# AI-Run Functional Beers Functional Alcohol-Free Beer Impossibrew Completes Its New Funding Round By Adam Harrie | Written with AI assistance | Published 2026-06-18 | Lifestyle Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/functional-alcohol-free-beer References: [thedrinksbusiness](https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2026/06/whats-next-for-impossibrew/) & [impossibrew](https://impossibrew.co.uk/?srsltid=AfmBOopq1oDkFWwo8G--P8LLWbj698jMeY9yWPoLq1PiZriJJreNsMpT)  Impossibrew, a British functional alcohol-free beer brand, returns to [Crowdcube](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/crowdfunding-campaign1) seeking to raise £1.3 million to support inventory growth and wider retail expansion. Founded by Mark Wong and contract-brewed at Allendale Brewery, the company is shifting from a primarily direct-to-consumer model toward broader supermarket distribution following its first major retail listing with [Ocado](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/alcoholfree-lemon-lager) in January 2026. The business reported £3.57 million in revenue during 2025 and has achieved that growth with a four-person core team supported by internal AI agents and automation tools that assist with operations, reporting, customer insights and content production. Impossibrew also reported more than 100,000 direct-to-consumer customers, a 63% returning customer rate and subscription revenue growth from £110,000 to £270,000 year over year. For consumers, the expansion signals greater access to functional alcohol-free beer products as the low- and no-alcohol category continues to evolve beyond traditional beer alternatives. Image Credit: Impossibrew ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 7.6/10 - Popularity: 75% | Activity: 74% | Freshness: 78% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Lifestyle](https://www.trendhunter.com/lifestyle) > [Drinking](https://www.trendhunter.com/drinking) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **AI-led Beverage Operations:** Small CPG teams are using internal AI agents to manage reporting, content, insights and workflows, creating room for lean brands to scale with lower overhead than traditional beverage companies. - **Functional Alcohol-free Beer:** Beer alternatives infused with wellness-oriented positioning are expanding the low- and no-alcohol category beyond abstinence into mood, recovery and lifestyle-driven consumption. - **Dtc-to-retail Expansion:** Digitally native drink brands with strong retention and subscription data are becoming more attractive to supermarkets seeking proven products with built-in customer demand. ### Who This Affects Most - **Non-alcoholic Beverages:** The category is evolving from simple alcohol substitutes into functional products that blend taste, wellness cues and social drinking occasions. - **Grocery Retail:** Supermarkets are gaining access to data-backed challenger brands that can refresh beverage aisles with products already validated through direct customer relationships. - **Consumer AI Software:** Automation platforms tailored to CPG operations are enabling compact teams to compete in customer insight, merchandising, content production and financial reporting. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Anti-AI Beer Billboards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/heineken-friend.md) - [AI Finance Automation Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/AI-finance-automation.md) - [Superintelligence Startup Fundraises](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ineffable-intelligence.md) - [AI-Driven Sports Startups](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sports-tech.md) - [AI Brand Transitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/compute-infrastructure.md) - [AI Matching Fundraising Features](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ThatRound.md) - [AI-Driven Science Funds](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/breakout-ventures-fund-iii.md) - [AI-Powered Customer Engagement Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/customer-engagement-platforms.md) - [AI News Aggregators](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dailybrew.md)