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Pierra Ntayombya

@pierrakn

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We tried everything to avoid this. But we just couldn’t make this make sense. With the old distillery closing in July, we needed to hit the ground running at the new distillery to avoid interruptions to production. That didn’t happen. Unfortunately, what this means is that The Residency will have to close for the month of September. No rum means no rum cocktails. This is really tough for us. But you know the saying: “When life gives you lemons, ask for limes and make Forest Daiquiris.” A year from now, this will be a story we’ll all look back at as a a community with bemusement: “Hey, remember when you had no rum left to sell.” We’re going to find ways to make this moment a memory. We’d love it if you were a part of that. STAY TUNED. taken in Kigali, Rwanda by @pierrakn
34
2 months ago
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THE IMIZI JOURNEY | EP 1: REINTRODUCTIONS In 2025, we’re building. A lot. Some would say too much. New distillery. New brand house. New… 👀👀👀(let’s just say big things are coming). It’s exciting. It’s terrifying. And we’re taking you with us. Follow along as we turn IMIZI into the world-class African rum brand we know it can be. And tell us—what behind-the-scenes moments do you want to see? taken in Rwanda by @pierrakn
59
2 years ago
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The Road to Day 0 

Part 4: We Have No Rum We really did hope the last episode would be the end of all of our struggles. 
The distillery was pretty much ready to go … just as a massive (and much-needed!) crackdown on illicit alcohol manufacturing got going. Inspections of new premises like ours are on hold until this is over, which means… we have very little rum and don’t know when we’ll have more. KEEP US IN YOUR THOUGHTS, FAM 😭😭😭# by @pierrakn
5
2 months ago
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Many thanks to @shamvellu for her attentive coverage of The IMIZI Residency in her feature on Kigali’s culinary scene in the @straits_times. Sham makes some wonderful observations about The Residency as an immersive experience that encompasses music, landscape and African craft. Link in bio to get her full take on Rwanda’s gastronomical offerings, featuring @dieuveilmalonga, @kivunoir, @kundarwanda, and many of our other friends. taken in Kigali, Rwanda by @pierrakn
5
2 months ago
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The Road to Day 0 
Part 3: The Race to Chinese New Year

After losing months and getting ghosted, we really could not afford more delays. With the help of @olivierwarddrinks at @everglowspirits, we were able to put an order in with just enough time. The containers left China right before the closures for Chinese New Year. But once the containers arrived in Kigali, more problems cropped up. Defective parts, a missing control panel. It’s never smooth sailing is it? Tune in next week for what (we hope!) is the last episode. taken in Kigali, Rwanda by @pierrakn
2
2 months ago
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The Road to Day 0 
Part 2: We Got Ghosted

It should have been smooth sailing. We hire a consultant. They review our equipment order. We hit “Buy”. We didn’t expect getting ghosted and scammed. Looking back, it might seem obvious that we were being given the run around, but in the midst of it, it seemed so unlikely. This consultant came to us well-recommended from within our network, had done a small pro bono task with us, and seemed to have a realistic pretext for every delay. We might have saved ourselves months if we had cut our losses early. Lesson for next time. But now things were down to the wire. Everything was on a timer: the container had to leave before Chinese New Year. taken in Kigali, Rwanda by @pierrakn
5
3 months ago
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The Road to Day 0 
Part 1: We Failed Sometimes, we be doing too much. That was our first mistake on The Road to Day 0 at the new IMIZI Distillery. While we opened our first distillery in 2023, our plans in 2025 were to simultaneously move into an expanded distillery, AND grow as a brand through the opening of The IMIZI Residency. As entrepreneurs, we’re often encouraged to push for the impossible. But this was a lesson - our hunger for progress came at a real cost. Our future distillery sat untouched for months. Sometimes, we just be doing too much. taken in Kigali, Rwanda by @pierrakn
8
3 months ago
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The DRAMA of it all. Building an expanded distillery, opening a bar and growing as a brand on the timelines we set for ourselves has made for … an interesting 18 months. As we inch closer and closer to Day 0 at the IMIZI Distillery 2.0, we wanted to take you behind the scenes. The manifold challenges and roadbumps? They’re funny now. Because we survived them. We think. Stay tuned for Part 1 of our new series The Road to Day 0 - dropping this Thursday! @ Netflix - we will gladly take your production budget pls. taken in Kigali, Rwanda by @pierrakn
25
3 months ago
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MADE IN RUÄ : THE MAKERS EP 1
 Meet IMIZI one of the brands shaping the future of Rwanda’s creative and hospitality scene.
 This episode follows the journey behind IMIZI and the people bringing a new energy to what “Made in Rwanda” can look and taste like. Join us at Made in Ruä and experience IMIZI. 29–31 May. Open to the Public by @pierrakn
11
4 months ago
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I AM THE ART and so are you. Featuring: @lula_tt x @pierrakn x @uwa_mahoro Creative directed by: @arseneft x @lula_tt Produced & edited by: @sematales Location: @imizirum x @wonderland_kanyinyahills #iamtheart by @pierrakn
27
7 months ago
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Episode 6: Opening The Residency Burglary. Power cuts. Rebuilding the bar three times. On August 1st, we finally opened The Residency, Rwanda’s first craft rum brand house. Finished? Never. Open? Absolutely. taken in Kigali, Rwanda by @pierrakn
19
a year ago
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THE IMIZI JOURNEY | EP 4: THE FOREST LAB BEGINS We make rum. So why are we building a forest? Because rum is agriculture. And sugarcane—one of the most ecologically destructive crops in history—doesn’t have to be grown that way. With help from Thiong’o, a syntropic farming expert, we’re turning the yard at The Residency into The Forest Lab: part forest, part garden, part flavour farm. If we get this right, it won’t just transform IMIZI. We could one day transform how rum is farmed across the continent. What do you want to see us grow in the Forest Lab? 🌱👇 taken in Rwanda by @pierrakn
8
a year ago
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