Leh, Ladakh, September 23: Nima Goos Goos — meaning “Sunflower” in Ladakhi — is the first-ever women-owned and women-led startup from Ladakh to raise equity funding, and has closed a landmark investment round with participation from prominent impact investors including Ritesh Agarwal, Group CEO and Founder, OYO, Sonali Mehta-Rao, Founder of Ahaana Ventures, and Mumbai-based Angel investor Anushi Mehta.
Founded by Padma Angmo and Rigzin Angmo, Nima Goos Goos is reshaping Ladakh’s culinary identity through artisanal Himalayan products that honour the land, traditions, and the women who sustain it. The enterprise works with women farmers and foragers from remote Ladakhi villages to source organically grown and wild-harvested ingredients, transforming them into unique, small-batch offerings, including handcrafted herbal tisane teas and condiments.
Inspired by ancestral knowledge and incorporating centuries-old culinary practices, Nima Goos Goos’s line of tisanes, pestos, and preserves use indigenous Himalayan ingredients, adapted for contemporary palates. At its core, Nima Goos Goos is pioneering a regenerative local economy—centering women cultivators and wild harvesters across Ladakh’s fragile mountain ecosystems. “This is more than just a funding milestone—it’s a movement to reclaim and re-imagine Himalayan food systems led by the very women who’ve safeguarded these traditions for generations,” said Co-founders Padma and Rigzin.
This equity infusion marks a turning point. Nima Goos Goos will now establish Ladakh’s first women owned and run food processing and packaging unit in Leh, while laying the groundwork for a premium tisane brand with global reach. By 2026, the enterprise aims to onboard hundreds of women farmers and foragers, creating a decentralized supply network rooted in traditional knowledge and local biodiversity. Early export interest from Japan, Europe, and Indian retailers and hospitality brands signals strong market demand.
Investor Sonali Mehta-Rao noted, “Nima Goos Goos is an extraordinary blend of community, commerce, and culture. Padma and Rigzin are not only preserving Ladakh’s food heritage—they’re elevating invaluable ancestral knowledge and rich biodiversity to global relevance with integrity and innovation.”
Alsisar Impact, a key early backer of frontier enterprises across the Indian Himalayas, played a catalytic role in scaling Nima Goos Goos. Their mentorship, on-ground presence, and investor facilitation enabled the founders to build a market-ready, impact-aligned brand while remaining anchored in community and climate resilience. “At Alsisar Impact, we believe enterprises from frontier regions like Ladakh are redefining the future of entrepreneurship—where culture, climate, and commerce intersect to create global impact. Nima Goos Goos is an example of that vision,” said Anuj Sharma, Co-Founder of Alsisar Impact.
As it enters this new chapter, Nima Goos Goos is setting new benchmarks for what it means to build a women-led, place-based food brand from one of the world’s most ecologically vulnerable yet culturally rich regions—bringing the bold, healing, and regenerative flavours of Ladakh to tables across the globe.
