BroCode: The wine in a beer body winning over Indian Gen Z

In India’s alcoholic beverage landscape, wine often carries a reputation: fancy, elitist and largely confined to tier-one metros and pricey dinners. Enter BroCode, the brand that has quietly rewritten the playbook, and no, it’s not beer.

Founded by Sameer Mahendru of IndoBevs, BroCode started with a simple question: “What does the average Indian consumer want in alcohol? ” The answer, he says, is convenience, affordability, and a taste profile that resonates with the local palate.

“We Indians naturally prefer sweet and sour flavours over bitter ones,” Mahendru explains. “Beer became popular because Western marketing told us it was ‘cool’. But wine, with its fruity and sweet-sour notes, suits the Indian palate better.”

Wine, but not as you know it

Despite wine’s potential, it hasn’t taken off in India. Why? Traditional packaging and presentation — 650 ml bottles, corkscrews, and premium price tags — alienate the everyday consumer. BroCode flipped that script.

Instead of mimicking beer or sticking to conventional wine norms, the brand introduced 330 ml bottles with easy-open caps, priced under Rs 150—a sweet spot for the average Indian drinker.

The idea: make wine accessible, fun, and ready to grab from the chiller. “We didn’t market it as beer or wine,” says Mahendru. “We let consumers taste it and form their own impressions.”

And it worked. While beer volumes in India hover around 450 million cases, packaged wine lingers under 1 million. BroCode, however, has carved out a space for itself, appealing to Gen-Z consumers who are experimental, rebellious, and driven more by mindset than age.

Riding the pop culture wave

For BroCode, social media plays an increasingly significant role in its marketing. Collaborations, such as one with Ashish Solanki’s comic roast show, alongside organic memes like “Bro ek BroCode pi li”, contribute to the buzz surrounding the brand.

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Because of its high alcohol content (15% ABV), people sometimes confuse it with beer. Creators and users alike have taken to Instagram and Reels, joking about the instant “nasha” or tipsy effect. 

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Some captions playfully tease: “Bhai samjha beer, peeli BroCode!” — poking fun at those who mistook the wine-for-beer styling.

Mahendru notes, “We get all kinds of messages: workout clubs, a transport company, even a men’s room named BroCode. A rapper has made a song and a video—everything’s organically built around the brand.”

Digital campaigns are agile, in-house, and trend-driven. While the brand refrained from sharing detailed marketing allocations, it mentioned sponsoring Seedhe Maut’s 10-year tour, covering 15 cities.

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The brand has previously been associated with shows such as Yellow Diary and Bandhshah, proving that BroCode knows how to integrate seamlessly into youth culture.

Pan-India, and beyond

Unlike most Indian or foreign liquor brands that grow regionally, BroCode’s footprint is truly national. From Jammu & Kashmir to Puducherry and Rajasthan to Guwahati and Tripura, it sells wherever alcohol is legally permitted. Internationally, it’s present in the UAE, Canada, Australia, and Africa, with emerging markets in Kazakhstan and Kuwait.

Yet, you won’t see it on every pub menu.

Mahendru explains, “Clubs charge listing fees and incentives. Big brands can pay crores to be listed. We prioritise consumers first; menus come later. Some pubs serve us because their patrons ask for it.”

Why BroCode skips pubs: putting consumers ahead of listings

When asked why BroCode isn’t widely available in pubs or clubs, the explanation is simple: at Rs 150 for a 330 ml bottle, it’s a convenient, affordable option for consumers, but not the kind of product that can absorb the high listing fees and premiums that clubs often demand.

The brand has deliberately prioritised retail availability, making it easy for consumers to grab chilled bottles in stores.

Built for the Indian consumer

What sets BroCode apart, says Mahendru, is its consumer-first strategy. While the top four liquor companies in India are foreign (French and Scottish), BroCode is built from India’s first principles:

• Indian taste preferences
• Indian pricing expectations
• Indian youth culture

“We didn’t copy beer or wine. We created something new,” he notes.

Consumption patterns

The brand also caters to seasonal consumption patterns: dips occur during Navratri, Lent, and early January due to fasts or New Year's resolutions, while spikes happen during Diwali, Onam, and Christmas/New Year, proving that it understands both culture and consumer behaviour.

Friendship, the brand’s backbone

The name “BroCode” comes from a late-night poker game among friends. The founder shared an anecdote: the wives started nudging their husbands to wrap up and go home, and one friend jokingly said, “Bro, BroCode!” referring to the unspoken rules of friendship. Everyone laughed, and the moment captured the essence the brand wanted to convey: friendship over everything. Emotional, funny, real.

From small bottles to viral memes, BroCode has turned wine into a ready-to-drink companion for India’s experimental youth, proving that good marketing isn’t just about hype — it’s about understanding your consumer and serving them what they truly want.