It's been attracting backing from some of the UK's most successful consumer and drinks entrepreneurs.
Investors joining the round include Alex Chesterman, founder of Zoopla, Cazoo and LoveFilm; Logan Plant, founder of Beavertown; Alex Carlton, founder of Funkin Cocktails; Richard Kaffel, founder of Red Letter Days; Andrew King, former Funkin and AG Barr executive; Freddy Ward, founder of WILD; and Max Lousada, former CEO of Warner Music UK.
Founded by James Brown, previously the founder of Beer52, BRULO has emerged as one of the UK's fastest-growing alcohol free beer businesses, combining premium branding, data-led product development, and a profitable, asset-light operating model. The Guardian has described BRULO as “The Rolls-Royce of Alcohol Free Beers”.
The company reported £3.6m in net sales with 21% EBITDA in its most recent financial year and has grown revenues at a 70% compound annual growth rate over the past three years. BRULO has been profitable since launch and continues to outperform category benchmarks, with a Net Promoter Score of 79 and a repeat purchase rate of 73% across its direct-to-consumer channel.
As part of the round, BRULO has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Alex Carlton, founder of Funkin Cocktails, and drinks industry veteran Andrew King as co-chairs and non-executive directors. Together, they bring deep brand building and commercial experience across premium beverages and will support strategy, distribution, and commercial partnerships across UK on-trade, off-trade channels and international territories.
Product innovation remains central to BRULO's growth strategy. Following the successful sell out launch of its CBD IPA, the company is building a world first alcohol free innovation pipeline for 2026 focused on the “Blurred Lines” opportunity, serving the growing majority who flex between drinking and not drinking and are making alcohol free beer an everyday choice in a £15bn+ global category.
International momentum is accelerating and now accounts for around half of sales. BRULO is listed in Dean & DeLuca stores across Japan and is the number one alcohol free beer on Amazon Japan. The company has also established a new fulfilment hub in the Netherlands to support EU direct-to-consumer expansion, with European shipping set to launch in the coming weeks. BRULO's next phase of growth will also focus on unlocking on-trade and grocery listings in key markets where the brand already has strong traction.
James Brown, Founder of BRULO, told That's Food and Drink: “This round brings together founders and operators who have built some of the most recognisable consumer brands in the UK. Their support is a huge vote of confidence in what we're building. Alcohol free beer is entering a defining phase ,and we believe BRULO is uniquely positioned to build a standout global brand in the category.”
Alex Carlton, Co-Chair of BRULO, added: "In this industry, you rarely see a founder nail the 'holy trinity' right out of the gate, but James has done exactly that with BRULO: an exceptional liquid that genuinely over-delivers on taste, a beautiful, modern brand, and a highly efficient business model. Having spent my career building Funkin and STRYKK, I knew immediately that I had to be part of this journey.
The category opportunity is enormous as we move toward a 'blurred lines' drinking culture, and I'm incredibly proud to have brought together such a world-class group of investors to back this vision. I'm grateful to every one of them for joining us, we've assembled a truly all-star cap table. Now it's all about execution, and I couldn't be more excited to work with James, to scale BRULO into a global leader.”
To allow additional investors to participate alongside these backers, BRULO has reopened its Crowdcube round from 9:00am on 19th January 2026 for a strictly limited one-week period, giving the wider community the opportunity to join before it closes.
https://www.crowdcube.com/companies/brulo/pitches/bV6pVb
BRULO is a UK based alcohol free beer brand brewing bold, modern beers designed to stand shoulder to shoulder with full strength classics. Its flagship beer and best selling beer is Lust For Life IPA. The company sells through direct-to-consumer, hospitality, retail, and international export channels.
For more information, visit www.brulobeer.com
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