Thimphu, August 22, 2025 – The Livestock Sector of Thimphu Dzongkhag officially launched the production of high-value French-type cheeses—Tomme (Lanor Soft Cheese) and Gumdel (Lanor Semi-hard Cheese)—at Dagala Gewog. The initiative, aimed at uplifting yak herders’ livelihoods, is supported by the Bhutan Foundation’s Small Grants Program and implemented in collaboration with the National Highland Development Centre (NHDC) and local herders.
Five members of the Dagala Lanor Nyamlay Tshogdey (Yak Cooperative) are actively participating, supplying yak milk at Nu. 100 per liter. The cooperative has partnered with Lanor Creamery as the private buyer, with cheese sold at Nu. 900 per kg. On August 15, 2025, the cooperative successfully delivered its first consignment of 216.43 kg of cheese.
The Dagala Yak Cooperative currently comprises 44 household members (18 male and 26 female) with a yak population of 2,944 (NSB 2025). To enhance quality and production capacity, a cold storage facility has been established at Kaja Throm through the support of the Department of Agriculture and Marketing Cooperatives (DAMC), MoAL, ensuring proper cheese ripening and storage.
The Department of Livestock (DoL) initiated the innovation of high-value yak products in 2021 to create niche markets and enhance incomes for yak cooperatives under the Bhutan Yak Federation. With support from the EU–Bhutan Trade Support Project and technical expertise from a French cheese maker, Tomme and Gumdel cheese processing was introduced in 2022, followed by research trials in Paro, Haa, and Bumthang using yak milk under the National Highland Development Centre. In 2023, His Majesty The King blessed the launch of Tomme, Gumdel, and Caciocavallo cheeses at the Royal Highland Festival, with further support from JSB–UNDP enabling small-scale processing and a cheese cellar in Haa in 2024. To establish a unique Bhutanese identity, DoL rebranded these products as Lanor Soft Cheese (Tomme), Lanor Semi-hard Cheese (Gumdel), and Lanor Noble Fibre (yak fiber).
In addition, the Department of Livestock, in collaboration with ICIMOD, Thimphu Dzongkhag, DoFPS, and NLCS, is spearheading a rangeland restoration program in Dagala to address the scarcity of yak feed and fodder, ensuring the long-term sustainability of yak farming in Bhutan’s highlands.
The launch of Tomme and Gumdel cheese marks a significant step in value addition to yak products, creating new income opportunities for highland communities while promoting the unique identity of Bhutanese yak-based dairy products in niche markets.
