More than 250 employees of B9 Beverages, the company behind Bira 91, have appealed to the board and top investors, including Kirin Holdings and Peak XV Partners, for a "leadership change" and the removal of founder Ankur Jain from management. The employees' grievances are detailed in a petition addressed to the company's board, investors, and largest lender, Anicut Capital.

The petition cites several issues, including corporate governance failures, a lack of transparency, delays in employee dues and salaries, and cases filed by creditors, which indicate deteriorating financial health. Employees also allege pending payments to vendors as a reason for seeking a change in leadership. According to sources familiar with the situation, almost all current employees have supported the petition.

Adding to the company's troubles, Bira 91's production reportedly ceased in July 2025. Furthermore, BlackRock, an American asset management fund, has withdrawn from advanced talks to invest ₹500 crore in debt in the promoter group of B9 Beverages.

As of June 2025, Jain and his family held a 17.8% stake in the privately held company, while Kirin Holdings is the largest stakeholder with a 20.1% share. The key board members include Jain, his mother, and his wife.

Ankur Jain stated that the company is unaware of any petition addressed to key shareholders and that the board has not received any communication. He acknowledged a "pause" in production in September but anticipates resuming this month. Peak XV, Kirin Holdings, Anicut Capital, and BlackRock have not yet responded to requests for comment.

Several employees have reported that salaries have been delayed for six months, and reimbursements have been pending since November 2024.

Adding to the woes, Bira 91 has been under fire from former and current staff over unpaid salaries, outstanding reimbursements, and unresolved dues following months of layoffs. One ex-sales executive shared that after resigning in December, he was asked to serve a two-month notice, only to have it shortened unexpectedly. Despite repeated assurances, his payments have remained pending for over three months, with the latest update pushing the due date to the end of May.

Tensions reportedly began in November 2024 when the company halted reimbursement for business travel and other expenses. Matters escalated in early 2025 as staff were abruptly reassigned to different states and job roles—marketing professionals were instructed to switch to sales, often in unfamiliar territories. According to a former employee, about 70% of the workforce faced similar shifts, and those unwilling to comply were allegedly pressured into quitting.

Ex-employees have pointed to what they describe as poor financial planning, citing extravagant spending on branding and sponsorships. Bira 91 had allocated an estimated Rs 200–250 crore towards a five-year sponsorship deal with the ICC, which concluded in 2023, in addition to collaborations with several IPL franchises. However, while demand was being generated through high-cost ATL (Above The Line) and BTL (Below The Line) marketing campaigns, the supply side faltered. One employee stated that there was no stock, vendors weren't paid, raw materials stopped coming in, and breweries came to a standstill.

In 2023, Bira 91 underwent a legal name change, which required product relabeling across multiple regions. This relabeling process led to delays in payments to vendors and an inventory shortage. The company's revenue also fell 22% to Rs 638 crore in the 2023-24 financial year, while net losses widened to Rs 748 crore, partly due to an inventory write-off linked to the labeling transition.

Industry analysts argue that Bira 91's pivot from a niche identity to a scale-focused model came at the cost of operational balance. Sanjay Jain, an expert in the alco-bev space, remarked that while Bira carved out a unique market early on, the sudden push for expansion missed the mark and that venture capital tends to approach it like an FMCG play, but the economics of beer production are fundamentally different.