New DELHI: India’s largest beer-makers, United Breweries (a Heineken company), AB-InBev, and Carlsberg on Wednesday jointly announced the launch of Brewers Association of India (BAI), a new industry body focused on growing the beer category in India, and drive innovation, moderation, and sustainability in the Indian beer market.
BAI is being established in partnership with the World Brewing Alliance (WBA), the global industry body consisting of brewers and brewing trade associations from Australia, Canada, the UK, the USA, Europe, Japan, Korea, Latin America, Brazil, New Zealand, Nigeria and now India.
The goal of World Brewing Alliance is to exchange knowledge and best practices among brewers and other stakeholders. It is the global, unified voice of the industry to various audiences and stakeholders.
The new Association is set to be the unified voice of the Indian beer industry as AB-InBev, Carlsberg and United Breweries, together account for around 85 per cent of the beer sales in India. These companies also have significant investments in India with Carlsberg operating 7 breweries, United Breweries operating 19 breweries and AB-InBev India operating 10 Breweries across India. Together, these companies employ over 7000 people directly and indirectly in India.
The Association will also be open to other brewers, Indian and international, who share the belief in growing Indian beer industry responsibly.
Headquartered in Delhi, BAI is to be headed by Vinod Giri, who will assume office on June 1, 2024. Giri, a well-known face of the Indian alcoholic beverage industry, until now was heading the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC), the apex body of the Indian alcoholic beverage industry. Prior to CIABC.
Speaking on his new role, Vinod Giri, the Director General of the Brewers Association of India, said: “I have spent over a decade with the beer industry in India and abroad, so its homecoming for me. Beer is the globally preferred form of alcohol, many times larger in size than the higher strength alcohol. Governments all over the world actively shape regulatory policies to guide consumers toward low-alcohol beverages such as beer. BAI is a great platform to align India with the international consensus of moderate and responsible drinking and I am very excited to be part of this journey.”