image source, CHANDRA MOHAN NALLUR
Two Indians have sold the first hybrid beer in Poland combining European hops (a cone-shaped flower) with Indian aval. The BBC’s Imran Qureshi finds out how the war in Ukraine shaped their journey.
A year ago, Chandra Mohan, an Indian living in Poland, was in trouble after a customer refused to accept 20,000 kg of them.
Aval, supplied by a company in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, was imported by a local businessman from Poland to make the grains.
It was then that the war in Ukraine began. Mohan’s client was apprehensive about importing avalas due to fluctuating prices before a ship with cargo containers of avalas arrived at a Polish port.
Subsequently, he sought the help of the Indo-Polish Chamber of Commerce. Chandra Mohan was in charge of business relations.
Mohan bought them along with his friend Sargev Sukumaran and got the idea to make beer.
“Chandran said that he could make beer under the name Malayali,” recalls Sukumaran
Both of them hail from Kerala, India.
“Soaked in our history with Indian and Kerala traditions; At the same time, I also wanted to create a product that would appeal to global consumers,” says Sukumaran.
Both of them were careful not to use ala in the beer, but it should not be entirely rice-based beer.
This idea is not new.
“Already, a beer in Japan is brewed with Japanese hops mixed with rice.” Mohan said.
So they thought they could differentiate their product by using European hops.
image source, CHANDRA MOHAN NALLUR
Mohan and Sukumaran turn to another Malayali for advice.
Joe Philip launched his own beer brand, Calicut 1498, in Poland before the pandemic. He chose the name Calicut as a reference to the Kozhikode district of Kerala.
Mohan and Sukumaran started brewing their own beer under his guidance.
“In Poland, you can get good beers from other European countries, especially Belgium,” says Sukumaran. But no rice is used in these.
Mohan does not drink alcohol. So, Sukumaran took on the responsibility of tasting and testing the beer.
“We tried a few times. We succeeded in our third attempt,” said Sukumaran.
The challenge of brewing beer on a large scale now lay before them.
The duo struck a deal with the brewery, insisting on renting the boiler at minimum order. Next, they had to get restaurants to sell the beers.
Mohan used to lead a group of expatriates helping Indians fleeing Ukraine after the war.
“Most of the volunteers are from Kerala,” he says. “Being a Malayali [எங்களை இணைத்த] I realized that it was an emotion.”
This inspired them to name their product ‘Malayali Beer’.
Their cultural identity also helped the branding design.
A performer of Kerala’s traditional dance, Kathakali, wears a head scarf, along with aviator cool glasses and Mohanlal’s beard to express the film’s potential reception in their state, creating a label for the label.
To keep the business going, the duo offered their beer service to wedding planners. It was especially popular among Indian immigrants who married Polish citizens.
Now, Malayali Spirits — a company co-founded by Mohan and Sukumaran — has tied up with an Indian and Asian distributor to supply 2,400 liters (5,074 pints) of beer every two months.
Their company claims to have sold more than 50 thousand bottles so far and plans to increase production soon.
“They are now contacting themselves from other countries in Europe and even from the US,” says Mohan.
BBC Tamil on Social Media: