Page 48 - Forbes - India (January 2020)

Enterprise
E n t er p r i se

Boom Time

How stronger brew helped Ankur Jain transform
Bira 91 from a craft beer brand to a player that’s getting
most of its growth from smaller cities and towns

By Rajiv Singh
BaBuRayanakoppal, SRiRangapatna, kaRnataka

n Christmas eve, time,” says Vikash Bakrewala, division
around 2.30 pm, director (south) of B9 Beverages, the
Channegowda was maker of Bira 91 and Boom beer. “We
about to make a have just started. The pace and the
O bold move. “Onedu reach are set to accelerate,” he says.
strong beku (give me a strong beer),” Bira 91 got 60 percent of its sales
requested the 32-year-old electrician. from Tier II cities and beyond in the
The retailer stared back. “Are you last two quarters of 2019 compared
inspired by Virat Kohli?” he asked, to 24 percent and 40 percent in
alluding to the huge billboard of the 2018’s corresponding quarters. From
Indian cricket captain that greets 159,766 cases of Boom—its strong
consumers at the Sri Kalikamba beer brand launched last February—
Wines Store in Baburayanakoppal sold in the first quarter of last year to
48 village, some 130 km from Bengaluru. 607,367 cases in the last quarter, the
The hoarding of Royal Challenge monkey jump has been staggering.
sports drinks, endorsed by Kohli, With over 85 percent of the beer
flashes the brand’s signature market in India dominated by strong
message: Make a bold move. beer—with alcohol content between
“Virat strong beda, bunder strong 6 percent and 8 percent—Boom is
beku (I don’t need Virat strong. Give helping Bira 91 make a transition
me monkey strong),” Channegowda from a craft beer brand to a player
replied, pointing to a bottle. “It’s that’s getting most of its growth
Boom and has a quirky monkey from smaller cities and towns. What
head,” his friend chipped in, who Boom has also done is enable Bira
induced Channegowda into shunning 91 to expand aggressively—from 56
his old beer brand. “Idu tumba tasty cities at the start of the year to 386
mattu strong (This is different, cities now—and become the fifth
tasty and strong),” he insisted. biggest beer maker in India with
Another 40 km from “We have been able 2.7 percent value market share.
Baburayanakoppal is Kwality Spirits, For a brand that began its innings
a wine retail shop that has a singular to penetrate really in February 2015 in Delhi, the journey
distinctive identity: A massive deep into Bharat... has been phenomenal: From a paltry
advertisement of Knock Out, a beer this has happened gross revenue of `50 lakh in fiscal 2016
brand owned by SABMiller. Lokesh, to striking a run rate of `700 crore for
a painter, is enjoying a chilled beer primarily because the financial year that ends in March
in a steel glass. “Beer mugs are for of Boom.” 2020; from a presence in 60 outlets
the cities. Here you get the monkey to reaching a little under 29,000 by
drink in a glass,” he says, pointing Ankur JAin, end-March; and from selling in one
to a bottle of Boom, a strong beer founder, B9 Beverages, country to now being present in 16.
brand he got hooked on to six months maker of Bira 91 In Delhi, the success of Boom has
ago. “It gives me a kick,” he says. whetted the appetite of Ankur Jain.
“Welcome to Karnataka. It’s Boom “We are soon going to be in 20 states.

forBes indiA • january 31, 2020