Rwanda: Rum producer secures pre-seed funding

Rwandan distillery and rum producer Imizi Rum has secured $500,000 in a pre-seed funding round.

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Rwandan distillery and rum producer Imizi Rum has secured $500,000 in a pre-seed funding round, backed by angel investors from North America, London, Singapore, and Rwanda.

Co-founder Rohan Shah remarks: “Our investors come from both in and out of the spirits industry and without exaggeration, span the entire world. Their investment represents the belief that African brands like Imizi Rum are set to transform global culture.”

Distilled from Rwandan cane juice and Central African botanicals, Imizi was launched in Rwanda in November 2023.

“With Imizi, we want to transform how rum is farmed,” says co-founder, Pierra Ntayombya. “Rather than a relic of the exploitative and biodiversity-killing sugar trade, can rum instead be made in harmony with the land and its custodians?”

This funding will expand Imizi’s production, support distribution beyond Rwanda, and establish a brand house in Kigali.

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