About
History
Herbs & Honey’s inception goes back to 2012 when a few friends came together in Switzerland and started projects to help populations affected by the mining industry in Armenia develop honey and herbal teas to make their ends meet. Then, the logical development was to found the Herbs & Honey tea-shop restaurant in Gyumri in 2018. It serves healthy food and sells in its little shop honey products, herbal teas, spices, and crafted ceramics. It employs over 20 people and some 10 families benefit from its activities by supplying their products. The company helps family businesses produce and bring their goods to the market thus ensuring self-sufficiency.
Further developments
Later in 2015, we discovered the Ashotsk region in North-West Armenia, which was amazingly beautiful, rich in flora and fauna but utterly underdeveloped. Then, having discovered the great tourist potential, we organized trips to the region to do yoga, and discover local ethnic plants and flowers, mineral water sources, rivers and lakes, and national reserves such as Arpi Lake and Trchkan Waterfall. The region is at 2000m altitude and is abundant in snow and water resources.
The boutique hotel and restaurant
Having brought tourists there on numerous occasions, we realized there was a need for a house where we could have a meal and relax after hiking, yoga, and other activities. As a result, we purchased an abandoned house in the village of Vardaghbyur which was in a desperate condition. It was a one-floor 180 m2 house. We transformed it into a two-floor small boutique hotel of 600m2 with a restaurant area to host 50 guests and 35 guests for the hotel. Thus, what was a simple love for nature, became a successful business with a long-term and sustainable development potential.