Bira 91, India’s fastest-growing beer company, has agreed to acquire the country’s leading alcobev chain, The Beer Café. Bira 91 will strengthen its play in pubs and taprooms and build India’s first large scale direct-to-consumer platform focused on beer and innovation.
The closing of the transaction is subject to customary terms and conditions as provided under the transaction agreements. According to the terms, Bira 91 will leverage its infrastructure, experience and expansion capabilities to further refine The Beer Café’s strong operating model and better serve its loyal and passionate base of beer enthusiasts.
The Beer Café’s management, with Founder and CEO, Rahul Singh, at the helm, will continue to lead the brand’s operations and take complete responsibility of the newly formed restaurant vertical.
The coming together of Bira 91 and The Beer Café is a perfect match as it brings together two brands with complementary cultures, consumers and market opportunities.
The Beer Café is India’s No.1 alcobev brand and is synonymous with beer, serving millions of consumers globally. The pub chain has a presence of 33 outlets in 15 cities across Tier 1/2/3 cities at key locations, including malls, high streets and transit hubs.
Bira 91 will add to The Beer Café brand by improving the consumer offerings with its knack of delivering consumer delight. The Beer Café outlets will help Bira 91 penetrate deeper into the restaurant space, strengthen the beer fans universe and create a novel beer culture in the country.
Speaking on the announcement, Rahul Singh said, “We are thrilled to have found a partner in Bira 91 to proffer the beer culture in India. The Beer Café has a strong consumer base that is loyal and passionate towards the brand.
“We have a strong operating model, and by leveraging the strengths of Bira 91, we will be able to enhance the consumer experience and take the brand to newer heights. The neutrality of The Beer Café brand offering the most variety of beers remains intact.”
Ankur Jain, Founder and CEO of Bira 91 said, “We are delighted to on-board The Beer Café and build India’s first large scale direct-to-consumer platform focused on beer and innovation. Both Bira 91 and The Beer Café were conceived with the same intent of evangelising and elevating the beer experience in the country. With this acquisition, together we aim to catalyse the growth of beer culture in India.”
“Having known Rahul for several years now and seeing his journey closely, I am extremely confident that he will continue to work towards taking the beer culture deeper in the country and scale our restaurants vertical to new heights. Through this partnership, consumers are surely in for an exciting ride of unique, experimental and flavourful beers,” Ankur added.
The future of Bira 91’s restaurant vertical will involve a combination of strengthening The Beer Café’s offerings with its expertise while continuing to expand the Bira 91 Taproom experience to increase the base of Bira 91 loyalists.
Bira 91 has built a diverse portfolio of award-winning beers, one for every occasion, and aims to drive the global shift in beer towards more colour and flavour. Bira 91 has its flagship taproom in Bengaluru, where it releases one new experimental beer every week, paired with its curry-shop menu.
Bira 91 also offers branded merchandise across categories such as glassware, apparel and gifts, to make every day a lot more playful. (www.bira91.com).
The Beer Café began its journey in April 2012 in the millennial city of Gurugram with a vision to stimulate communities towards fun and responsible drinking culture. It is a friendly neighbourhood café that suits every pocket and occasion, making it an ideal place to head to with friends and family (www.beer.cafe).
