Cobra Partnership Festivals Dinner 2009
18 October 2009

The Cobra Partnership celebrated it's inaugural Festivals Dinner on Sunday 18th October at the Lancaster Hotel, London. The dinner, which featured an exclusive performance by renowned Bollywood singer Alka Yagnik, was organised to thank the ethnic restaurant sector and wholesalers for their ongoing support of the Cobra brand. The dinner was attended by several hundred curry restaurateurs including well-known chefs such as Cyrus Todiwala and founder of the Good Curry Guide, Pat Chapman. Guests were treated to a sumptuous meal from Sanjay Anand's 'Madhus'.

The Cobra Beer Partnership is a joint venture company that combines the brewing, selling and marketing expertise of the highly successful international brewer Molson Coors, with Cobra Beer’s iconic brand and strong presence in ethnic restaurants and off-trade. Formed in May 2009, the Cobra Beer Partnership is chaired by Cobra Beer’s founder, Lord Karan Bilimoria with the day to day operations managed by Molson Coors (UK).

Established in 1989, Cobra Beer is one of the UK's fastest growing premium beer brands and is now one of the strongest and best known brands in the world beer category in the UK. Cobra was created as an exotic, less gassy beer which is the perfect accompaniment to exotic spicy food. Cobra currently has 95% distribution in Indian restaurants in the UK and a long-standing association with the sector – the dinner was organised as a signal that the Cobra Beer Partnership’s intention is to maintain this strong relationship into the future.

The Cobra Beer Partnership

Molson Coors and Cobra Beer officially launched the Cobra Beer Partnership on 8th October 2009, a joint venture established to build upon the brand’s iconic status and realise the true growth potential of ethnic food and beer dining. This drive is bolstered by a £10 million marketing budget, committed to the Cobra Beer Partnership by Molson Coors, over the next three years. With ethnic food sales expected to rise to £1.6 billion by 2013, the burgeoning popularity of ethnic cuisine in the UK brings with it huge potential for the Cobra Beer Partnership. The dedicated business unit, which includes many of the previous Cobra employees, follows a deal struck in May this year - it has been set up to champion the Cobra brand and encourage improved business performance.

Mark Hunter, CEO of Molson Coors, said: “The number of on-trade outlets leading with food offers will surpass those wet-led outlets by 2018 and with the off-trade set to overtake the on trade by 2011 as consumers spend more time cooking at home we must be able to offer a relevant and diverse portfolio for all food occasions."

“ We have a wealth of experience with regards to this type of venture and an excellent track record of building brands across all markets. This dedicated business unit combines talented people from Molson Coors and Cobra and everyone is united in growing the Cobra brand globally. This is a new chapter and Cobra can move on to the next stage of its brand evolution, whilst also opening up significant opportunities for Molson Coors UK.”

With over 9,500 Indian restaurants in the UK, the ethnic restaurant sector is at the heart of the Cobra Beer Partnership’s strategy for growth. Lord Karan Bilimoria, Founder of Cobra Beer, said: “We are delighted to be working with Mark Hunter and the Molson Coors team, all of whom are passionate about the Cobra Beer Partnership and committed to the Cobra brand.”

The Cobra brand is a strong edition to Molson Coors’ portfolio and stands alongside Singha, the recently acquired Thai beer, to enforce Molson Coors as a key player in the ethnic food sector. Molson Coors’ world beer offering also includes Sol, Kasteel Cru, Dos Equis, Blue Moon, Singha and Grolsch Weizen.

Adrian Davey, recently MD Coors Off-trade, is appointed Managing Director and the Cobra Beer Partnership will be chaired by Lord Karan Bilimoria. The day to day running of the business will be managed by Molson Coors. Cobra’s brewing facilities will move to Burton and Molson Coors will continue to brew Cobra to its original Indian recipe, using only the finest natural ingredients including rice and maize. This venture will preserve the brand value of Cobra and its people, with the entire Ethnic Restaurant Sales team retained as part of the new Cobra Beer Partnership. The sales team will be headed up by ERS Director Samson Sohail, now in his 17th year with Cobra.