Kombucha maker LA Brewery is launching a £1m crowdfunding campaign amid fizzing consumer demand for alcohol-free alternatives.
The Suffolk-based brand will use the cash in a digital marketing drive to reach new customers and challenge the bigger players in the low & no category.
The crowd round is set to go live to the public on Crowdcube on 20 February, with the business aiming to hit a £500k target and overfund up to £1m.
“Our first crowdfund enabled us to unlock our potential, allowing us to invest in a lifestyle brand that has gone from strength to strength,” said founder Louise Avery, who launched the brand in 2017.
“This second raise comes at a time when the no & low industry is booming. We have an exciting 2024 ahead of us.”
The latest crowd round follows LA Brewery appointing Meg Ellis as managing director in September 2023. Ellis, who has more than 20 years of experience in retail, consumer and hospitality, including four years with foodservice chain Honest Burger, joins LA Brewery founder investors and board members Mark Palmer and William Kendall.
B Corp accredited LA Brewery makes drinks using a natural fermentation process with blends of ethically sourced tea, plants and flowers at its Suffolk micro-brewery.
It is available to order from the DTC website and has retail listings with Planet Organic, Amazon, Ocado, Selfridges and The Wine Society. It is also stocked by foodservice operators such as Dishoom, Hawksmoor, Hakkasan, Leon, Itsu and Nando’s.
The business said it was capitalising on the elevated demand for alcohol-free drinks, with its customer research finding that more than a third (34%) of Brits claim to abstain from alcohol completely and a quarter identify themselves as “sober curious”.
LA Brewery previously raised £1.3m in a crowdfunding round in 2021 after smashing a £500k target.
The company added its revenues increased by 88% last year and forecast similar growth for 2024.
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