No/low beer pioneer Nirvana Brewery has appointed its first CEO and embarked on an ambitious fund-raise, seeking upwards of £1m.
New Nirvana chief executive Paul Thomas Walsh (right), with brewery founder and brand ambassador Becky Taylor-Kean, and head brewer James Rabagliati
The moves come as figures confirm that 2025 was the biggest year yet for no- and low-alcohol beers, with more than 200 million pints sold in pubs and bars*, while retail sales rose by 13.3m litres**.
Paul Thomas Walsh, 48, takes up the Nirvana chief executive position after two decades spent working in London, New York, and Berlin across a variety of sectors, including investment banking and fintech.
He brings a wealth of experience to the newly-created role as Nirvana celebrates a decade of brewing, and its own most successful year yet. Year-on-year sales were up 59%, and the brewery won more than a dozen awards.
The fund-raise is a step up from past ones Nirvana has undertaken, reaching out to major institutional investors and ‘family offices’, which are set up to advise and manage the funds of ultra-high net worth individuals and, more commonly, families.
“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.”
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 number one 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.”
Walsh added that the funds raised will cover a variety of key elements for Nirvana, including new and expanded sales and account handling teams, plus significant product investment and brand-building activities.
* Source: British Beer and Pub Associetion, April 2026
** Source: NIQ 52 week-ending 27th December, 2025
