Cobra Beer plans breweries in India

The UK-based Cobra Beer will start its own breweries in India soon. The founder CEO of $300-million Cobra Beer Karan Bilimoria said that the company will invest $30 million in India in the next couple of years to set up a number of breweries. He said the company will initially set up a brewery in North India and then several similar breweries in the other part of the countries including Hyderabad — his home town. His father Faridoon Bilimoria was Lt. General in the Indian army. The company is also planning to manufacture wine in India and will set up first manufacturing unit by the end of 2007. The unit will first produce for domestic consumers, and later, will export. He said the company would achieve a turnover of $1 billion by 2014. In the volume term, he said, India should contribute at least 50% of the production. In the next 25 years, the production of beer in India should increase by at least 25 times. Therefore, he said India will provide a huge growth opportunities. He said takeover and merger would not be a good way to capture the available opportunities here. "But ultimately, the production capacities have to be increased." At present, the firm has partnered with Mount Shivalik in India to brew Cobra under licence for Indian market. Bilimoria, whoes mission is to brew the finest Indian beer and to make it a global brand, had used a Bangalorean brewery to brew Cobra and imported it to UK for seven years. He, who is a member of House of Lords in UK, said India provides a great opportunities to entrepreneurs. He was here for the launch of his book 'Bottled For Business'. He said India should further open up its boundaries to globalise its economy. This would bring in more efficiency and prosperity to the country. Cobra Beer was founded in 1989 in Uk by Bilimoria, then aged 27 with loan of £20,000.

SOURCE : THE TIMES OF INDIA