Club Soda

What Club Soda does

Club Soda Limited (company no. 08962532), founded in 2015 by Laura Willoughby, Jussi Tolvi, Dru Jaeger, and Nic Rattle, is a UK-registered social impact business operating what it describes as the world's largest mindful drinking movement. The organization serves two distinct customer bases through a single platform: (1) individuals seeking to cut down, take a break, or stop drinking, supported through online courses, community events, curated alcohol-free drink recommendations, and the Next Round podcast; and (2) the drinks and hospitality industry — alcohol-free and low-strength drink producers, venues, retailers, and distributors — served through the No, Low & Mid-Strength (NLM) Summits, Brand Membership, the Drinks Academy, menu development, and matchmaking services. Bethnal Green Ventures invested in the company's first year; subsequent support has come from Carnegie Trust UK and the Wellcome Trust grants.

The core product set spans consumer-facing online courses ("How to Drink Mindfully," "How to Stop Drinking," "Rethinking Your Wine Drinking") delivered via the change.joinclubsoda.com microsite; the Next Round podcast; an online Hub of articles, book reviews, and editorial content; an e-commerce shop stocking 400+ SKUs of alcohol-free beverages with UK delivery; and — until end-January 2026 — the Covent Garden Tasting Room that curated over 150 brands. On the trade side, the company operates the annual NLM Summits in London (October) and Amsterdam (April), the 2-day Club Soda Drinks Academy hospitality training programme, team tasting sessions, menu development services, event/brand matchmaking, free "How to Sell Low and Alcohol-Free Drinks" training developed with Drinkaware, and a recurring Brand Membership scheme. Technology stack is conventional: WordPress-based content and e-commerce infrastructure, a course delivery microsite, Stripe and PayPal payment processing, and Amazon affiliate integration. There is no proprietary technology IP, patents, APIs, SDKs, or AI components.

Revenue is generated across six streams: alcohol-free drinks transactions via the online shop and (until closure) the Tasting Room; course sales (with fully-funded places routed through The Drinks Trust); ticket sales for NLM Summits priced at £225–£500+VAT across member, brand, commercial, and startup tiers; recurring monthly Brand Membership fees for drinks producers; book sales including co-founder Dru Jaeger's "How to Be a Mindful Drinker"; and grant funding from charitable foundations and local authorities. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via club-soda-operated digital channels (UK with Channel Islands and Isle of Man exclusions) and direct-to-enterprise via field sales and event-based buyer introductions, with a new physical venue being sought to replace the closed Tasting Room.

Name

Club Soda

Legal name

Club Soda Limited

Website

https://joinclubsoda.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Club Soda is a UK-based mindful drinking movement that supports individuals through courses and community while serving the alcohol-free drinks industry via trade summits, brand membership, and venue training programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mindful Drinking Community and Alcohol-Free Beverage Services

NAICS

Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320)

SIC

Bottled & Canned Soft Drinks & Carbonated Waters (2086), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Alcohol Subscription Clubs & Membership Retail (CRANAAAI)

Keywords

• Mindful drinking courses
• Alcohol-free drinks retail
• Drinks industry events
• Hospitality staff training
• Sober curious community

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Alcohol-free drinks sales: Sales of alcohol-free drinks through Club Soda's online shop and the Covent Garden Tasting Room, which offered over 150-250 curated low and no-alcohol drink brands.
2. Online courses and programs: Sales of online courses to members of the public and to drinks industry professionals in partnership with The Drinks Trust. Courses include 'How to Drink Mindfully', 'How to Stop Drinking', and 'Rethinking Your Wine Drinking'.
3. Events and workshops: Revenue from events including the No, Low & Mid-Strength Summits, workshops, and social events. Ticket prices range from £225-500+ VAT for summits.
4. Brand membership: Club Soda Brand Membership scheme provides partnership benefits including lobbying, research, trade education, and category marketing for alcohol-free drink brands.
5. Book sales: Sales of the book 'How to Be a Mindful Drinker' authored by co-founder Dru Jaeger.
6. Grant funding: Grant funding from local authorities and charitable foundations including Wellcome Trust. Also funded by Carnegie Trust UK Enabling State Challenge in 2015.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Club Soda is a social impact business that supports individuals who want to change their drinking through online courses, a community, events, and an online shop for alcohol-free drinks. It simultaneously works with drinks brands, venues, and retailers through industry summits, the Drinks Academy training programme, Brand Membership, and consulting services to grow the alcohol-free and low-strength drinks category.

