Brewing Success: How Teja Chekuri Is Shaping The Future Of Microbreweries And Hospitality

The food and beverage (F&B) industry is notoriously challenging, but Teja Chekuri, a seasoned entrepreneur and founder of Full Stack Ventures, has navigated it with remarkable success. With a portfolio that spans across India, the US, and Canada, Chekuri is one of the pioneers of the microbrewery trend in India, a market that’s increasingly embracing craft beer. In this exclusive interview with Bizz Buzz, Chekuri shares his journey, the evolution of the microbrewery scene in India, and his company’s ambitious plans for the future—both in the hospitality space and in other sectors such as foodtech and FMCG

What is the motivation behind entering into hospitality space by opening microbreweries and restaurants in different formats? Can you give some perspective in this matter?

I went to the US for doing my Masters. Then I worked for couple of companies after completing my Masters. Then, I started my own consulting firm. I was looking at opportunities at India at that point of time. That was the time when microbreweries were just starting up (in 2012). Pune and Gurgaon were the two cities where microbreweries were there and it was just starting in Bengaluru. So, we started our microbrewery in Bengaluru. In that way, we are early entrants into this space. The microbrewery also has food business. It has food, beer and bar. That is the reason that we entered into F&B (food and beverage) space.

For getting into food industry, one requires patience, effort and constant learning. I got an opportunity to enter into microbreweries space and that’s how I started the food business. I found it interesting once I entered into this space and we start opening our restaurants in India and other geographies like the US.

How many restaurants are there now in your portfolio?

Currently, we have about 80 restaurants across India, US and Canada. US has the largest presence in terms of location, and India is equally bigger in size terms. Because in India, the spaces are bigger. So, if you count sq ft wise, India is similar to the US but in terms of number of outlets, US is bigger for us than India.

Do you have microbreweries in all your restaurants across the world?

No, we have microbreweries only in India. In the US, we have one south Indian brand called ‘Godavari’. Godavari Group of restaurants is there in 26 locations in the US. Some of these locations have bars and some don’t depending on the state policy. We have another brand called ‘Madras Dosa Co’, which is there in Boston, and Harvard Square. We are now starting this brand of restaurants in four more locations in the US. This brand was launched during COVID period. We also other brand like We also other brands like 1947 -Truly Indian, Vaangaand others. We recently acquired a Turkish restaurant chain. Every brand has a different target group.

Can you provide some picture on the growth of microbrewery industry in India? How has been your growth story in this space?

When we entered into microbrewery space, at that point of time, only three Indian cities had such units. In number term, there were only 15 breweries at that point of time. But now, Bengaluru city has more than 90 microbreweries. We have also entered into tier-II cities. Now, we have presence in Vijayawada, Vishakhapatnam, and some other cities. People in smaller cities are now accepting it. Now, this has got more social acceptance. Another reason, which is driving demand, is the increasing exposure of people. As more people travel to other countries for work or pleasure, they experience these things outside of the country. So, they are looking for such experience back home. That is the reason that we are the first company to open microbrewery in tier-II city. With rising acceptance, consumption is also going to increase. Going ahead, we are expecting increased demand for microbreweries. People are now looking for variants of beer. That is the reason that even in bottling space, consumers get different kinds of beers in India.

What is the way ahead for your company? Can you throw some light on your future plans?

We are planning to restructure the company. Currently, we are working on putting all the brands under one company. Currently, different companies are there in different countries. For instance, multiple companies are operating in India and same is the case in the US. We are trying to get all companies in India under one umbrella. This is the same thing; we want to do for the entities in the US.

We are also exploring international opportunities in the microbreweries space as part of our expansion. This should happen during 2025-26 financial year.

As far as revenue is concerned, both India and the US businesses clock around Rs600 crore of turnover.

You are also investing in startups in foodtech, FMCG and other related segments. Can you throw some light into this aspect?

I am investing into these startups on personal level. I am part one angel investing company. I am a venture partner in that company. Most of my investments in foodtech, FMCG and related sectors. I have invested in some companies and am looking at some other opportunities. This includes D2C companies.

What are your views on the foodtech platforms operating in India?

Food delivery platforms in India are really operating very efficiently. One player has already achieved profitability. All these companies have a lot of burn. So if they are able to control their burn and keep their financials in right shape, these are very good opportunities. Convenience at an affordable price is the game here. That is the reason we see higher adoption among consumers.