Founded by Imnakumla in Mokokchung’s Yaongyimsen village, Süngo employs widows and records steady growth since the pandemic
A woman-led green tea enterprise in Yaongyimsen village of Nagaland’s Mokokchung district is generating employment for widows and marginalised women while shifting local tea production away from dependence on middlemen.
Süngo, a green tea brand launched in 2019 by 37-year-old Imnakumla, employs 12 people, 10 women and two men, and records an annual revenue of around Rs 10 lakh, with profit margins of approximately 35%, according to the founder.
Tea farming has been part of Imnakumla’s family for decades. Like many families in the area, they largely focused on black tea, selling their produce through middlemen who transported it to Assam. For years, it was the only system they knew and one that often left them with little to show for their labour.
After completing her graduation and working for several years as a private teacher, Imnakumla, now 37, returned to her village in 2018. That year, she said, the familiar cycle repeated itself. “Instead of gaining profit, we incurred losses. We even had to add money to pay labour wages,” she told MT.
It was a turning point.
With no formal training, Imnakumla turned to YouTube, exploring the idea of making green tea instead of selling raw leaves. In 2019, Süngo was born a name that simply means “tea” in the Ao dialect.
The first year, she did not sell it at all. She shared the tea freely among friends and family. The response, she said, encouraged her to continue.
Then came 2020 and the pandemic.
During the lockdown, as people became increasingly health-conscious, demand for green tea grew. Imnakumla said her product slowly found its way beyond the village, reaching Kohima, where health workers began seeking it out. Sales increased, and for the first time, Süngo began to feel viable as a livelihood.
Support followed gradually. Organisations such as the Made in Nagaland Centre and the Youth Net Collaboration Centre helped her access new markets such as Amazon. Today, Süngo is available at outlets including G Fresh, Urban Oasis and Tea Hub in Mokokchung, with demand also coming from Kohima, Dimapur and even parts of Ukhrul.
According to Imnakumla, Süngo now generates a revenue of around Rs 10 lakh annually, with approximately 35 per cent profit. During peak seasons, particularly in November, monthly sales can go up to Rs 1.3 lakh. However, she noted that much of the earnings have been reinvested including nearly Rs 1.4 – 1.6 lakh spent on packaging and design. “I wanted to get it right,” she said.
But Süngo is not only a business story.
Imnakumla’s inspiration, she said, comes from her mother, who raised the family alone after her father passed away. In her mother’s strength, she found a purpose beyond profit. Today, Süngo employs 12 people – 10 women and two men, most of them widows, persons with disabilities, and those from economically vulnerable backgrounds.
“They are the heart of Süngo,” she said.
The team works entirely on the farm, which currently spans about four acres, with one additional plot taken on rent. Every day during the plucking season from March to October, they walk together to the fields. The leaves are hand-picked, with care taken to select only soft, young leaves, avoiding larger or stained ones. The women then assist in boiling and drying the tea.
Annually, she said, the farm yields about 400–500 kilograms of tea.
Looking ahead, she hopes to expand further possibly setting up a small factory outside her home one day. More than expansion, however, she said her aspiration is to employ more widows and women who struggle to meet their basic needs.
“When you choose Süngo, you’re not just supporting a small business,” she said. “You’re embracing a piece of a mother’s heart.”
In Yaongyimsen, where tea has long moved quietly through informal supply chains, Süngo reflects a shift from raw production to value creation and from subsistence farming to community-led enterprise.