Product overview

Club Soda is a mindful drinking movement and social impact organization operating as a multi-platform service rather than a single product. The core offering consists of online courses (delivered via change.joinclubsoda.com) supporting individuals to change their drinking habits, The Next Round podcast featuring sobriety journeys, and The Hub content platform. For the drinks industry, Club Soda provides the No, Low & Mid-Strength Summits (trade events in Amsterdam and London), the Drinks Academy (2-day professional training programme), Team Tasting Sessions, Menu Development Services, Event/Brand Matchmaking, Category Insights Workshops, and Brand Membership. Additional services include an Online Shop for alcohol-free drinks UK delivery, free staff training on selling low and alcohol-free drinks (developed with Drinkaware), Research Publications, and community Events. The organization champions greater availability and celebration of alcohol-free and mid-strength drinks through a combination of consumer support, industry education, and policy engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Courses (How to Drink Mindfully, How to Stop Drinking, Rethinking Your Wine Drinking) Structured online courses designed for individuals who want to cut down, take a break, or stop drinking entirely. Fully-funded places are available for drinks industry professionals through a partnership with The Drinks Trust.
• No, Low & Mid-Strength Summits (London and Amsterdam) Trade conferences bringing together drink producers, retailers, hospitality buyers, and investors in the low/no alcohol category. The 2026 London summit is expected to host 800+ pre-arranged buyer meetings.
• Club Soda Drinks Academy A 2-day intensive training programme for hospitality professionals covering category insights and ranging strategy for alcohol-free drinks.
• Club Soda Online Shop (Alcohol-Free Drinks) E-commerce site stocking 400+ SKUs of alcohol-free beers, wines, spirits, premixed cocktails, and adult soft drinks with UK-wide delivery (excluding Channel Islands and Isle of Man).
• Brand Membership for Alcohol-Free Drink Producers Monthly subscription membership scheme for alcohol-free, low and mid-strength drink brands providing lobbying, research access, trade education, networking, and category marketing support.
• How To Sell Low & Alcohol-Free Drinks Training Free training video series developed in partnership with Drinkaware for drinks industry professionals, covering the basics of selling low and alcohol-free drinks.
• Menu Development Services B2B consulting service for pubs, bars, restaurants, and retailers to develop alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks ranges, from simple online consultations to in-depth support.
• Community Events Real-world events that do not centre on alcohol, bringing mindful drinkers together for social connection and producer showcases.
• The Next Round Podcast Podcast series hosted by Laura Willoughby featuring inspirational stories about what happens after changing drinking habits, with guests sharing their sobriety journeys.
• Research Publications Original research publications on low and no alcohol drinks, drinking behaviours, and behavioural science for changing drinking habits.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hundreds of thousands of people supported in mindful drinking journeys
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DrinkawarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClub Soda developed 'How to Sell Low and Alcohol-Free Drinks' training videos and content in partnership with Drinkaware. The training series is filmed at venues nationwide and available for free to drinks industry professionals.
• The Drinks TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing fully-funded places on Club Soda's online courses for drinks industry professionals. Club Soda is part of The Drinks Trust BAP programme. Donations made to The Drinks Trust from Meet the Buyers fee at NLM Summits.
• DigitalHealth.LondonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2016, Club Soda was among the first cohort of DigitalHealth.London's accelerator programme for health startups.
• PB CreativecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration with PB Creative for the No, Low & Mid-Strength London Summit 2026. PB Creative is a design agency working with drinks brands. The collaboration powers the annual summit event.
• MOI (Restaurant)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMOI, a Soho dining destination, hosts the Summit Dinner for NLM London event. Features exclusive fireside chat and Japanese-inspired sharing feast with alcohol-free drink pairings.
• Coin Street Neighbourhood CentreminorOthersVenue for NLM London Summit 2026 at Waterloo. Fully accessible venue selected for the annual industry conference.
• AmazonminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorClub Soda earns affiliate fees from Amazon when members purchase books through affiliate links on their site. Books include 'How to Be a Mindful Drinker' and other quit lit recommendations.
• StripeminorOthersThird-party payment provider for online transactions. Sets cookies for recognizing customers during shopping. Does not share financial details with Club Soda.
• PayPalminorOthersThird-party payment provider for online transactions. Does not share financial details with Club Soda.
• NestaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClub Soda was a finalist in The Good Help Award in 2018. Listed in the Good Help directory.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• WiseBartender: UK online alcohol-free drinks retailer offering curated low/no bottles with delivery. Directly comparable to Club Soda's online shop business and serves the same UK consumer segment seeking alcohol-free alternatives.
• The Alcohol-Free Shop: UK e-commerce specialist for alcohol-free beers, wines, and spirits. Competes head-to-head with Club Soda's online retail on the alcohol-free drinks marketplace in the UK.
• Athletic Brewing: Leading US craft alcohol-free beer brand. A speaker at Club Soda's NLM London 2026 Summit and operates within the same low/no alcohol category, with similar trade engagement ambitions.
• Lucky Saint: UK alcohol-free beer brand and venue partner. A speaker and featured brand at Club Soda's NLM Summit, operating a hospitality (The Lucky Saint pub) that overlaps with Club Soda's venue-services and brand-discovery remit.
• Sunnyside: Mindful drinking app and coaching platform helping users reduce alcohol consumption. Operates in the same mindful drinking behavioral change category as Club Soda's courses, with overlapping consumer target and mission.
• Reframe: Alcohol reduction app combining neuroscience-based content with peer community. Competes for the same 'drink less or stop' consumer segment as Club Soda's online courses and podcast ecosystem.
• Sober Girl Society: UK-based alcohol-free social community and content platform focused on sober curious women. Operates events, content, and community similar to Club Soda's consumer-side offering; explicitly named as a speaker at Club Soda's NLM Summit.

Broad incumbents

• Heineken UK: Major brewer with a dedicated low/no alcohol portfolio including Heineken 0.0. Speaks at and partners with Club Soda's NLM Summit; represents the type of broad incumbent with resources to build or acquire competing mindful drinking platforms.

Others

• Drinkaware: UK alcohol education charity. Co-develops free training videos with Club Soda and shares the public-health/moderation mission, but operates as a charity rather than commercial community platform.
• The Drinks Trust: UK drinks industry charity supporting industry workers. Funds Club Soda's courses for industry professionals and benefits from summit donations; adjacent ecosystem partner rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCq9895M5E
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/club-soda-uk
• Instagraminstagram.com/laurawilloughby
• Xx.com/joinclubsoda
• Facebookfacebook.com/clubsodauk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Club Soda