Co-founder of Kura Kura Beer

My mission is to show people that we can produce amazing products here at home in Bali.
Tell us your story – how did you get here?
I grew up in Bali in the late 90s. I have a Balinese father and an Irish mother. Growing up in Bali I’ve always loved having a few beers. It’s the best way to come together with friends and just hang out, and chill. It wasn’t until I lived in Australia for Uni that I really fell in love with craft beer: the variety, the community and obviously all the amazing flavours. So, while I was in my last year of Uni I started mapping out how I was going to start this beer business.
I then took six months off Uni to go back to Bali, start the brewery, hire a team and then go back to Uni. Obviously being 21 at the time, that was extremely naïve. It’s definitely not that easy. I ended up starting a music festival instead with my friend Kai called Gypsy Land. After that, I went back to Uni to finish my degree, then moved back to Bali to start brewing beer. I spent all of 2019 setting up the brewery. As it was my first real journey as an entrepreneur, everything had a very steep learning curve. But, I can honestly say I really enjoyed the entire process.
Our launch date was set for March 2020, and we all know what happened then… So, we had a decision to make. Do we wait, or keep going? There was a lot of uncertainty at that time. “When will this end?”, ”Will it ever end”… We finally decided to just go for it. Fast forward three years and I’m so happy we made the decision to just go for it. I think it was a really positive thing to do during an otherwise pretty depressing time.
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
I’m super proud to be the first canned craft beer in Indo! That was fun. But I think really, what makes me the happiest is meeting people who genuinely get a lot of joy from drinking our beer. That’s always the best.
There is a long standing belief in Indonesia that “import is better”. I fundamentally disagree that this is always the case. My mission is to show people that we can produce amazing products here at home in Bali. I think with Kura Kura, we really have produced a beer that is as good as any craft beer out there in the world.
What impact have you made in Bali?
I think as far as our impact, I can say that we were the first ones to really kick-start the craft beer revolution here in Indonesia, so I’m also super happy about that.
What does the future look like for you?
I think at this stage, we are just continuing our mission to produce great beers. We want to keep on growing our community and bring the joy of craft beer to more people here in Indonesia and in the region. We have also got some new beverages coming out soon… So stay tuned!
What do you love most about Bali?
When I lived abroad I always looked forward to coming home. There are so many things I love about Bali. The beaches, the mountains, the food, the culture… But I think like any home town for anyone around the world, it’s my family and friends that I love the most about Bali. I believe there’s a really strong community amongst a lot of the kids that grew up here. We are all still friends from when we were in pre-school. It’s very nice. Most of my friends from other parts of the world don’t have that.
What makes the perfect drink, and why?
Some of the best beers I’ve had are just down at the beach with friends at sunset. For us, we make sure to source the best ingredients from around the world for our beers. We situated our brewery right in the centre of Bali in the mountains, which allows us to get the best possible water quality. And obviously, we need a great team of brewers to make the magic happen.
Who is your Local Legend and why?
I’d say my father has always been my biggest inspiration. I’ve never met anyone who really fits the stereotype of a crazy, risk-loving entrepreneur more than him! He has definitely had a pretty big impact on the tourism and hospitality industry here in Bali. Time and time again he’s had massive setbacks, but he just keeps on going with a big silly smile on his face.