On the 14th of May 2026, the Partnerships sector of PRIME hosted the Packaging Workshop “Make Your Product Market-Ready” in collaboration with HP Indigo, which commenced with a welcome address by Mr Jefferson Rani, Sector Head, Partnerships, who spoke extensively about the importance of packaging of a product and the relevance of the workshop for entrepreneurs. The workshop was attended by officers from the Department of Agriculture, Horticulture, Farmers Welfare Commission and 1917 iTeams.
Eric Nonghulu, founder of S&E Ventures’ homegrown FMCG startup focused on local, high-quality food products, shared their experiences in the realm of entrepreneurship. Market connects, being one of the difficulties faced by nearly all entrepreneurs, offered their services, laying out their wide connections with distributors in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills.
Basant Devi, founder of Somoi, a fast-growing, homegrown quick commerce startup based in Shillong, Meghalaya, founded in 2025 to provide lightning-fast delivery of groceries, fresh produce, and food in under 15–30 minutes. She observed that the potential of products is very high, but what is lacking is the visibility and a strong platform. In the month of December, when they started, they generated over 1.9 lakhs, in the month of January, 4 lakhs, in the month of February, 8 lakhs and 18 lakhs in the month of March. Presently, they are operating within the state and will soon be expanding to other parts of the North Eastern region, too. With the growing demands in sales and revenue, Basant encourages entrepreneurs to partner with Somoi for a wider reach.
Jhanica Siangshai, founder of Wapung Farm Fresh Farmer Producer Company Limited, said that packaging is very important as seeing is believing. Bringing along her products for a comparison between the old and the new packaged product stated that there is a big difference in appearance and that the new product looks more inviting. She then stated that packaging is one important factor that affects the selling point.
Erlang Khonglam, founder of Forest Spice, shared his entrepreneurial journey and stated that packaging is also one of the critical points to keep in mind when selling a product. He narrated that when he first started, his packaging was simple and that it did not make that many sales as branding did not have any registrations like the FSSAI and nutritional facts, but after receiving help from PRIME, which helped to improve packaging, sales escalated, and his products have gained more recognition. He also encouraged other entrepreneurs to take the opportunity that PRIME gives to improve their packaging.
Sunita Singh, Senior Sales & Marketing and Piyush Dey of HP Indigo spoke on digital print packaging and the different types of packaging made available by HP Indigo. They also encouraged the entrepreneurs to invest in this type of packaging as it is low-cost, sustainable and high-quality print packaging. She also highlighted that the minimum quantity is as low as 500 pieces per order.
Shri Gavin from 1917 iTeams offered the services, saying that iTeams can help the entrepreneurs connect with local vendors, which will make it easier in terms of procurement of raw materials. One successful project that has been executed and is ongoing is the Farmers’ Market that connects farmers of the region.
The testimonials from our own entrepreneurs, Jhanica Siangshai and Erlang Khonglam, are concrete evidence that packaging does play a vital role in the market and that, as the offer still stands, all entrepreneurs should take the opportunity that has been offered by PRIME Meghalaya in collaboration with HP Indigo.