Sikkim Local Products, Local Products of Sikkim, Local Products

	SIKKIM - LOCAL PRODUCTS
	However should you want to take home more tangible things, then may we suggest some of the more popular local products. The Alpine cheese manufactured by the Sikkim Dairy Products (P) Ltd. in technical collaboration with the Swiss is a rich yellow gouda cheese and comes in several sizes. manufactured by the Sikkim Dairy Products (P) Ltd. in technical collaboration with the Swiss is a rich yellow gouda cheese and comes in several sizes.

	Aroma is a bio-organic orthodox tea that is packaged & marketed by Denzong Organics. It is completely fertilizer free & has been certified by Naturland, Germany. Some of the health benefits associated with the tea are suppression of cholesterol, high blood pressure, and reduction of fat. It also has antibiotic products. Packaged in pouches of 250 gms, in eco-friendly paper bags, it sure lives up to its name.

	Beer! Yuksom Breweries does some really good beer, their Dansberg retails well all over India . Dansberg Blue comes in a cute bottle to drive your blues away. Sikkim is one of the largest producers of cardamom or 'bara elachi' that is used in sweets for starters. You can get branded scientifically cured cardamom packets.

	While the 'Choktses' or carved ornate tables made in the traditional style and available at the Directorate of Handicrafts and Handlooms (DHH) look like a logistical disaster, relax, the tops of these can be removed and the three panels conveniently folded. They sell like hot cakes, so enamored have tourists been of them! While you are at the DHH, you could browse through the other products in their portfolio . spectacle cases, bright files for holding those important notes & papers, the 'Tashi Tagey' or the eight lucky signs, handmade paper for the ecologically concerned among you to traditional Lepcha weaves that you can chop up for unique cushion covers and paintings and penholders. And how could you even contemplate leaving without a look at our carpets. You could even see the young artisans, both boys and girls, hard at work, painting, carving, weaving .. always creating a legacy of Sikkimese art.

	Thangkas are religious scrolls that add an oriental mystique to your rooms. Check them out too at DHH. Spice it up with Gingerina, a ginger paste also produced locally. Or raise your body temperature several notches with a taste of the deadly potent 'dalle' or cherry pepper, endorsed by none other than Sikkim’s famous footballer and poster boy Bhaichung Bhutia.

	Orchids anybody? Orchids occupy a unique place in our culture and we have several orchid lovers, some of who are also ready to sell some of their products. You can stop by at the Wayside Garden at 5th Mile by prior appointment or through a registered Travel Agent and check out their floral temptations. If you're an art aficionado, check out the beautiful paintings of orchids and rhododendrons which have been etched in striking detail by local lass Dikyi Yuthok. She retails them from her shop D2 at the S.N.O.D. complex, Gangtok. If it's fruity flavours you're looking for, try the range of fruit juices, jams and squashes made by the Government Fruit Preservation Company. Top of your list should be the passion fruit juice that energizes instantly with its tantalizingly sweet smell and even sweeter taste.

	Sikkim liquor makes some gift packs of liquor and liqueur that are useful as presents. The factory is located in Rangpo but most of the liquor shops stock them. Did you know that we boast of one of the highest productivity levels in the watch industry? SITCO assembles several models of digital and analog watches that are technically of an excellent quality. A long standing dream of the Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal, the company recently celebrated its Silver Jubilee. A Govt. of Sikkim Undertaking, SITCO has held its own in the fiercely competitive watch market.

	Football fans will love their Bhaichung Bhutia watch, especially autographed for SITCO by Sikkim’s most famous export o Indian football, Bhaichung Bhutia. Tea drinkers beware, Sikkim tea branded as Temi Tea & Sikkim Solja is addictive! Tea connoisseurs the world over swear by the strong flavour and impeccable taste of the tea produced in the only tea garden in Sikkim . Some of the health benefits associated with drinking tea are suppression of cholesterol, high blood pressure, and reduction of fat. It also has antibiotic products. The Do-Drul Chorten makes and sells handmade paper. It’s a good cause, support it!