Aizwal: Tui Bon Natural, a start-up from Mizoram, has concluded its pre-seed funding round, achieving a valuation of Rs 10.3 crores ($1.25 million). With this, Tui Bon became the first startup in Mizoram to secure equity financing.

Founded by Mizoram-native entrepreneurs Zomawii Khiangte and Felipe Rodriguez, Tui Bon has gained recognition as the driving force behind the premier Northeast natural beverage Local All Natural Soda range. It is a non-alcoholic beverage, featuring flavors derived from indigenous and locally sourced fruits like pomelo, roselle, orange, and dragon-fruit showcasing flavors of Northeast India through craft sodas. In turn, it is creating market access for smallholder farmers.

After successful careers in New York, Zomawii and Felipe positioned 'Local All Natural Soda' as a preferred beverage partner for music festivals across the Northeast.

The recently completed pre-seed fundraising round, facilitated by Alsisar Impact, the leading incubator in South Asia's North-East and Himalayan region, attracted influential impact and angel investors, including Shoba Narayan, an award-winning author and journalist, Narayan Ramachandran, Chairman of Unitus Capital, Aditya Sheth, a Mumbai-based industrialist, and Sonali Mehta-Rao of Ahaana Ventures.

“The distinctive flavors of Northeast India remain largely unexplored on the global stage,” Zomawii said. Interestingly, Tui Bon translates to "very tasty" in the Mizo language.

"We are excited to unveil the unparalleled essence of our region to consumers worldwide. The infusion of funds will enable the brand to ramp up production, introduce new flavors, and scale distribution", the company said in a release.

"Zomawii and Felipe have built a local brand with a passion for high quality, sustainable, and socially impactful business, capable of transforming global perceptions of the Northeast", Anuj Sharma, founder of Alsisar Impact said.

The funds raised will propel Tui Bon Natural's expansive vision, targeting health and eco-conscious consumers in key metropolitan hubs like Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, and Pune. The investment will empower the company to increase production capacity, introduce new flavors, and expand its distribution network.

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