Cocktail Merger

Lorin Winata gave up the venture capital world to create Melati, Asia’s first non-alcoholic aperitif crafted from Indonesian wellness tonics.

- Shamilee Vellu

You could say Melati – Lorin Winata’s big business idea – was a lifetime in the making.

As a regular visitor to her ancestral farmland in Jatiluwih, Bali, she would drink the wellness tonics prepared by her 78-old grandmother, a “super strong, health-conscious” matriarch who continues to rack up kilometres daily on her bicycle to this day, says Winata.

Back in Singapore, she worked in venture capital, dealing mainly with early-stage tech companies. All the late nights spent entertaining left the health-conscious Winata searching for more nourishing alternatives. When she couldn’t find them, she made her own.

Melati Drinks, developed by Winata over two years, launched here last October. Its debut product is the Melati Classic, a burgundy-hued, non-alcoholic aperitif handcrafted from 26 botanicals chosen for their antioxidant and detoxifying qualities such as goji berry, hibiscus, raw cacao and star anise.