Started with minimal capital, Probina grew EZER Wine from 2 flavours to 19 varieties — earning international acclaim while donating 5% of profits to charity.
Probina Marak started EZER Wine in 2020 with ₹50,000 and two flavours — rice wine and passion fruit. Today, EZER carries 19 distinct varieties, ships across seven states, and has been featured at international food and beverage expos.
The name EZER means "helper" in Hebrew — a deliberate choice by Probina, who designed the business as much around community as commerce. Five percent of all profits go directly to supporting widows and orphans in her district.
PRIME supported EZER at a critical moment: when demand outgrew capacity. The Incubation Programme gave Probina access to food-grade production facilities, compliance guidance for FSSAI certification, and a mentor who had scaled an FMCG brand. She used that support to industrialise production without losing the handcrafted character of her wines.
"The hardest thing was learning to say no," Probina says. "When orders came in faster than I could produce, I had to slow down, fix the process, then scale. PRIME helped me think like a business owner, not just a maker."
EZER won a regional food innovation award in 2023. It was also featured at the Act East Business Show, where Probina secured two institutional buyers and a distributor for Assam.
The brand now employs eleven people, nine of whom are women from Probina's village.
