B9 Beverages, maker of Bira 91 beer and owner of 'The Beer Cafe' pub chain, is set to raise Rs 400 crore (nearly USD 50 million) of fresh funds. The funds from its existing and new investors will be utilised to expand its business. This will be the third round of fund raising for B9 Beverages in 13 months.

The existing investors include Japan-based Kirin Holdings, Sequoia Capital and Sofina of Belgium. The funds will help raise capacity and widen the distribution of Bira 91's portfolio, including craft, lager and strong beer with products such as Bira White, Gold and Boom, besides cider ale and seltzers. Besides, the investment will also be used to expand The Beer Cafe and Bira 91 Taproom chains.

In the last 13 months, Kirin Holdings and Japan-based MUFG Bank have invested a total of USD 80 million in B9 Beverages separately, valuing the beer maker at USD 550-600 million. In March this year, Bira 91 raised USD 10 million from MUFG Bank. Earlier to this, Kirin Holdings had invested USD 30 million in the Indian beer maker in 2021.

The Beer Cafe has 43 outlets in key markets such as Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Bira 91, launched in 2015, is currently distributed in over 1,000 towns and cities in two dozen countries. B9 Beverages has six breweries.