Alcohol-free beer Big Drop seeks £2m in funding and drastically expands US distribution

UK-based Big Drop Brewing Co has announced plans to increase its distribution to 37 US states through a partnership with Illinois brewery Destihl, and expands UK supermarket presence with a new £2m funding campaign.

Big Drop has received £6.5m in equity finance over the past five years, including a Series A round of £3.5m completed 18 months ago. Some of these investors have since joined Big Drop as board advisors — including Mark Hunter, ex-Global CEO of Molson Coors and Stefan Orlowski, ex-European president at Heineken.

The alcohol-free brewer’s latest expansion effort is currently in a pre-live fundraising stage with Seedrs with a target of £2m. The new funds will be spent on increasing availability in UK supermarkets (currently with Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose, Morrisons and Ocado) and increasing draught presence in pubs.

Simultaneously, the brand, which is currently available in six US states after launching in the market two years ago, aims to widen its distribution footprint from 6 to 37 US states through a partnership with Destihl Brewery in Illinois.

The new partnership is a significant developments in the non-alcoholic brewer’s six-year history, as Destihl distributes to almost 40 states from its 47,000 sq. ft. brewery facility in Normal, Illinois.

Speaking about the move, Rob Fink, Big Drop founder, commented: “Most people recognise that demand for good quality non-alcoholic beer in the USA is growing exponentially and that offering drinkers a complete choice of brands and styles, wherever they shop, is key to feeding that demand. Big Drop is already part of the solution, and by partnering with DESTIHL, we’ll not only be able to continue producing the best beer possible but have the sales platform from which to expand into more States.”

Destihl’s CEO and co-founder Matt Potts added: “We are very excited about partnering with Big Drop to produce and sell their great beers and entering the non-alcoholic beer space with such an internationally proven, high-quality product made by traditional means that we know so well. Adding Big Drop’s NA beers to our wide distribution footprint and sales portfolio will be a great opportunity for Destihl, Big Drop and our distribution and retail partners alike.”