Chandramohan Nallur never tires of telling the story. A story of celebrating his cultural identity in a foreign land. As Director, Business Relations, at the Indo-Polish Chamber of Commerce and Industries in Warsaw, Poland, Nallur’s task was sourcing clients for Indian businesses.
One such client was a Nigerian businessman, Yusuf Jimoh, who ordered five tonnes of rice flakes. Fate loves surprising twists. The order came four days before Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Because of the volatile movement of the exchange rate, Jimoh wanted to back out of the deal. Unable to find another customer, Nallur had a revelation—why not buy the rice flakes himself? But what does one do with five tonnes of rice flakes? Like many of the nerds looking for answers, the 38-year-old Nallur turned to Google. Presto! Making beer was the solution.
Unsure of embarking on an unfamiliar task all by himself, Nallur, a teetotaller, asked his product designer friend Sargheve Sukumaran, who had moved to Warsaw from Palakkad in Kerala, whether he wanted to join the venture. The duo visited different breweries in Warsaw to learn the process and finally crafted their beer in February, 2022. “But there was no ‘Wow’ factor in the beer,” says Nallur.
Naturally, there were no repeat orders. In fact, some customers even complained the beer was too bitter. Others said it was flat.
They didn’t give up. Instead of using the usual malt or wheat to aid the fermentation process, they were usi.