Bira 91 is first in SE Asia to join & participate in Cicerone Certification Programme

Bira 91 is fostering a beer first culture within the organization. The sales and marketing team enrolled to implement the Cicerone Certification Programme, a series of four professional certification exams beginning with the Certified Beer Server and ending with the upscale Master Cicerone. This programme has become the worldwide benchmark for assessing beer professionals since 2008.

The programme was framed in 2020 when teams were working remotely – it was not only designed to assist build education on beer flavour, service and style but also aid the team connect the learnings to the beers in the portfolio.

Swayampriya Shah, VP, Human Resource and Administration stated- “We desired our teams to understand beer as a category. In Cervesio Felicitas (In Beer there is Joy) is the motto of our Bira 91 B-School for Learning. The Cicerone certifications are a validation of our passion for beer, and we’re pleased to build a team of beer geeks. Looking at the triumph of the program this will now become part of our company calendar.”

Jason Flowers, a Certified Cicerone, who heads the International Business played a key role in putting together the curriculum and conducting online classes for the team. Commenting on the progress, Jason said- “Irrespective of the difference in time and distance, we all made some time for a beer! In a moment where we are all stuck at home, it was great to be able to have some face time with the team in India. Cicerone certification enables us all to speak the international language of beer, which fills the gaps and connects people just like beer always has.”

21 employees of the India team have cleared the 1st Level of the Programme. This is about 40% of all Certified Beer Servers in India, and this number will only increase in 2021 as the programme will be run in batches twice a year. The aim is to also upgrade some members from each Level 1 batch to Level 2 over the coming years.

Ankur Jain, founder and CEO declared- “We are setting a beer-first culture at our company. The first step here is to ensure that we develop our sales team to be the most learned team around different beer styles, beer making and beer service. I am thrilled to see our team taking the lead and enhancing their skills. It is a great typification of our passion for beer and our role as preachers for the gospel of good beer in the nation.”

Ray Daniels, founder and director of the Cicerone Certification Programme commented- “Bira 91 is taking the lead in quality beer service via their education drive with the Cicerone programme. As a result of their attempts, their staff will be prepared to offer all customers with an informative and entertaining experience. They are the maiden organization in SE Asia to be taking up a full and thorough adoption of the programme.”