21. Beer52

Founders: James Brown and Fraser Doherty
Founded: May 2013
Website: www.beer52.com

Already an illustrious name on Startups, this is the third appearance in the Startups 100 for craft beer subscription service Beer52, which also clinched the overall prize at the 2014 Startups Awards.

Founded by Young Guns James Brown and Fraser Doherty (known for starting jam brand SuperJam), Beer52 sends its subscribers a selection of eight handpicked beers for £24 a month. Brown was inspired to start the company after developing a love for the huge variety of craft beers he tried on a road trip from Edinburgh to Faro on the back of his dad’s Harley. With more than 1,700 microbreweries in the UK, Brown decided to help other beer lovers discover their unknown products – in turn helping breweries with small marketing budgets get their name out and acquire new customers.

Three years later, Beer52 has more than 15,000 full paying subscribers, sourcing exclusive beers from over 12,000 microbreweries around the world and was recently named ‘Best independent retailer of the year’ by SIBA X, the trade organisation for independent brewers. The company plans to scale to achieve revenues of £7m a year over the next 12 months, creating five new employee positions and acquiring a competitor.

Having just closed a “six-figure” funding round from a number of investors, including Skyscanner co-founder Gareth Williams; Secret Escapes co-founder Andrew Bredon, and Funkin Cocktails founder Alex Carlton, Beer52 is sure to be the name on every beer lover’s lips.