About this project
"Shailly and Avanish your cause IS worthy. Set forth, make great beer and take India's craft brewing movement to the next level!" - Greg Koch (CEO & co-founder, Stone Brewing Co.)
Help us buy this beauty! An 8bbl steam fired brewhouse!
What is this ‘Independence from boring beers!’ all about?
Anyone that has had a generic Indian beer knows the plight of a billion Indian beer drinkers. There are a handful of fizzy yellow beers available in India and not a single craft beer in sight. Calling the industrialized beers of India ‘boring beers’ is being generously polite! Independence Brewing Company wants to introduce the art, passion, boldness, innovation and culture of American craft brewing to our friends in India.
Join us on our journey to bring Independence from boring beers in India!
Craft beer half way around the world! Why should I care?
For the same reasons you care about craft beer or any other artisanal product; A sense of passion, pride, and fighting the notion that beer is no more than fizzy yellow stuff. Your support will help us introduce world class craft brewing to India…and once even a fraction of a billion people start demanding better beer, the change will be dramatic and historic.
True, Our cool gifts don’t hurt either.
Do Indians even drink beer?
Yes! The fizzy yellow beer industry in India is worth $7 billion. Scorching sun and hot food…you need beer. Now imagine beers that rise to the level of the intensely wonderful flavors of Indian food, and we have the stuff of culinary glory.
What’s the plan?
We will be starting a brewpub in the city of Pune, a two hour drive east of Mumbai. Pune is an upcoming IT, Biotech, Manufacturing and Education hub. There are lots of students and professionals; the very people that are open to new ideas and will soon be demanding better beer. We will have at least six house brews on tap, with the addition of guest craft beers/special releases to keep things interesting. There will be some food served but our focus will be beer!
This will help us set up a base, get some cash flowing and begin to create a brand.
Our ultimate goal is to establish a production craft brewery to reach a much wider audience. Bringing Independence from boring beers! …one step at a time.
Do you guys know what you are doing?
Shailly has been home brewing for over 5 years, in California, and picked up awards on the way. He has also interned in brewpubs and brewed on professional equipment. His main job will be to brew awesome craft beer and keep the innovations flowing. Avanish is a business and finance guy and his main job will be to keep the business sound and healthy.
As Indians who have had their craft beer education in California, Shailly and Avanish became appalled at the industrialized beers being sold in India. Much as America has made a dramatic transition over the past three decades, growing from 42 breweries in the US, and flourishing to a robust 2,200+ today, the opportunity to change the landscape exists in India today. As Indians and rabid craft beer enthusiasts, we started carefully researching the craft brewing industry, developing our business plan and raising funds to get started. Along the way we managed to convince craft beer visionary Greg Koch (CEO, Stone Brewing Co.) to come on as 'Chief Adviser,' and we have raised some money from Angel investors.
At this point, we’ve spec’d out our brewing equipment, shortlisted locations in Pune and hired key team members there, so we’re well poised to get this project going!
Over the next 6-9 months, we will be working hard in Pune to get this thing off the ground. Sure, we will have our challenges, but then great beer is all worthy of great efforts and we’re up to the task!
However, our goal needs your further support to become a reality.
Where will the money be spent? What if you exceed the funding goal?
Most of the money will go into purchasing an 8 bbl (1 US bbl = 31 gallons) brewing system from North American suppliers. Some money will go towards purchasing malt, hops and yeast also from North American suppliers. If we exceed our funding we will have greater financial security till we break even. We would love to upgrade / upsize our equipment!
If we greatly exceed our funding goal (dreaming! dreaming! dreaming!) we might directly start a production brewery. Our goal will be to make you, as a craft beer enthusiast, proud of our efforts (and to supply a home base to your future travels in our great country)!
Are you sure you are raising enough?
Bootstrapping is not an option for us. Considering that all our equipment and most of our supplies will have to be imported from North America our setup costs are substantial, plus we need some cash to fund operations till we break even. We have raised key funding from Angel investors, and that covers most of our costs. But we need a little more to get going and ensure success! Our goal on Kickstarter is the minimum we need to close the gap in our funding. But hey, we really could use all the help we can get!
Be assured that bringing Independence from boring beers to a billion people is a great responsibility and we take it very seriously! We certainly won’t hit them all at once, or even a fraction of them, but we promise you one thing: We WILL be a success, and we WILL be an important part of the craft beer revolution in India!
How do I Pledge?
Simply select the reward on the right and follow the steps to complete the process. You will need an Amazon account to finalize the pledge, but an account is free and easy to set up. Just as an additional reminder, your card will not be charged unless our project is fully funded ($40,000) by the deadline.
Please share this with as many friends and family as you can. We truly appreciate your help and support!
धन्यवाद 'dhanyavad: thank you!'
Questions about this project? Check out the FAQ
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Funding period
- (60 days)