Nirvana Brewery has hired its first CEO and kicked off a £1m fundraising as the non-alcoholic beer brand sets its sights on further expansion.
Paul Walsh takes the reins at the brewery after spending two decades working in London, New York and Berlin across a variety of sectors, including investment banking and fintech.
His appointment comes as Nirvana celebrates a decade of brewing since Becky Taylor-Kean launched the business in east London in 2016.
Nirvana is also seeking upwards of £1m from institutional investors and family offices in its new funding round, marking a step up from previous raises on the Seedrs crowd platform in 2023 and 2024.
“Paul’s expertise and the funds raised will enable us to realise our ambition of becoming the UK’s number one alcohol-free craft beer,” Taylor-Kean said.
“With a range of serves from 330ml cans to 500ml long pour bottles, and an increasing number on draught, there’s no other no & low brewer with the depth of choice that we can offer the trade.”
Walsh added: “Ten years on from being the first dedicated no & low brewery, we’re determined to grow significantly when the sector is one of very few bright lights in brewing.
“And, given our own sales success, this is a perfect time to ride that momentum. This requires heavyweight support from backers who believe in longer-term investments – ones that will enable this pioneering brewery to continue to produce multi-award-winning beers.”
Funds raised are earmarked for new and expanded sales and account handling teams, plus product investment and brand building activities.
Nirvana’s beers are sold on Ocado and on its DTC website. The business claims to be the UK’s first dedicated low-alcohol producer to have its own brewery.
Value sales for the low & beer category increased 21.7% to £141.1m last year on a 15.6% rise in volumes [Worldpanel by Numerator 52 w/e 28 December 2025].
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