KATHMANDU — A chewy cheese made by generations of yak herders in Nepal has become an unexpected hit overseas - as a dog treat - bringing entrepreneurs and Himalayan farmers a windfall.



Known as "Churpi", the dried cheese made from churned yak's milk and cow's milk has long been a popular snack domestically.



But businessman Sujan Shrestha said he had "a lightbulb moment" after an American friend bought the cheese for his pooch before returning home from the Himalayan country.



"We were actually offended at first (that)...he was giving Churpi to his dog," Shrestha said. Then they saw the business opportunities.



Shrestha, a former handicrafts salesman, and two friends decided to test the water in 2007, setting up a stall at a farmers' market in Washington DC and selling the cheese exclusively for dogs.



They sold out within half an hour. Since then, business has nearly doubled year-on-year.

The company, known as Himalayan Dog Chew, is now a frontrunner among a handful of firms which market Churpi in the United States, Britain, Canada and Japan.



It exported over 200 tonnes of Churpi from Nepal in 2014, with sales in North America and Japan totalling $9 million.  — AFP