When the Russia-Ukraine conflict erupted in 2022, Chandramohan Nallur had no idea it would result in the invention of a ‘Malayali’ beer in Poland. Nallur, a Palakkad native, purchased five containers of Indian rice flakes from Uttar Pradesh to produce cereals. Because of the fluctuating currency rate, his African acquaintance chose not to pick up the containers.
Malayali Beer
Nallur has 20,000 kg (44,092 lb) of rice flakes left over. Nallur was in a pickle because he had more rice flakes than he knew what to do with. With limited storage space, Nallur pondered turning the rice flakes into pet chow, but quickly realized he was barking up the wrong tree. He got an epiphany only after reading about Komban beer. The solution was to make beer!
Nallur and his designer buddy, Sargheve Sukumaran, then decided to make beer out of the rice flakes they had on hand. Sukumaran based the label on the headgear worn by performers performing Kathakali, a traditional dance style from Kerala, and paired it with aviator sunglasses and actor Mohanlal’s mustache, symbolizing their cultural identity. It was a brilliant idea!
Nallur and Sukumaran chose the name ‘Malayali’ to honor their mother tongue while also helping to develop bridges between Palakkad and Poland. After numerous failed attempts, the team succeeded in inventing a beer that blends Indian rice flakes with Polish hops, so establishing an Indo-Polish link.
They ultimately hit the jackpot with their brew, which mixed Indian rice flakes with Polish hops, after a few tries and tribulations. This beer was so delicious that a Polish restaurant wanted to buy it. And trust me, people couldn’t stop talking about how smooth it was – it’s no wonder that even Little India Group, the largest South Asian products distributor in Eastern Europe, wanted to offer it in five EU nations starting in 2023.
Malayali Spirits has a deal with an Indian and Asian grocery store distributor to deliver 2,400 liters (5,074 pints) of beer every two months. Since June 2022, the firm has sold over 50,000 bottles of beer and plans to increase production in the next months.
Also Read This : Safina Hussain Makes History Awarded the WISE Award
The Malayali beer’s name, according to Nallur, is a representation of their affection for fellow ‘Malayalis’ and an attempt to bridge the gap between Palakkad, Nallur’s hometown, and Poland.
Their cultural identity also inspired the design of the freshly produced beer. Sukumaran based the label on the headwear used by dancers performing Kathakali, a traditional Kerala dance genre. He then blended this with the state’s love of movies by wearing aviator sunglasses and sporting the mustache of actor Mohanlal..
“Because of a lack of storage space, we considered converting the rice flakes into pet food, but we later abandoned the idea.” We learned about Komban beer, which is made outside of India. “It clicked on the idea of using the flakes,” Nallur explained.
” “We considered wellbeing bars, however that is a very specialty business.” Then, at that point, I found Japanese brews, which are in like manner produced using rice. “I sought advice from another Malayali, Lijo Phillip, who had launched his own beer brand Kalikut 1498 in Poland prior to the pandemic,” Nallu explained.
Malayali Beer :’The name Beer connected us to where we belonged.’
Nallur and Sukumaran are both from Kerala. They chose the name Malayali Beer after their native tongue, Malayalam.
While developing the beverage, the pair went through a lengthy process that included several failures. Nallur also stated that creating a new brand of beer is never an easy undertaking.
“It was on the third attempt that every one of the fixings fell set up,” he told me. While they were dealing with their difficulties, a Polish restaurant approached them about producing craft beer.
” People were complimenting us on how smooth our drink was. The next dilemma was what to call the brew. We began looking for distinctive names that might help us find our way back home. “Without much ado, we settled on the name Malayali Beer and applied for a trademark,” Nallur explained.