For the first time, flavours from Mizoram have reached the national stage of Shark Tank India, with Local All Natural Soda pitching its indigenous craft beverages before the Sharks.
In a video shared by the show, founders Zomawii Khiamgte and Phillipe Rodrigue introduced their brand, Local All Natural Soda, as “a scalable farm-to-bottle craft beverage using indigenous ingredients; you can taste the purity of our hills in every sip.” Emphasising their mission-driven approach, they added, “Every bottle supports the farmers and the communities that make Mizoram such a special place. We are not just building a brand; we are creating a movement.”
Zomawii, a native of Mizoram, shared her personal journey during the pitch. “I am a Mizo. I grew up in Mizoram and went to the US for my undergraduate studies, where I met my husband in our freshman year,” she said. Explaining their decision to return, she noted that her husband was an award-winning brewer in New York. “We took our savings and built a microbrewery in Mizoram,” she said.
Speaking to EastMojo on their experience, Zomawii said, “Prep work was not much for us, we know our business inside out. We had to brush up with financials since there were no cheat sheets. The team helped us with different senaarios. As an entreprenuer, we’re used to pitching and selling our products. We really belive in our mission and its always been our story since Day 1.”
“It exceeded our expectations. Having someone like Mohit Yadav interested in becoming a partner is a real boost for us. At the same time, giving away one-third of the company feels like too much, as we still have a long way to go. We definitely need the right strategic support to help with expansion, but we can’t afford to dilute too much at this stage since we also have commitments to other investors,” she added.
Founded in December 2021, Local All Natural Soda was established with the aim of improving market access for smallholder farmers in Mizoram by sourcing indigenous ingredients and building a value-added beverage brand rooted in the state’s natural produce. Since its launch, the company has grown steadily and has become a prominent beverage partner at major music festivals across the North East.
In 2024, the start-up successfully concluded its pre-seed fundraising round at a valuation of USD 1.25 million, marking the first equity financing secured by a start-up in Mizoram. The fundraising was facilitated by Alsisar Impact, an incubator focused on frontier markets in the North East and Himalayan region.
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