Women Entrepreneurs of Arunachal Pradesh: 5 Success Stories

WIB Editorial · Arunachal Pradesh

Land of the dawn-lit mountains. Land of women who build.

The women entrepreneurs of Arunachal Pradesh are turning kiwis into wine, hillside leaves into tea and village craft into brands, and in doing so they are rewriting what business looks like in India’s northeast.

5 Founders
5 Sectors
5 Inspiring Stories

5women entrepreneurs profiled
5different sectors, from tea to auto retail
₹70,000profit from a ₹30,000 self-help group fund
60and still building: the Tea Lady of Bilat Circle

Meet the Women Entrepreneurs of Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh is often called the Land of the Dawn-Lit Mountains, and the women profiled here are lighting up its business landscape. Their enterprises range from a winery in Ziro to a tea brand in Mirem village, from a sustainable lifestyle label to a car dealership that has won industry recognition.

Women In Business has compiled five of their stories. Some began with a single idea, others with a small shared fund and the courage to speak up. Together they show that the women entrepreneurs of Arunachal Pradesh are not one story but many.

Ninna Lego, founder of House of Macnok, one of the women entrepreneurs of Arunachal Pradesh

Handicrafts · Jewellery · Organic products

1. Ninna Lego

Founder, House of Macnok

Ninna Lego founded House of Macnok, a sustainable lifestyle brand that celebrates the tribal crafts of Arunachal Pradesh. Her business spans handicrafts, jewellery and organic products, and it works to support the local artisans behind every piece.

By carrying traditional craft into the world of modern lifestyle products, House of Macnok shows how heritage and sustainability can sit comfortably inside a contemporary brand.

Follow Ninna Lego on Instagram

Tage Rita, founder of the Naara-Aaba kiwi winery in Ziro

Fruit processing · Winery

2. Tage Rita

Founder, Naara-Aaba

In Ziro, Tage Rita founded Naara-Aaba, a winery that makes wine from locally grown kiwi. Turning local fruit into a finished product helps reduce fruit waste, and the business creates employment close to where the fruit is grown.

It is a clear example of value addition: taking a locally grown crop and giving it a second life as a branded product with a story of its own.

Follow Tage Rita on Instagram

Pema YK Loyi, Managing Director of Iconic Automobiles

Automotive retail

3. Pema YK Loyi

Managing Director, Iconic Automobiles

Pema YK Loyi is the Managing Director of Iconic Automobiles, a business in the automotive retail sector. She was honoured with the “Woman Transforming Auto Retail (East)” award at the 9th ETAuto Retail Forum 2026.

Automotive retail is not a sector traditionally associated with women leaders, which makes recognition on an industry stage all the more notable.

Osi Taying, the Tea Lady of Bilat Circle and founder of Mirem Tea

Tea production · Agriculture

4. Osi Taying

Founder, Mirem Tea

Known as the “Tea Lady of Bilat Circle,” Osi Taying started making green and red tea in Mirem village. With support from the Arunachal State Rural Livelihoods Mission (ArSRLM), she developed a local tea brand, Mirem Tea.

At 60, she continues to bring energy and enthusiasm to her work. A mother of four and the wife of a retired teacher, she has built a distinctive local tea enterprise, proof that entrepreneurship has no age limit and that an entrepreneurial journey can challenge expectations.

Easter Ejing, community entrepreneur and Self-Help Group leader from Dalbing village

Traditional crafts · Community development · Women’s livelihoods

5. Easter Ejing

Community entrepreneur & SHG leader

In Dalbing village, Easter Ejing’s quiet resolve has inspired change. Once shy, she found her voice after joining the Gidum Ane Self-Help Group (SHG) in February 2023 under ArSRLM. As her confidence grew, she became a Community Cadre, supporting other SHGs with bookkeeping and access to finance.

February 2023Joins the Gidum Ane SHG in Dalbing village under ArSRLM.
Community CadreSupports other SHGs with bookkeeping and access to finance.
₹30,000 → ₹70,000Her group invests a ₹30,000 Revolving Fund in traditional crafts and earns ₹70,000 in profit.
Three SHGs revivedHer leadership brings three inactive SHGs back to life and deepens her engagement through the Gulab Phool Federation.

Her journey shows how self-help groups can build confidence, bring in income and create lasting community impact.

What Connects These Women Entrepreneurs of Arunachal Pradesh

The five stories are different in scale and sector, yet a few patterns repeat. They explain why the women entrepreneurs of Arunachal Pradesh are building businesses that last.

Local resources become brands

Kiwi from Ziro, tea from Mirem village and tribal crafts all start close to home and grow into recognisable names.

Community multiplies success

Self-help groups and the Arunachal State Rural Livelihoods Mission stand behind both Osi Taying’s tea and Easter Ejing’s craft earnings.

Persistence earns recognition

From an industry award in auto retail to a village leader reviving three SHGs, steady work brings visibility.

The women entrepreneurs of Arunachal Pradesh featured here prove that ambition does not need a metro address. It needs a good idea, a supportive network and the confidence to begin.

WIB · Women In Business

Know a woman building something remarkable? Let her be seen.

Women in Business (WIB) is India’s largest network of women entrepreneurs, connecting, showcasing and supporting women founders, professionals, freelancers and small business owners across India. Through our directory, editorial features and magazines, we give women-led businesses a platform to be seen and to grow.

Join the WIB network Follow WIB on Instagram

DiscoverConnectGrow

WOMEN IN BUSINESS INDIA

Women Entrepreneurs of Arunachal Pradesh: 5 Inspiring Success Stories