January 2025 marked a record-breaking month for IMPOSSIBREW, with sales nearly doubling from £340K in January 2024 to over £500K. The month also saw the brand achieve its first-ever six-figure revenue week (Jan 1–7, 2025), highlighting its rapid expansion in the non-alcoholic beer market.
Sales are now reaching new peaks, with one IMPOSSIBREW beer sold every 15 seconds online. Consumer spending increased by 5.2% compared to the previous year, and the brand’s reach soared to 18 million people, reflecting a 60%+ increase from January 2024.
For three consecutive years, revenue in this space has doubled year-on-year, with over 1 million cans sold in the past 12 months. The ongoing momentum is expected to accelerate further with an upcoming fundraise.
The global non-alcoholic beverage market, valued at £1 trillion, is expanding at an annual rate of 8.56%, with forecasts predicting that non-alcoholic drinks will surpass alcoholic beverages by 2026 (Statista). These trends indicate a growing consumer shift toward alcohol-free alternatives.
Search interest in the category has surged, with Google Trends reporting a 200% increase in searches between December 22, 2024, and January 12, 2025. During peak Dry January weeks, searches for alcohol-free beer saw significant growth, with IMPOSSIBREW capturing 85.3% of category search traffic and averaging a 63.4% share of total searches throughout the month—compared to just 23% in Q4 2024.
Founder Mark Wong says of the raise, “We’re overwhelmed by the incredible support, from our existing investors and community, reaching our funding target of £500k in just 35 minutes during the priority access phase, surpassing £1.2m within 24 hours of public launch and completing at nearly £1.6m. We’re incredibly grateful for the over 1200 who decided to support our mission to revolutionise social drinking. The funding will accelerate our patent-pending Social Blend™ technology development and expand nationwide availability, plus building a world-class team to support our ambitious growth plans with a focus on phased approach expanding our retail and trade presence nationwide through strategic partnerships – making the future of drinking accessible to everyone. It’s humbling to see so many people believe in our vision, and we’re excited for what the future holds as we move ever closer towards our goal of becoming the world’s best alcohol alternative company.”
What’s next? Mark comments, “IMPOSSIBREW’S targets for the short term are improving the at-home occasion for weeknight enjoyment, through both experiential and operational improvements. Scaling up so that we can pass on more savings, moving from a ‘research phase’ to a more public phase. Increasing availability through additional channels, meeting consumers where they’re at.”
Dragons’ Den Missed Out!
After appearing on Dragons’ Den in 2022, just six months into launching the business, Founder Mark Wong turned the Dragons’ “too early” rejection into motivation. The Dragons passed on IMPOSSIBREW primarily due to concerns about pricing and market penetration, despite praising both the product and the founder Mark Wong. Steven Bartlett was the first to decline, stating the product was great but he had concerns about the beers’ ability to stand out on supermarket shelves against competitors like BrewDog.
However, since then, alcohol-free brands have gone from strength to strength even up against industry behemoths. Sara Davies and Deborah Meaden expressed concerns about one-off purchasing and the high cost of acquiring new online consumers. With the rise in ‘Zebra Striping’ and increasing numbers cutting down and cutting out alcohol, the category is growing at pace. Touker Suleyman praised Mark as “the most credible 24-year-old that has ever walked through the Den’s door,” but he cited low turnover (around £10,000 at the time) as his reason for not investing. Peter Jones acknowledged that Mark had done everything right in his pitch but ultimately declined due to concerns about product positioning, price point, and market penetration potential.
Founder Mark Wong says, “Dragons’ Den was a pivotal moment for us. While we didn’t secure investment, the experience gave us something far more valuable – validation that we were creating something people truly wanted. The response following our appearance was incredible, showing us there was genuine appetite for a third choice beyond just drinking and not drinking. Three years on, what started in that Den has grown into something remarkable. January has always been our strongest month, but we’re seeing sustained growth year-round as more people embrace mindful drinking and seek enhanced alcohol alternatives. They’re not just looking for alcohol-free beer – they want the complete experience that an enhanced beer can provide. I’m excited to tune into Dragons’ Den this season and see the next wave of British innovation. While our journey took a different path than expected that day, the Den was undoubtedly a launching pad for what IMPOSSIBREW has become. Sometimes the best opportunities come from hearing ‘no’ and turning it into motivation to prove what’s possible.”
