Bunta Beer Launches to Modernise Britain’s Indian Food Pairings

Photo: Bunta Beer’s vibrant pink can introduces a refreshing citrus lager crafted to elevate Indian dining with a modern, alcohol-light twist.

Reinventing Indian Food Pairings With Modern Craft Beer

Bunta Beer launches in the UK as a non-alcoholic Indian craft beer, designed to complement spice-led cuisine while embracing sustainability, modern branding, and evolving consumer demand.

A  new non-alcoholic craft beer brand is entering the UK market with a clear ambition: to rethink what Britons drink alongside Indian food. Bunta Beer, founded by 27-year-old entrepreneur Gunikka Ahuja, has launched with early listings at venues including Kricket, Aspen & Meursault, Vintopia Wine, East West Pizza and Londis N16.

Positioned as the UK’s first non-alcoholic Indian craft beer, Bunta has been developed specifically to complement spice-led dishes—offering an alternative to the heavier, more bitter lagers that have long dominated the category.

The launch comes at a time when Indian cuisine in the UK is undergoing rapid change. From neighbourhood curry houses to contemporary restaurants such as Kricket, Dishoom and Hoppers, the food itself has diversified and evolved. Drinks, however, have not kept pace.

Ahuja, who was born in New Delhi and later worked in textile innovation at Adidas, identified this gap during frequent visits to London. Experiencing what she describes as the classic “curry and a pint” ritual, she found existing beer options ill-suited to the food. “They were harsh, overly bitter and heavy,” she notes—qualities that often clash with spice rather than complement it.

Bunta’s flagship product is a 0.5% ABV citrus lager designed to do the opposite. Light and crisp, it incorporates subtle notes of orange peel and coriander seed—ingredients that echo flavour profiles commonly found in Indian cooking. The aim is functional as much as flavour-driven: to cut through heat, cleanse the palate and enhance the overall dining experience.

The brand’s name draws on a cultural reference from North India, where “Bunta” refers to the marble used to seal traditional codd-neck bottles for fizzy drinks such as Banta soda, known for their refreshing citrus character. For Ahuja, it is both a nostalgic nod and a symbol of accessibility.

Beyond beer, Bunta is also positioned as a materials-led brand. Ahuja is developing Buntatex™, a biodegradable textile created from brewing waste, intended for use in packaging and merchandise. The move reflects a growing interest in circular production within the food and beverage industry.

Visually, the brand departs from conventional Indian design cues. Its pink can features a stylised illustration inspired by Ahuja’s brother, representing what she describes as a new generation of consumers—culturally connected, but less bound by tradition and increasingly open to non-alcoholic choices.

For Ahuja, the project sits at the intersection of food, culture and identity. Rather than replicating established ideas of Indian branding, Bunta aims to reflect a more contemporary, global perspective.

With distribution now underway, the company’s ambition is straightforward: to become the go-to beer pairing for Indian food in the UK—whether in restaurants or at home—as consumer tastes continue to shift towards lighter, more considered drinking options.