The Indian beer sector is steadily rising day by day and the newest addition of the brand Simba to this area is proof of that.
There was once a time when Kingfisher was perhaps the only Indian beer brand that was widely known and consumed on a mass level, however, it was not exactly marketed for the youth and was more seen as something suitable for executives and older people.
However, Bira practically broke through every glass ceiling and is perhaps now the most popular beer brand in the country, overtaking Kingfisher even.
If you go to beer bars or even the general ones, people are actually requesting and asking for Bira beer instead of Kingfisher or any other international one.
The new brand Simba that could be giving some competition to Bira further shows the growing interest in this industry for entrepreneurs and maybe now, the Indian beer industry will finally be something cool to know of.
What Is Simba Beer?
Founded by Prabhtej Singh Bhatia in 2015, Simba beers, is the first homegrown, family-run craft beer brand in India by the company Sona Beverages Pvt. Ltd.
It is quickly rising the popularity ladder and is being seen as another competition to the already popular brand Bira, with the beer getting a soft launch in 2017 in Goa.
As per sources, instead of being interested in mass production of beers, they prefer to make theirs in small batches giving enough attention and focus to the recipe of each beer.
This allows them to keep a better control over the quality of the drink and in a span of just 3 years already have established themselves in Goa with the drink being found in around 200 different places in the states.
Currently serving just 2 beers; a Stout which is named the Simba Jungle Stout and a Belgian Wheat called the Simba Jungle Wheat, the founder even has plans to launch the brand across other major metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore soon.
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Bira vs. Simba?
Simba certainly seems to be vying for the top spot that Bira is enjoying right now being the most popular Indian brand that millennials are asking for.
Some of the times, it is definitely being marketed as a Bira alternative, and while we have not tried it ourselves, it will be interesting to see how both these brands create their own space in the beer circuit.
We can also very clearly see that the Simba beer has taken a lot ‘inspiration’ from Bira in terms of font, colour scheme, having a similar logo of an animal, extremely good recall factor of the brand name and the entire design aesthetics having major similarities with the latter brand.
The thing to take into consideration here is that, Bira is almost omnipresent now, with people requesting for it instead of the other popular brands.
Started in 2015, the motto of the company was to “fill the gap in the market for a trendy, unorthodox, fun and smart brand of beer that could be positioned between Indian brands and the expensive imported beers,” as said by Ankur Jain, the founder of the brand.
Supposedly, it was Bira’s white ale and blonde craft lager versions that appealed to the younger crowd who had gotten tired of the old lager beers and had no Indian alternative to turn to.
Not too long ago also, Simba cheekily took a dig at Bira launching a hot sauce around April by remaking their promotional Instagram video and saying they will also be launching a pepper spray to highlight the absurdity of the new product.
However, they ended the video by saying “Just Kidding!” and that their brand is ”No Monkey Business, Just Finely Crafted Beer – Simba”. The monkey obviously refers to Bira’s mascot and it is certainly gutsy for such a young brand to be taking a jab at an already established one.
It still remains to be seen whether people will accept this new brand called Simba, whether they will like the flavour and taste of the product or not.
Rise Of Beer Industry In India
The addition of Simba to the beer sector of India certainly means that the industry is becoming a profitable place for young entrepreneurs to be interested in.
It is quickly becoming synonymous with one of the most successful startup ideas in India with the low competition and share value.
Beer is the most preferred millennial drink, with it being cheap, light and easy to drink, plus you can have it anywhere.
Also with the rise of the football culture in India, beer is being seen as the go-to-beverage while watching one of the matches and even girls are opting for beer as their choice of drink.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Herald Goa, Quartz, HungryForever
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