Lord Bilimoria, 63, has ended his involvement with Cobra. He had been chair of a joint venture with Molson Coors since 2009 (when the brand was brought out of administration). A former Chair of the CBI he was appointed a Life Peer by Labour 2006.
Bilimoria launched Cobra in 1989 as a lager suitable to accompany curry in Indian restaurants. He argued beer was too bitter. Many might think the world of beer and brewing has moved on since then.
The brand was built in effect by word of mouth and was originally brewed in the Sub Continent. UK production began in 2001 at Charles Wells in Bedford.
By 2007 Cobra was sold in 45 countries but the business had over extended itself. The 2009 JV was the upshot.
The Beerage was historically Tory brewers who sat in the Lords. There are few UK regional brewers who still support the Tories but Bilimoria’s role as a crossbench Peer probably more accurately reflects the political interests of Global Big Beer in a UK context
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karan_Bilimoria,_Baron_Bilimoria
Leave a Reply