In next 5 yrs, India will be our most imp international market: BrewDog

BrewDog is an international, independent craft beer and hospitality company, founded in 2007 by Martin Dickie and James Watt with a simple mission - to make other people as passionate about great craft beer as they are.

Headquartered in Ellon, Scotland BrewDog employs over 2,300 staff, operates over 100 bars and venues worldwide, and has breweries in Columbus Ohio, Berlin Germany, and Brisbane Australia. BrewDog brews hundreds of different beers - led by the ‘Headliner series,’ which includes the flagship Punk IPA, as well as Lost Lager, Elvis Juice and Hazy Jane - which are exported to over 60 countries globally. In an interview with Hans Bizz Buzz, James Watt, Captain, BrewDog plc, talks about the brands and its expansion plans in India.

How are the BrewDog outlets faring in India?

We’ve been amazed by the response to our craft beer venues in India so far, it’s been incredible seeing the reaction from the local community and the support and footfall has exceeded expectations. India is one of the most exciting markets for craft beer right now, and it’s great to be a part of that scene.

What new brands would you like to launch in 2023 from your global portfolio?

We’ve brewed hundreds of beers since our inception in 2007, so there’s almost too many to choose from. Our most popular beers worldwide include Punk IPA (our flagship), Lost Lager and Hazy Jane, and all of these are already firm favourites in our Indian venues.

But in India, we’re lucky enough to have our own brewing facility making locally-brewed BrewDog beers. We’ve already released 10 beers brewed on the ground, and I’m probably more excited to see what awesome recipes the team there develops in the next 12 months.

What is your craft beer strategy for India?

We brew beer locally in India, so our approach will be to test the recipes that have been really successful elsewhere, and see what appeals to the Indian market. Punk IPA and Hazy Jane are really flying in the UK and USA especially, but we’ll also be trialling other firm favourites to see what people enjoy. We also give a lot of creative freedom to our brewers, enabling them to try new ideas and recipes that they believe will be popular, too.

What kind of bar ambience would you like to have in Indian bars?

Wherever you go – whether it’s London, Las Vegas, Malmo or Mumbai, you’re always guaranteed to find great food, awesome beer, and a really unique atmosphere in BrewDog bars. We take inspiration locally for food menus and design these to suit both the beer and the local cuisine. People visit BrewDog bars for all different reasons, be it a family meal, meeting with friends, after work drinks or date night, and we love seeing the eclectic, diverse audiences that visit our venues.

What is the pricing strategy to boost beer and alcobev sales?

I’m unable to comment on this as we do not control the pricing in outlets.

What are your expansion plans for 2023?

Craft beer grew 127 per cent in India in the past year and hospitality grew by over 11 per cent in the same period and with 1.4 billion people in India, the potential for further growth is huge. We believe that within five years India will be our most important international market, and we have plans to open 100 craft beer venues across the country longer term. We already have three operating, and two more planned for the first quarter of 2023, so there’s plenty of momentum already.

What strategies will help to grow the brand in India?

We’ve been growing globally for the past 15 years, and have found that staying true to our roots with an awareness for the local audience is the most effective strategy. We’ll be taking the punk ethos that made BrewDog grow so rapidly in the UK and Europe, and applying it locally in India.

In order to be relevant in the Indian market, we work super closely with our extremely knowledgeable local partners to develop plans collaboratively.

They’re the experts on what works on the ground, and are amazing at translating BrewDog’s story and telling it to the people in India.

How do you expect the brand to grow in 2023?

We’ve got huge plans for 2023, and India is a big part of that! We’re expecting India to become a significant part of our business in the coming years, and we’re working closely with our partners to develop that opportunity together. I was out there at the start of this year and can’t wait to go back!

What is your distribution strategy in India and how is it different worldwide?

We work with local distributors in all our export markets to reach as many people as possible with our beers. We brew some of our beer in India, so there is an opportunity to try locally-made, exclusive BrewDog beers as well as the well-loved headliners from our Scottish facility. By brewing locally, we’re massively reducing the carbon footprint of our beers, enabling us to be as sustainable as possible.

What kind of events do you plan to create awareness of beer and the BrewDog celebrate International Beer Day Worldwide?

Our bars all host cool events regularly, but you’ll have to watch this space for more details on big plans this year!