One Year in the Dark: Haripyare Naorem and the Fermented Bamboo Shoot
Haripyare Naorem
The question this story follows:
“Can Uyokching Food Processing scale its year-fermented bamboo shoots into a national food brand, or will the logistics of landlocked Manipur keep this tradition local forever?”
Haripyare Naorem ferments bamboo shoots for a full year to produce a product with no equivalent — but Manipur's landlocked geography makes every kilo expensive to move.
Haripyare Naorem runs Uyokching Food Processing from Kakching, Manipur — a company she registered in 2022, built on a tradition she learned from her mother-in-law. The product is simple and ancient: fermented bamboo shoot. The process is anything but quick.
Once 1,000 kilos of bamboo shoots are harvested from the forest, fermentation begins. It takes a full year. The toxic compounds break down, the aroma deepens, and what emerges is a product with consistent taste across the entire batch — Rs 500 per kilo. Her sons and mother-in-law work alongside her, and she has hired additional workers. The family has been in this business for four years.
The hardest challenge is logistics. Manipur is landlocked. Every kilo she sends outside the state carries a transportation premium that no government policy has yet addressed. Yet Haripyare's message to India is one of abundance, not grievance: we are culturally blessed. Our own traditions hold livelihoods waiting to be discovered.
Updates
Episode 1: Haripyare Naorem — A Year in Fermentation
My name is Haripyare Naorem. I live in Kakching district of Manipur, and I run Uyokching Food Processing. We work in bamboo shoot fermentation — a tradition that has been part of Kakching since time immemorial.
I learned the process from my in-laws, especially my mother-in-law. I have been in this business for four years, having registered as a company in 2022. My sons and mother-in-law help me with the operations, and I have also hired additional workers.
The bamboo shoots are collected from the forest. Once we have harvested 1,000 kilos, the fermentation process begins. Each batch is fermented for one full year, then sold at Rs 500 per kilo.
What makes our product special: because we ferment in bulk, every package has the exact same taste — consistent quality across the entire batch. The year-long fermentation also gives the shoot a richer aroma and deeper flavour than anything rushed.
Logistics is our hardest problem. Manipur is landlocked, and transportation costs cut into everything. But we are building, one batch at a time.
My message to India: we are culturally blessed. We do not need to look outside for ideas — our own traditions hold livelihoods waiting to be discovered. Look deep into your culture and show it to the world.
