The Olive Group, which ownsrestaurant brands such as Olive Bar & Kitchen, SodaBottleOpenerwala, Fatty Bao, and Toast & Tonic, is on an expansion drive, seeking to add 11 restaurants during the year.

It has already added three restaurants in the last week, the latest one being The Hoppery, a microbrewery in Hyderabad.

Since the company's inception 17 years ago, the promoter of The Olive group, AD Singh, has developed a chain of brands and now has 30 restaurants across several brands.

As the company enters the next phase of expansion, one of its early private equity investors, Aditya Birla Private Equity, which invested $10 million in 2013, is likely to exit by divesting its sake to a new investor, said Singh, Managing Director of The Olive Group.

Ernst & Young is assisting in the transaction and evaluating options, he said.

Interacting with BusinessLine after the launch of The Hoppery, its first microbrewery in Hyderabad, Singh said the company plans to set up several such breweries.

“As of now, only a few States allow setting up of microbreweries. The next one for us is likely to be in the NCR region,” he said.

“We have been wanting to open a microbrewery for years.

There is huge demand for such restaurants as freshly brewed beer with different flavours is something people want,” he added.

The country's microbrewery sector has seen a massive growth in the last few years. Hyderabad, unlike Bengaluru, is a relatively new market.

Shaaz Mehmood, Partner, Olive Group, said, “This is being presented as a concept and a hub with a difference where people come and enjoy.”

Shaun Kenworthy, Consultant Chef, who has been associated with setting up of four microbreweries, said there is some distinct ethnic touch to The Hoppery, unlike the first set of microbreweries that have come up in the country. The food too is lot more social in nature, he added.

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