A significant milestone in my professional journey was when we finalized our partnership with Camel Charisma, a social enterprise founded by Hanwant Singh Rathore and Dr. Ilse Köhler-Rollefson who have been working to support a camel herding caste in Rajasthan, India for more than a quarter of a century. This partnership made our vision of sourcing the most ethically sourced camel milk on the planet a reality.
Guided by the principle “How you do anything, is how you do everything” we wanted to find a partner who treated all beings with compassion and respect and knew it would reflect the same impact driven mission that we seek. We even halted our production process until we could find partners that fully aligned with our mission to create cruelty free products.
Lucky for us, we found a group that loves camels and values animal welfare as much as we do. Currently the Raika are struggling to make a living off of their traditional pastoral way of life, and both their culture and their camels are at risk of becoming extinct. Through pastoralism, there is an opportunity for creating a more animal friendly and more sustainable system.
The purchase of our products generates income for the Raika and helps to generate economic opportunity. These Nomadic herders have developed a sustainable and efficient use of resources in which there is a unique + mutually harmonious relationship between the Raika people, their camels, and the earth.
“Supporting decentralized camel farming through innovative models is a great opportunity to reduce poverty and to better food security in some of the poorest parts of the world,” Dr. Ilse Köhler-Rollefson, business partner at Camel Charisma