Scottish alcohol-free beer startup Days has secured £1m in a seed funding round to continue its expansion in 2022.
It netted the funds from investors including Mindful Chef founder and CMO Giles Humphries, Propercorn founder Ryan Kohn and former Camden Town Brewery MD Adam Keary, who had joined the business as a strategic advisor.
The brand, which launched in October 2020 as a primarily direct-to-consumer business, was now on track to be in 500 physical distribution points by the end of January 2022, it said.
An “increased focus on health and wellness” among consumers was set to “transform” the alcohol-free beer space over the next two to three years, it added.
Days was founded by childhood friends Mike Gammell (formerly AB InBev) and Duncan Keith (former head of international at Propercorn), who set out to develop an alternative for “those who love great beer but don’t want alcohol to get in the way of their active lifestyles”.
Over the past 12 months alone, there had been “a seismic shift in attitudes towards alcohol free beer” in the UK, said Keith.
This was “absolutely driven by consumers prioritising their mental and physical health and wellness”, he added.
Gammell said: “What excites us most about this is the opportunity to take everything great about beer – that ritual and social connection – to more consumers and new occasions.
“Having proven demand for our beers and brand over the past 12 months the priority is now building a fantastic team and culture.”
According to latest Kantar data, value sales of alcohol free beer were up £19.1m (23.9%) in the last year [52 w/e October 2021].
William Reed – the publisher of The Grocer – runs a trade show exclusively for the low & non-alcoholic drinks industry. For more information visit low2nobev.com
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