Moonshine Meadery

What Moonshine Meadery does

Moonshine Meadery, legally registered as Ronin Wines Pvt Ltd and headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra, operates India's and Asia's first commercial meadery, founded in 2018 from a 2014 garage project by Rohan Rehani and Nitin Vishwas. The company produces craft alcoholic mead — a gluten-free beverage created by fermenting 100% natural honey with fruits and spices — with no added flavorings. Its core technology is mead fermentation built on a vertically integrated honey supply, the Moonshine Honey Project, which sources multifloral, acacia, sidr, and mustard honeys directly from beekeepers across India (Uttarakhand to Nilgiri forests), supplemented by the company's own apiary in Pali, Rajasthan. The product portfolio consists of three flagship meads (Apple Mead, Traditional Mead, Coffee Mead) and a rotating experimental lineup of roughly sixteen MeadLABs small-batch variants including Grilled Pineapple, Salted Kokum, Hopped, Guava Chilli, Chocolate Orange, Bourbon Oaked Apple, Mango Chilli, Christmas Apple Pie, Project X, and Thai Ginger & Kaffir Lime.

The business operates a multi-channel GTM combining direct-to-consumer e-commerce via a Shopify storefront (with branded merchandise including t-shirts priced Rs. 700–1,100, calendars at Rs. 300–499, and a wooden bottle opener at Rs. 250), physical retail and HoReCa placement across at least seven Indian cities (Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Goa, Mangalore, Mysuru, Nagpur), and on-site experiential revenue through meadery tours, guided tastings, and the Sunday "Picnic at the Hive" event series. Customer segments are horizontal across craft beverage enthusiasts aged 21+ and experience-driven consumers, including gluten-sensitive drinkers seeking alternatives to beer, wine, and cider. The company has accumulated third-party credibility through awards at the European Beer Challenge London 2021 (Gold, Double Gold, Bronze) and IWSC 2022 (Silver, Bronze). Capital partners include Anthill Ventures, Auxano, Merisis Advisors, Supermorpheus, Grip Invest, Rainmatter Capital, and an early Titan Capital check; aggregate disclosed funding is approximately $2.8M across 2018–2025.

Name

Moonshine Meadery

Legal name

Ronin Wines Pvt Ltd

Website

https://moonshinemeadery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Moonshine Meadery is India's first craft meadery, producing 100% natural honey-based, gluten-free alcoholic beverages across three flagship meads and an experimental MeadLABs series, sold via DTC e-commerce, retail across seven Indian cities, and on-site tasting experiences in Pune.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Mead / Alcoholic Beverages

NAICS

Breweries (312120)

akta.pro primary industry

Mead Production (AFAFAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mead Producers & Brands (CRADAIAG), Cideries & Meadery Tasting Rooms (THAFALAI), Value-Added Bee Products Manufacturing (Candles, Cosmetics, Supplements, Mead Ingredients) (AFAEAHAM)

Keywords

• Craft mead production
• Alcoholic beverages
• Honey wine
• Gluten-free drinks
• Craft brewery

Headquarters

HQ city

Pune

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Mead Sales: Direct sales of alcoholic mead products (Apple Mead, Traditional Mead, Coffee Mead, and various MeadLAB seasonal flavors) to consumers through e-commerce and retail stores across India.
2. Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts (BDSM-FTW Oversized Tee, Moonshine Tees), wooden bottle openers, and calendars.
3. Tours and Events: Revenue from meadery tours, guided tastings, and picnic events at the meadery in Pune.
4. Seasonal/Specialty Meads: Limited edition and seasonal mead releases through MeadLAB series with unique flavors and ingredients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Moonshine Meadery is India's first meadery, producing alcoholic mead (honey wine) beverages by fermenting 100% natural honey with fruits and spices. The product line includes three flagship meads (Apple, Traditional, Coffee) and the experimental MeadLABs small-batch series. The company also sells branded merchandise (t-shirts, calendars, bottle openers) and operates on-site tours, tastings, and events at its Pune meadery.

Product overview

Moonshine Meadery is India's first meadery (established 2018, evolving from a 2014 garage project), producing alcoholic beverages made by fermenting honey with various fruits and spices. The product portfolio includes three flagship meads (Apple Mead, Traditional Mead, Coffee Mead) as well as the experimental MeadLABs seasonal line featuring innovative flavors like Grilled Pineapple, Guava Chilli, Chocolate Orange, Bourbon Oaked, Mango Chilli, Project X, Thai Ginger and Kaffir Lime, and Christmas Apple Pie. The company also sells merchandise (t-shirts, calendar, wooden opener) and operates The Honey Project for sustainable honey sourcing. All meads are made with 100% natural honey, natural ingredients, no added flavorings, and are gluten-free.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MeadLABs: Experimental small-batch mead series featuring limited edition flavors like Grilled Pineapple, Salted Kokum, Hopped, Guava Chilli, Chocolate Orange, Bourbon Oaked Apple, Mango Chilli, Christmas Apple Pie, Project X, and Thai Ginger and Kaffir Lime.
• Moonshine Honey Project

