Millet Beer Project at Great State Aleworks

Jul 28, 2024
1 min read

Updated: Oct 28, 2025

Turning traditional ingredients into marketable, culturally resonant products

The Millet Beer Project is a pioneering initiative by Great State Aleworks, to use local, traditional ingredients like millets, into culturally resonant craft beers.

In 2023, (UN International Year of Millet), joined the project to help grow its reach and impact. With growing attention to local sourcing in India’s craft beer sector, the project sought to support small millet farmers while creating products that beer drinkers would care about.

I worked with the brewery to map millet farming systems, design sourcing frameworks that connected local farmers to the brewery, and translate research into actionable strategies for production, marketing, and brand storytelling. Between 2023 and 2025, we launched 11 new millet-based craft beers, including India’s first 100% millet-based, gluten-free craft beers.

Through strategic partnerships, stakeholder dialogues and published resources like the open-source Millet Beer Handbook (in collaboration with The Locavore), we further established Great State’s thought leadership in creating beers that are both culturally rooted and commercially viable.