Cobra Beer

"Established in 1989 by Lord Karan Bilimoria."

In June 2011 Molson Coors Brewing Company and Cobra India announced "the formation of a joint venture that will brew and market Cobra beer in South Asia*.

"Under the terms of the agreement, Molson Coors will purchase a controlling stake of Cobra India from two existing investors and will have operational control over the new Molson Coors Cobra India. The joint venture will be chaired by Lord Karan Bilimoria, Cobra’s founder and chairman of the Cobra Beer Partnership in the UK. Molson Coors will also be investing additional capital in Molson Coors Cobra India to meet the working capital requirements and the future expansion plans of the brewery operations. The total investment by Molson Coors is approximately $35 million.

"Kandy Anand, President, Molson Coors International commented, “This deal marks the beginning of a long-term commitment to establish Molson Coors in India, the world’s fastest growing beer market. Our first step will be to work with Cobra India’s employees, customers and suppliers to consolidate the business. Longer-term, our ambition is to build this compelling brand and grow the business to a meaningful market share as part of Molson Coors International’s strategy to achieve critical mass in high-growth emerging markets.”...

"The capacity of the Indian brewing industry year ending March 2011 was just under 27 million hl and it has a per capita consumption of just under 1.5 litres. The Indian beer market is growing at 12% CAGR and is estimated to grow to 50 million hl by 2020, putting it in the top 10 beer markets globally.

"The deal with Cobra India includes land, a 175,000 hl brewery in Bihar state, with potential to expand to 500,000hl, and a beer portfolio consisting of Cobra Premium, King Cobra Superior and Iceberg 9000.

"In 2009, Molson Coors UK and Cobra Beer established a similar joint venture, the Cobra Beer Partnership Ltd, which secured world rights for the iconic beer outside of South Asia."

Foundation
The Cobra Foundation was set up in 2005.
 * Founder President, Lieutenant General F. N. Bilimoria
 * President Field Marshal Sir John Chapple

Contact
Web: http://www.cobrabeer.com

Related Sourcewatch

 * Simon Cox