FEATURES • BRANDS
Roasting Change:
The Heart and Soul
of BAKED.
May 2025
Words by The Punch Editors
Photography by
Somewhere between the salt of the Bali sea and the green of the rice fields, Putu Wiranatha writes a new story. Half Balinese, half Irish, all rooted in the slow pulse of the island, he grew up inside the heartbeat of Bali’s hospitality world, where flavors, stories, and tradition celebrate local bounty with global flair.
The son of a wine merchant, Putu’s education in the world of drink started early, though the path he would take was never going to be a straight one. In Melbourne, he went headfirst into the craft beer movement–a new language of independence and story that cracked open something inside him. He came home carrying more than just a degree; he carried an idea. Kura Kura Beer was the first translation of that idea into reality: a homegrown brewery built not from formulas, but from community, risk, and the belief that Bali could hold its voice in the international craft conversation.
SIP BY SIP, A MYTH REWRITTEN
Putu didn’t begin with a thirst to disrupt. He began with a feeling–a slow-burning belief that the stories of this land, his land, were worth telling. Not louder, but clearer. Not borrowed from abroad, but drawn from deep within Indonesia’s own terrain. His mission isn’t about trends or territories–it’s about memory, and the revolution of making something true.
Kura Kura Beer was born from that instinct. Not to mimic the polished craft brews of Melbourne, though that’s where the fire was first lit, but to build something that belonged to the tropics, to Bali, to a generation ready to believe that local could mean exceptional.
The name itself carries a story that Putu wears like an heirloom. Kura Kura–the turtle–legend says it carries the island of Bali on its back. His grandmother would tell him, as only grandmothers can, that if we forget to honor the balance, the turtle might one day sink. The lesson was simple: protect what protects you. And so the brand became a kind of offering–an invitation to remember, to respect, to reimagine.
Wrapped in minimalism but filled with meaning, Kura Kura straddles the edge between old and new. It’s as much about the soil as it is about the shelf. As Bali swells with tourists and tower cranes, Putu’s work feels like a whispered reminder: culture isn’t static–it adapts.
THE SHAPE OF A MOUNTAIN, THE REACH OF A CULTURE
The vision for Kura Kura was never confined to Bali’s borders. It was always meant to travel, to find new homes in faraway cities. And it has. You’ll now find it tucked into shelves in Australia, poured over counters in Hong Kong, and packed into its first container bound for Japan. The name–kura kura–translates into “tipsy” in Japanese, a detail Putu only learned after the fact, as if the brand was silently writing its own story across cultures.
Tilt the logo and what seems like a clean, geometric ‘K’, the lines resolve into the rise of the mountain it was born beneath. A reminder that where we come from leaves a shape we carry, even as we move forward. This is a brand that doesn’t rush. Like language learning to hold two meanings at once. And in that space between origin and outreach, a new kind of Balinese storytelling begins–gentle but intentional.
SUCCESS, IN A SHAPE OF A MORNING
For Putu, success isn’t loud. It lives in quiet purpose, in doing work that feels rooted and real. It’s building something that matters–not just for himself, but for the people around him. A place where ideas grow, where the team feels seen.
Like two strangers on a morning beach in Bali, each with a cold can of Kura Kura in hand. “It was 7:30 a.m. They were on their way to the airport, just soaking it in. It made my day.” Small moments, yes–but they add up. And sometimes, that’s all the success you need.
COMMUNITY, AS A WAY OF LISTENING
Putu lives between worlds–born of Bali and Ireland, shaped by time in Australia, grounded by the island he calls home. That mix gives him range. But it’s the Balinese part that teaches him rhythm–the quiet kind that opens doors not with force, but familiarity.
Through Kura Kura, that same rhythm finds form in Island Artisans, a quiet archive of local makers and keepers of tradition. A knife smith here. A weaver there. Stories that might slip by unnoticed if someone didn’t stop to ask, to listen.
“It’s a personal thing,” he says. “A way to stay close to the culture. To give light to people doing meaningful work, in their own way, on their own time.” In telling their stories, he continues his own–rooted, respectful, and always looking inward before reaching out.
STANDING OUT, SOFTLY
Kura Kura doesn’t shout. It doesn’t need to. The beers speak for themselves–each one carrying a kind of ease and a rhythm you can taste. “We’ve got our own style,” Putu says. “You know it when you sip it.”
There’s pride in the details: in being 100% Balinese-owned, in making something that feels local without needing to say so. And then there’s Session Hazy–the newest addition, light on the tongue, a little cloudy in the glass, made for warm afternoons and slow conversations. “It’s the one I keep reaching for,” he smiles. “But don’t take my word for it. Taste it, and let it tell you why.”
EXPLORE THE FULL STORY IN UNCOVERED BALI BOOK
Uncovered Bali is a collective project showcasing the sustainable journeys of carefully selected Bali businesses to a global audience. Each story highlights the unique impact these enterprises have on preserving Bali’s cultural and environmental heritage while driving positive change. Through this project, we aim to inspire global leaders, travelers, and communities to embrace more sustainable practices and appreciate the powerful role that local businesses play in shaping a better future.
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