Success story of Bira

Bira one of the most disruptive brand today in the market which totally changed the way we see and drink alcoholic beverages from funky monkey mascots to the colorful labeling breaking the stereotypes of conventional market Bira made it's own space in the traditional market of India.

Today we will witness the journey of Ankur Jain creating India's most flavorsome craft beer.

THE BEGINING

Craft beer entered India through Bira91. A simple, yet brilliant business model that would leave you nothing short of inspired.

Ankur Jain founder of Bira91 returned to India in 2007 after running a healthcare startup in New York. Ankur started a company called Cerana Beverages in 2009 that imported and distributed premium craft beer brands from countries like Belgium, Germany, and the United States.

Ankur saw a huge potential for a beer business in India’s growing market and made a decision to pivot into that line of business

India consumed about 270 million cases of beer. Among those, craft beers (including microbreweries) made up only one percent of the market.

What is Craft Beer?

Craft beer is made in a traditional or non-mechanized way by a small brewery.

Why 91 after the brand name?

So here is your answer the “91” is the country code of india, this name add uniqueness of the brand identity and has a nice ring to it.

Initially, during the early phase it was to be called “Biru”. Biru is the generic name for beer in Japan. Due to some naming issue in Japan, they decided to call it BIRA.

Another question for you why reverse B in the name ?

The reverse B according to them signify a spirit of rebellion against the traditional and conventional beers available in the market.

Success of Bira

“We wanted to disrupt everything. That is why flavour took precedence over everything else, and the monkey just jumped out because we wanted our product to be fun and cool,” -Ankur jain

Much of the initial success of bira can be credited to the way products were designed to attract the younger segment of the market

They were selling beers that were unheard and were never seen before in the traditional Indian beer market neither in color nor in taste . Funky packaging made the brand stand out in front of their competitors all credit goes to the visual appeal of bira. Their aim was to fill the gap in the market for unorthodox unconventional fun brand of beer and they were successful in the journey.

Bringing Happy hours

Bira 91 became an instant hit among the urban youth crowd of india with sales surging from 150,000 cases in 2015, during its launch year, to 700,000 cases in 2016. Beer is usually more expensive in India as compared to other drinks because alcoholic drinks are taxed by volume in India, however Bira was made available for Rs 90 for 330 ml bottle which was nothing less than a strange but masterstroke by bira

A beer that is healthier than milk?

Even we were shocked Bira 91,launched "Bira91Light "one of the first low calorie beer in the Indian market 90 calories for a 330 ml bottle. According to them "Bira 91 Light is the lowest calorie alcoholic beverage option when you go to any bar. Number of calaries lower than a glass of champagne, much lower than Breezers surprisingly , its even lower than a glass of milk

Raising the bar

Bira 91 is now looking to touch sales figure of Rs 150 crore this fiscal year. Bira 91 is finalising a $25-million fundraiser led by private equity major TPG Growth.

Another Quick Take

One of the MOST favorite craft beers brand of India, Bira91 has been nominated as the ‘Beer of the Month’ program at the United Nations North Delegates Lounge another feat achieved by bira in such small span of time. Throughout the month of May, this craft beer will be in the spotlight and will be served , where all the delegates, ambassadors, and guests will be familiarized to it.

For all those who don't know about North Delegates Lounge, it is the in-house bar of the United Nation’s headquarters. It is the only place where one can expect to meet various political leaders, entrepreneurs, and social thinkers. It's basically the joint where the world's most elite crowd hang out.

This specially crafted beer, made with ingredients from India, will be available for the delegates in the two mentioned varieties: Bira 91 White and Bira 91 Blonde.