Luxebook December 2021

BY JOANNA LOBO Following one company’s vision to take this heritage national spirit global It’s as Indian as it gets. A sweet bloom from a sturdy tree growing in the central Indian forest belt is sun-dried and distilled to create a clear spirit that enfolds history, culture and legends within it. It has been distilled in India for centuries. It is integral to the lives of central India’s tribal population, who call this tree Kalpavriksha or the Tree of Life — it features in their festivals, celebrations and folklore. Mahua is the name of the tree, its blooms and the distilled spirit. And soon, mahua will be the name spoken by bartenders, consumers, the Indian diaspora and Indophiles in the UK. This is the dream of Mahua To the World (MTTW), the new venture by Agave India’s Desmond Nazareth and Conrad Braganza. Agave India was set up in 2013, and makes and markets Indian agave spirits, mahua, orange liqueurs and a mahua liqueur. Now, they want to take mahua global and showcase it as a potential national heritage spirit of India. Forest-to-bottle MTTW tells the true forest-to-bottle story. It originates in the pristine Indian forests. Water and yeast are the only ingredients used to make the signature Mahua offering. MTTW is also a Make in India story, harnessing the country’s potential of creating a quality and premium liquor, which can tell a story. “MTTW has always been there as a concept, since we first started distilling mahua.We had the notion that this is something that should be on every bar shelf of the planet because it is a new category of spirit, something unique, which has heritage, and which bartenders could experiment with,” says Nazareth. Today, this concept is nearing fruition. Soon, a premium mahua will make its way to the UK, where it will adorn shelves as an Indian spirit, unmatched in its provenance, story and flavour. But first, wrinkles must be ironed out. During the lockdown last year, Nazareth and Braganza found the solution to their funding query: equity crowdfunding. This model offers retail investors an opportunity to back companies they believe in. “Equity crowdfunding performs two roles. It’s a source of funding (democratising equity), and a marketing tool. The people who fund your enterprise thus become both your ambassadors and your customers,” says Braganza. Taking Mahua to the world HINTER L AND SPIRIT 14| L U X E B O O K | D E C E MB E R 2 0 2 1 D E C E MB E R 2 0 2 1 | L U X E B O O K | 15