Big Drop Brewing Co, the multi award-winning alcohol-free beer company, raises a further £3.5m

Big Drop Brewing Co, has successfully raised £3.5m in equity investment in a Series A funding round. The round has been led by Panoramic Growth Equity, with further funds coming from Rubix Ventures, an investment firm backed by world class athletes and industry leaders. The round also includes BluepointVC, a venture company led by Stefan Orlowski, an ex-Senior Executive at Heineken, who joins Mark Hunter, former CEO of Molson Coors, in supporting Big Drop on its Advisory Board.

Big Drop was launched in 2016 by entrepreneurs Rob Fink and James Kindred, two long-time friends who wanted to create alcohol-free craft beer that didn’t compromise on taste. By focusing solely on alcohol-free beer, they set out on a single-minded mission to bring to market the best alcohol-free beer the world has to offer.

Big Drop’s first beer, Galactic Milk Stout, met with rave reviews and was soon followed up with Pine Trail Pale Ale. Both beers have scooped top prizes in beer awards across the globe - including ‘World’s Best’ at the World Beer Awards - and beating their full-strength rivals in blind-tastings. Big Drop now offers a wide range of beer styles for a growing community of followers who are passionate about the Big Drop brand and the mission of its founders.

The investment news comes at an exciting time for the alcohol-free sector - with sales of no-and low-alcohol drinks up 50% in the last year. Big Drop, whose revenues are up 150% year on year, is forecast to reach sales of £5m by the end of 2021. That equates to about 4.5m pints - or a pint of Big Drop being drunk every seven seconds somewhere in the world - up from the 1,500 pints that Big Drop sold in 2016. Its outsourced brewing model means that it has quickly scaled-up in new markets and is able to deliver the freshest beer with a minimal carbon footprint to local consumers. Big Drop currently brews in Australia, Canada, USA and the UK, and is available in more than 20 countries.

Rob Fink, CEO & Founder of Big Drop, said: “Big Drop has seen fantastic growth over the last few years, due in no small part to the hard work, commitment and belief of our brilliant team. This investment will give us the turbo-charge needed to build on our mission to brew great tasting beer that just so happens to be alcohol-free and to pursue our vision of being the world’s best-loved alcohol-free beer.”

David Atkinson, Senior Investment Manager at Panoramic Growth Equity, added: “Rob, James and the team at Big Drop have created exceptional alcohol-free beers, a premium brand and a name with universal appeal. As consumer tastes develop, the alcohol-free drinks market is experiencing high growth and Big Drop is at its forefront. We share the team’s vision to grow the brand in the UK and overseas and are pleased to provide investment to support this goal.”

Big Drop has big plans for the rest of the year including a unique London venue andnumerous events and activations. This summer, it will reach over 250,000 consumers at festivals like Urban Food Festival, Goodwood Festival of Speed and Bigfoot Festival.

Big Drop is also proud to announce that Nicole Goodwin, (formerly Marketing Director at Jaegermeister) is joining the team as Marketing Director, and Darren West, (formerly Marketing Director at Brown-Forman Australia), has also joined as Australia Country Manager. Both bring great talent and experience in growing great drinks brands.