The Grandson Of The Founder Of Haywards Visited India And Here Are 5 Things His Journey Taught Us

Haywards 5000 is a brand we Indians associate with as a cult Indian brand and a truly strong beer. For Ben Hayward the brand is more than just that. For him it’s a brand that was started by his grandfather, Sir Anthony Hayward, who created the beer brand way back in the 70’s. After seeing a BBC News Report on the brand that bears his family name, Ben takes on a journey to travel from England to India to track his past, to experience India like he had never seen before, explore the popularity of the brand created by his family and rediscover what his grandfather built into an iconic Indian brand.

Ben took a flight and got ready to explore his past, and his journey is something we all can draw inspiration from. Here are some of the things I learned…

 

1. The Haywards Family still lives in India and runs a resort in Goa with an exclusive Haywards bar.

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The Haywards family continues to live in India, with Simon Hayward who runs a resort named Vivenda Dos Polhacos – a beautifully-restored Hindu-Portuguese hacienda in the quiet village of Majorda, a short walk from south Goa’s loveliest white-sand beach. This resort also has an exclusive Haywards bar, shaped like the back of a truck.

This bar exclusively stocks Haywards 5000, and also has a number of old vintage Haywards advertisements, and a number of old photographs of the Haywards family from the 1950s. Old Haywards beer steins (metal mugs) and merchandise also adorn the shelves.

 

2. Ben Hayward worked as an intern to get to know his grandfather’s legacy better.

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Even though Haywards 5000 isn’t with his family anymore and has been sold to SABMiller, it didn’t stop Ben from going out and backtracking his granddad’s accomplishment. He joined SABMiller India as an intern to do a digital project, which included this documentary video, to uncover the heritage behind the brand.

 

3. He wasn’t afraid to ask for help from the company’s current employees and even sought the people who knew his grandfather closely.

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He approached people without any inhibition or judgement and they willingly helped him. Humanity isn’t lost after all. You just need to believe in people. He accepted guidance and didn’t let personal pride overshadow that. He asked questions, lots of them and through the answers he learned a lot about his grandfather and the company’s formative years.

 

4. He drew inspiration from his grandfather’s past.

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Ben Hayward met a number of his grandfather’s friends and colleagues who knew him so that he could get to know his grandfather better. He was impressed to know that his grandfather – Sir Anthony Hayward – was an impressive storyteller and commanded great respect from his colleagues and friends. He had fought in the Second World War and was knighted by the Queen of England for his services to the Indian Industry. He had even worked in Singapore before retiring to England.

 

5. Why was the number 5000 chosen with his family name?

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Haywards 5000 beer was originally launched for the South of India, which was the first strong beer drinking region in India. The numbers ‘2000’ and ‘5000’ were chosen to communicate the strength of alcohol in the beer, to cut across language barriers, given that in the South of India there are so many different languages. The name ‘Haywards’ was chosen because it was a respected and well-known name in the Indian industry, with a rich heritage and a strong reputation that began in the early 1900s.

Ben never gave up through his journey. He believed that he would get an insight into Hayward 5000, and that’s exactly what happened. He uncovered its rich past and met some incredible people along the way, all because he believed.

If you believe in yourself, you will be unstoppable and that’s exactly what Ben Hayward did. 


This article is brought to you in association with Haywards 5000

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