The Morning Brief Fizz, Froth and Fail: Inside Bira 91’s Meltdown
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Oct 30, 2025 Manu Toms, a senior editor at ET Prime, and Poonam Chandel, managing director of NeuWorld Spirits, dissect the rise and fall of Bira 91, India's once-popular craft beer. They explore founder Ankur Jain's ambitious vision, the brand's expansion missteps, and financial mismanagement. Poonam highlights the operational complexities of the beer industry, while Manu discusses the alarming employee activism and investor pressures signaling possible insolvency. Together, they illuminate Bira's sobering journey from a vibrant startup to a cautionary tale.
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Craft Positioning Drove Early Buzz
- Ankur Jain spotted a gap: India’s beer market lacked flavourful, millennial-centric craft options.
- That positioning generated early buzz but did not guarantee sustainable unit economics.
Logistics Make Or Break Beer Margins
- Beer is a low-margin, distribution-heavy business that punishes long freight runs.
- Poonam Chandel warns distant contract brewing inflates logistics and erodes cash flow fast.
Match Brewery Location To Demand
- Avoid scaling production across remote contract breweries without aligned demand and minimum take guarantees.
- Match brewing locations to consumption regions to prevent high freight and guaranteed-cost liabilities.