Products and services

• Apple Mead Flagship semi-dry mead made with multifloral honey and Kashmiri apples, marketed as apple cyder; targeted at craft beverage consumers seeking gluten-free alcoholic options.
• Traditional Mead Classic floral mead made with multifloral, acacia, sidr, and mustard honeys; closest to historic mead recipes consumed by ancestors.
• Coffee Mead Mead made with multifloral honey and a blend of cold-brewed Arabica and Robusta coffee beans, targeting coffee enthusiasts.
• Grilled Pineapple Mead Seasonal MeadLABs mead made with multifloral honey and coal-grilled smoked pineapples (ABV 6.5%); awarded Double Gold at European Beer Challenge London 2021.
• Salted Kokum Mead Seasonal MeadLABs mead featuring fresh kokum balanced with pink salt and ginger, married together by sweet honey.
• Hopped Mead Gluten-free MeadLABs mead with mild honey sweetness followed by fruitiness and lingering hop bitterness, delivering IPA-style character.
• Guava Chilli Mead Seasonal MeadLABs mead with multifloral honey, pink and white guavas, and Naga ghost chillies; Silver at IWSC 2022 and Bronze at European Beer Challenge 2021.
• Chocolate Orange Mead MeadLABs mead made with orange blossom honey, orange peels, cacao husk, and cocoa powder.
• Bourbon Oaked Apple Mead MeadLABs Apple Mead aged over bourbon-infused French oak chips with a subtle honey backbone, mild bourbon finish, and oak hints.
• Mango Chilli Mead MeadLABs mead with multifloral honey, Kesar mangoes, and Guntur chillies, marketed as a summertime classic.
• Christmas Apple Pie Mead MeadLABs seasonal mead with Kashmiri apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and rum-soaked raisins capturing Christmas flavors.
• Project X Mead Limited edition MeadLABs mead from single-origin Sidr honey sourced via the Moonshine Honey Project from own beeboxes in Pali, Rajasthan; won Gold at European Beer Challenge London 2021.
• Thai Ginger and Kaffir Lime Mead MeadLABs mead featuring kaffir lime freshness, mellow ginger heat, and honey sweetness, inspired by Southeast Asian cuisine.
• Hibiscus Ginger Mead Seasonal MeadLABs mead featuring hibiscus and ginger flavor combinations.
• Lemon Tea Mead Seasonal MeadLABs mead featuring lemon and tea flavors.
• Mixed Berry Mead Seasonal MeadLABs mead featuring a mixed berry flavor profile.
• Moonshine x Subko Coffee Mead Collaborative MeadLABs mead with Subko Coffee combining Moonshine's mead-making with Subko's artisanal coffee.
• Spiced Pumpkin Mead Seasonal MeadLABs mead featuring spiced pumpkin flavors.
• BDSM-FTW Oversized Tee Branded oversized t-shirt merchandise; price Rs. 1,100; currently sold out in most sizes.
• Moonshine Tees: Drink Better Not Bitter Branded t-shirt merchandise with the tagline "Drink Better Not Bitter"; price Rs. 700; currently sold out.
• Wooden Opener Wooden bottle opener branded with Moonshine; price Rs. 250; currently sold out.
• Moonshine 2024 Calendar

Quantifiable outcome

• European Beer Challenge London 2021: Gold (Project X), Double Gold (Grilled Pineapple), Bronze (Guava Chilli)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Subko CoffeeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Moonshine × Subko Coffee Mead - a specialty coffee mead combining Moonshine's mead-making expertise with Subko Coffee's artisanal coffee.
• Shark Tank IndiaminorOthersAppeared on Shark Tank India seeking investment but did not secure a deal. Despite rejection, the company continued to grow and achieve success independently, raising funding and expanding operations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Schramm's Mead: Michigan-based craft meadery focused on small-batch, single-source honey meads with a portfolio of fruit- and barrel-aged variants. Highly comparable to Moonshine's MeadLABs philosophy of sourcing-driven, limited-edition meads.
• B. Nektar Meadery: US-based craft meadery producing honey-based alcoholic beverages with experimental flavor profiles (fruit, spice, hopped variants). Directly comparable to Moonshine as a craft mead producer with a flagship-plus-experimental SKU strategy and awards-driven brand building.
• The Meadery: Toronto-based mead producer offering traditional and experimental meads. Comparable as a craft mead-first brand with DTC distribution.
• Superstition Meadery: Arizona-based meadery producing a wide range of craft meads including flagship, seasonal, and barrel-aged offerings. Comparable product breadth and direct-to-consumer plus on-premise distribution model.
• Moonlight Meadery: New Hampshire-based craft meadery known for fruit-driven meads and small-batch experimentation. Directly comparable SKU approach and awards-driven positioning.
• Wild Blossom Meadery: San Diego craft meadery producing varietal-honey-driven meads with an emphasis on natural, locally sourced ingredients. Comparable to Moonshine's honey-sourcing story and quality-led positioning.
• Melovino Meadery: New Jersey craft meadery producing fruit, spiced, and traditional meads with a strong taproom and DTC component. Comparable in combining on-site hospitality with packaged mead sales.

Broad incumbents

• Sula Vineyards: India's largest wine producer and a major player in the Indian alcoholic beverage industry with vineyard tours, tasting rooms, and broad retail distribution. Comparable as an Indian alcoholic beverage brand combining production, hospitality (tours/tastings), and DTC-plus-retail distribution at scale.

Emerging players

• Bira 91: India's largest craft beer brand, headquartered in Gurugram, distributing craft beer across multiple Indian cities. Comparable as a category-creating Indian craft alcoholic beverage company pursuing a similar urban, premium, multi-city go-to-market playbook.
• Simba Beer: Indian craft beer producer with a portfolio of experimental and flavored craft beers. Comparable as an Indian craft alcoholic beverage brand competing for the same urban millennial consumer and on-premise shelf space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/moonshinemeadery
• Xx.com/moonshinemeads

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors7 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Moonshine Meadery