HBI Staff | Hyderabad 
Opportunity Brews in the Craft Beer Niche. Craft beer brewers have been one of America’s great business success stories of recent decades. Thousands of independent breweries have sprouted nationwide, creating jobs under local ownership and suds-style diversity in a marketplace once completely dominated by large corporate brewers that churned out cookie-cutter beers.
“To stand out in a crowded niche, Craft brewers need more than just a great product – they need a strong, distinctive brand. Promotions can empower brewers to build brands with the help of Logo’ed merchandise” says Dr. Mohan Krishna, World’s first Alcobev-marketing Doctorate and founder of Cheers group– the producers of world-famous Kadamba Single-malt whisky.
Cheers group, based in India’s party capital Goa, has been born from its founder Dr. Mohan Krishna and co-founder Anuradha Balivada in 2009. Cheers group has achieved commercial and critical success with it’s globally acclaimed Kadamba Single-malt, Secret Island, Three Monkeys Single-malt whiskies, Labrodog Scotch and RTDs, gained a cluster of leading International awards and more than 100 gold medals over the years, having exponential growth–is valued at around INR 600 Crores.
Ashwin Balivada, CEO of Cheers group who mastered Business Management from Cambridge University UK, agreed that in reality, Goa is likely to embrace craft beer in a big way because it appeals to so many of its artisan attributes already. He added: “I believe that culturally Goan people and tourists love an artisan, they love locally made products, and they have a real taste for quality — whether that is in food, Feni or beer. It’s a beautiful place and a great opportunity to make beer.”
Grain, hops, yeast, and water are all it takes to make a beer. However, the recipe for a successful craft brewery is a little more complex. And in Goa, it seems the ingredients are in short supply. “Although beer prices are high compared to hard liquor in Goa, consumption has dramatically increased, a growing preference for boutique beer options would create a new market for innovative brewers” adds Ashwin.
Also seeing an opportunity for beer in Goa, Dr. Krishna pointed out how “beer outsells spirits and wine” admitted that Goa is the only market in India that beer sells infact, double the quantity of hard-liquor. As a longtime beer fan, I was encouraged by these numbers and the “craft beer is still relatively new here, people aren’t looking for boundary-breaking styles, but just a good pint to enjoy the holidays-mood”.
“As the mature, market dominant category, beer innovation will catch up with consumers needs in experience, wellness and flavor. People are gravitating towards affordable Craft-beer so it is important for us to generate as much traffic as possible and the launch of our Viva Goa and Monkey Boss Craft-beers are in the right direction” opines Ashwin.
Goa proudly stretches along a stunning 104-kilometre coastline, where the golden sands meet the shimmering waters of the Arabian Sea, offering a paradise for beach lovers and adventure seekers alike. Taste the refreshing lifestyle craft beers: Viva Goa and Monkey Boss at INR 89 and 99 a pint respectively. Cheers, Goah!
