The East London-based firm has named former fintech and investment banking ‘heavy hitter’ Paul Thomas Walsh as its inaugural CEO, ahead of an ambitious fundraise.
The self-appointed “pioneers” of the no- and low-alcohol movement – which operates the nation’s only dedicated no- and low-alcohol brewhouse – is seeking to scale up its operation after registering its most successful year yet, since its foundation in 2016.
Last year, Nirvana Brewery saw its year-on-year sales rise by 59% and won more than a dozen industry awards.
This fundraising attempt will hope to capitalise on the significant groundswell experienced by the no- and low-alcohol sector of late, which saw 200 million pints sold in pubs and bars in 2025, with retail sales rising by 13.3 million litres.
“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,” said Walsh.
“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.”
Walsh now takes over after two decades spent working in London, New York and Berlin across a variety of sectors including investment banking and fintech, and will look to take Nirvana forward into its second decade of operations.
According to Nirvana, this fundraise will mark a “step up” from previous funding rounds and will target institutional investors and so-called ‘family offices’ – which are set up to advise and manage the funds of ultra-high net worth individuals and, more commonly, families.
The new funds raised are expected to cover a variety of key elements for Nirvana, including expanded sales and account-handling teams, plus significant product investment and brand-building activities.
Becky Taylor-Kean, Nirvana’s founder and brand ambassador, added: “Paul’s expertise and the funds raised will enable us to realise our ambition of becoming the UK’s No.1 alcohol-free craft beer.
“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.”
