Bira 91 agrees to acquire The Beer Café to build India’s first large scale direct-to-consumer platform focused on Beer & Innovation

National, 12th October 2022: Bira 91, the world’s fastest-growing premium beer company, has agreed to acquire India’s leading Alco-Beverage Chain, The Beer Café. With this move, Bira 91 will strengthen its play in pubs and taprooms and build India’s first large scale direct-to-consumer platform focused on Beer & 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 Rahul Singh, CEO, and Founder at the helm, will continue to lead the brand’s operations and take the 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 #1 Alco-Beverage 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 Street and Transit Hubs. Bira 91 will add to The Beer Café brand by improving the consumer offerings with its knack of delivering consumer delight and 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.

“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 & passionate towards the brand. We have a strong operating model, and by leveraging on 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.”

Rahul Singh, Founder, and CEO of The Beer Café,

“We are delighted to onboard The Beer Café and build India’s first large scale direct-to-consumer platform focused on Beer & Innovation. Both Bira 91 and The Beer Café were conceived with the same intent of evangelizing and elevating the beer experience in the country and 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 flavorful beers.”

Ankur Jain, Founder, and CEO, of Bira 91

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.

About Bira 91:

A refreshingly modern beer brand, Imagined in India, Bira 91 aspires to bring flavorful beers to the new world. As one of the fastest growing brands in the world, 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 color and flavor. Bira 91 is now enjoyed in over 500 towns and cities spread across 15 countries and brews its beers across four breweries in India. Bira 91 has its flagship taproom in Bangalore, where it releases one new experimental beer every week, paired with its curry-shop menu. Bira 91 also offers branded merchandize across categories such as glassware, apparel, and gifts, to make every day a lot more playful. Established in 2015, Bira 91 is driven by a dynamic team of over 550 passionate beer lovers and is backed by Sequoia Capital India, Sofina of Belgium, and Kirin Holding of Japan. Learn more at www.bira91.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

About The Beer Café

One of the most recognisable brands in the Indian restaurant landscape and the largest alco-beverage chain in India, The Beer Café began its journey in April 2012. The first outlet was opened in the millennial city of Gurugram with a vision to stimulate communities towards fun and responsible drinking culture. The overwhelming response & support has made it 33 outlets strong in 15 cities across Tier 1/2/3 cities, at key locations including Malls, High Street and Transit Hubs. The objective to offer the most number & variety of brews, both domestic & international, & the belief ‘Come, As You Are’ have helped The Beer Café to stand apart. Driven by a passionate team of 300 beer lovers, The Beer Café offers its guests an exclusive & diverse range of brews from across the globe. It is a friendly neighbourhood café, that suits every pocket & occasion, making it an ideal place to head to with friends & family.

----