"That little joke is what I took forward to the interview"
Jaspal Purewal went from failing his GCSEs to launching a beer empire and it was all due to a joke at the dinner table.
He is the founder of Indian Brewery, a bar and restaurant business selling custom-brewed beers and Indian street food.
The large venue is situated in Snowhill, Birmingham.
However, it was a difficult 10-year journey for Jaspal.
He recalled: “When I was 16 and leaving school I failed my GCSEs and didn’t know what I would do with my life.
“My parents had a corner shop which I grew up in, my mum and dad always had this entrepreneurial flair which passed onto me.
“My mum found a course at Solihull College which was part of Peter Jones Enterprise Academy, the course was about entrepreneurship.
“But I needed a business idea. That very night I sat with the family for dinner and my dad was drinking a beer, he said, ‘Why don’t you make beer so we don’t have to pay for it again?’
“That little joke is what I took forward to the interview, the academy said, ‘Like a brewery?’ I didn’t know what that was but said, ‘Sure!'”
After Jaspal met Peter Jones, he began learning everything about business.
Once he completed the course, he made a lucky discovery during a drive through Tamworth.
Jaspal and his mother found a brewery and the owner said:
“We don’t see Indian people here.”
The owner signed a deal with Jaspal on the spot and showed him how to brew ale.
After taking over the brewery, Jaspal got some money together and his family to found Indian Brewery.
As well as their signature Birmingham Lager, other flavours include Bombay Honey, Indian Summer and Juicy Mango.
Their beers began shipping worldwide and are now stocked in Harvey Nichols and Wetherspoons.
Jaspal told Birmingham Mail: “We had no experience or GCSEs on food, we put together a kitchen with the cheapest fryers and we just messed about.
“That’s how our menu was born. We started as a real ale brewery selling up and down the country and struggled in the first two years.
“That’s when we opened our Snowhill branch in 2017 which was our first bar and restaurant.
“We dipped our toes in the world of food and created innovative dishes like Indian fish and chips.
“Paired with the beers it was the pinnacle change in our ten-year history. It kept us going, we grew our staff numbers and now we are opening a brewery taproom in St Paul’s Square.”
His family were recruited, including mother Marni, father Nabby and brothers Jay and Reece.
Jaspal said: “If it wasn’t for my brothers I would not be here, middle brother Jay has always believed in what I do. My right-hand man.
“My little brother Reece did Food Technology at BCU and is now head of our kitchen managing 15 chefs.
“And myself as the owner I look after the whole operation whilst mum and dad look after Snowhill.”
“We stick to our roots. When you walk in you are greeted by Punjabi artwork on the walls and script of the language on the menus.
“But it is modern with the fusion of English culture. We are very proud of our heritage which we promote.”
However, the business experienced challenges.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, they were forced to close their Solihull venue. While it caused a lot of “heartache”, Jaspal insisted it made the family stronger.
Jaspal also joined NatWest’s Birmingham Entrepreneur Accelerator Hub who offer funding, networking and business support to hopeful start-ups.
The team are now preparing to open their tap room at the end of August 2024 in the Jewellery Quarter.
Jaspal added: “You can expect something quite incredible. It is a massive beer hall with a brand new innovative menu, open seven days a week with an extensive beer range.
“We will do brewery tours, corporate events and private events. We’re gonna pave the way.
“We will always give everybody that experience where anybody who walks through our doors, we want them to come back.”
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