Over 40 employees of craft beer brand Bira 91 gathered outside the residence of its Founder and CEO Ankur Jain on Sunday morning, alleging unpaid salaries and pending statutory dues.
According to posts shared on social media by individuals present at the site, the employees assembled around 10:30 AM, describing the gathering as a “civil march” and a “peaceful protest.” Placards carried by the protesters read: “Unpaid employee dues isn’t monkey business!” and “We worked. You didn’t pay.” Another sign stated: “Pay what’s owed.”
In a detailed caption accompanying the videos, the employees alleged months of unpaid salaries, pending provident fund (PF) contributions, tax deducted at source (TDS) payments, and reimbursements. The post said the protest was intended “not to defame, but to document” and “not to threaten, but to seek accountability.”
“At 10:30 AM today, 40+ aggrieved employees of Bira 91 gathered outside the residence of its Founder & CEO, Ankur Jain,” the post read. “Not with violence. Not with chaos. But with unanswered questions, unpaid salaries, pending PF, TDS, reimbursements… and months of silent suffering.”
The caption further claimed that when police arrived at the scene, they found no confrontation or disruption. “Only employees standing peacefully holding placards, holding each other together, holding back tears,” it said.
The protesters described the demonstration as an appeal for accountability from the company’s leadership, stating: “We showed up peacefully. We showed up united. Now the question is will accountability show up?”
There was no immediate public response from Bira 91 or Ankur Jain at the time of filing this report.
Mounting Financial and Operational Stress
The protest comes amid a deep financial and operational crisis at Bira 91 that unfolded through FY24.
The company reported a net loss of ₹748 crore in FY24 on revenue of ₹638 crore. Its accumulated losses stood at ₹2,117.9 crore as of March 2024, reflecting sustained cash burn and pressure on working capital.
Industry reports indicate that a 2023 corporate name change from B9 Beverages Private Limited to B9 Beverages Limited triggered regulatory complications across multiple states. In several markets, excise authorities reportedly treated the renamed entity as a new company, requiring fresh registrations and approvals. This led to temporary sales and distribution halts in key states.
The disruption is said to have had cascading effects. Distribution stoppages reportedly resulted in beer inventory worth over ₹80 crore expiring in warehouses. Certain production facilities were paused amid alleged non-payment of excise duties, further tightening supply.
The sales impact was significant. After reportedly selling around 9 million cases in FY23, volumes are estimated to have fallen to approximately 6–7 million cases in FY24, allowing competitors to gain share during the period of disruption.
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Internally, the strain appears to have escalated. Reports suggest that over 250 employees petitioned the company’s board seeking leadership changes, citing salary delays ranging from three to five months, unpaid vendor bills, and uncredited provident fund contributions.
The company is also understood to have reduced its workforce by nearly 50% as part of cost-control measures.
Efforts to Stabilise
Despite the challenges, Bira 91 has reportedly initiated corrective steps. These include launching a rights issue to raise additional capital and refocusing operations on markets and product segments considered more profitable.
Whether these measures will restore operational stability and address employee grievances remains to be seen.