhododendron Festival, she earned nearly Nu 60,000 in just a few days. Her annual income now ranges between Nu 400,000 and 500,000.
In the future, Phurpa Dema plans to extend beyond Merak, supplying to other gewogs.
She is also seeking further training to refine her craft. “My wish is to enrol in a month-long course and improve my skills,” she said. “I want to offer better-quality products to my customers.”