KOZHIKODE: “Polandine patti oru aksharam mindaruthu!” (Don’t utter a word about Poland!).
This is one movie dialogue that seared the name of the Central European country into the Malayali consciousness. Delivered by actor Sreenivasan’s character in the movie Sandesham, it is still remembered for its light-hearted encapsulation of the unique political climate in the state.
Now, it could be Poland’s turn to take notice of the Malayali. Imagine walking into any restaurant in the country and ordering a lager by the same name. This is the dream of Chandra Mohan Nallur, who developed a new brew and named it “Malayali’. He is now working on popularising it.
Two months in, Chandra Mohan has sold more than 50,000 bottles and is all set to deliver more than 5,000 litres of ‘Malayali’ beer in just a few days. The 38-year-old Palakkad native, who is the first Malayali director of the Chamber of Commerce in Poland, did not have second thoughts about naming his first beverage. He said his true love for his fellow Malayalis is reflected in the name.
The protracted Russian war in Ukraine played a major role in the birth of ‘Malayali’ beer, he adds.
“I was trying to find different ways to help an African friend who was struggling to sell five containers of rice flakes he had bought before the invasion. As the conflict escalated, there was nothing we could do to save the rice flakes. Because of the lack of storage facilities, we decided to convert them into pet food, but the plan was scrapped. We read about Komban beer, which was produced outside India. This was our inspiration to find use for the flakes,” he recounts.
Faced failures, but struck gold in 3rd attempt: Chandra Mohan
“Gradually, a Polish restaurant approached us to produce our craft beer, which had been gaining popularity. The smoothness of our drink had people talking. The next question before us was a name for the beer. We started looking for unique names that could connect us to where we belong. Without much ado, the name Malayali stuck and we applied for a trademark.
Making a new brew was never an easy task, and we faced failures on the way. It was on the third try that the ingredients all fell in place,” he said. His partner in the venture is also a Malayali, Sargheve Sukumaran, a branding expert.
Little India Group, a distributor of Indian products in Poland, has come forward as a distributor of ‘Malayali’ beer. Chandra Mohan is now working on taking his drink to more European countries in the coming months.
Chandra Mohan completed his schooling and graduation from Kozhikode, before moving to Spain for a master’s in international business and politics.
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