What Sunrise Beverages does

Sunrise Beverages is an independent UK-based beverage group formed in January 2021, operating as a brand portfolio and distribution platform rather than a single-brand producer. The company builds and scales distinctive drinks brands through a combination of brewery acquisitions, international brand licensing, and operational partnership. Its portfolio now encompasses nine beverage brands spanning alcoholic and non-alcoholic categories: St Peter's Brewery (acquired 2021, the founding asset), Curious Brewery (acquired September 2023, 15 million pints/year capacity in Ashford, Kent), Orion (licensed August 2024, Japan's fifth-largest brewer), Portobello (acquired September 2024, West London), Gipsy Hill (acquired October 2024, South London), Efes (licensed December 2024, Mediterranean lager with 85+ international awards), Wild Beer Co., and Days Brewing (partnership announced May 2026, UK's leading independent 0.0% beer brand with the proprietary TrueZero™ brewing compound for draught alcohol-free beer). Each brewery operates from its original site — London, Ashford, Bungay, and West London — preserving brand identity while leveraging shared group resources.

Revenue is generated through wholesale beverage sales (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) across two principal channels: UK grocery retail (Tesco in 690+ stores from April 2026, Waitrose, Ocado) and on-trade hospitality (Stonegate, the UK's largest pub company; Prezzo; 25+ Michelin-starred restaurants for Days; Comptoir Libanais in 17 restaurants for Efes; export distribution partners). The pricing model is B2B trade-based and not publicly disclosed. GTM combines national retail listings with on-trade draught distribution, brand activations, and sampling at venues. Sunrise positions itself to independent breweries as a scaling platform that solves for national distribution and operational complexity while preserving brand heritage — a horizontal portfolio model analogous to a Constellation or AB InBev "specialty brands" roll-up, executed at sub-scale.

The group's stated mission is to be the most successful independent beverage company in the UK, with leadership combining corporate-finance backgrounds (CEO Richard Mather, with 6 years at SABMiller and 10 at Genesis Investment Management) and FMCG commercial expertise (Sales Director Jerry Shedden, appointed February 2026 with 20+ years at AB InBev, Bacardi, Heineken, Asahi, and Brewdog). Headcount is reported at 101–250 employees. Capital deployment has been serial — three brand acquisitions in 2024 alone plus the Days partnership in 2026 — with no disclosed institutional funding rounds, suggesting either founder/management equity or undisclosed private capital backing the roll-up.

Name

Sunrise Beverages

Legal name

Sunrise Beverages

Website

https://sunrisebeverages.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Sunrise Beverages is an independent UK brewing group that owns and operates nine premium beverage brands across alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer. The company acquires independent breweries and licenses international brands, distributing through major UK retailers and on-trade hospitality.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Beer Brewing

NAICS

Breweries (312120), Beverage Manufacturing (3121)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Malt Beverages (2082)

akta.pro primary industry

Packaging & Production Breweries (Limited/No On-site Service) (THAFALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Regional & National Breweries (THAFALAD)

Keywords

• Craft beer portfolio
• Premium beverages
• Brewery acquisitions
• Non-alcoholic beer
• Trade beverage distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage sales: Sunrise Beverages generates revenue through the sale of its portfolio of beer and beverage brands across retail and on-trade channels. The company acquires independent brands and provides operational, commercial, and strategic support to scale distribution and sales.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sunrise Beverages is an independent UK-based brewing group that owns and operates a portfolio of eight distinctive premium beer brands, including Efes, Gipsy Hill, Portobello, Days (0.0% alcohol-free), Orion, Curious, St Peter's Brewery, and Wild Beer Co. The company produces alcoholic and non-alcoholic beers at facilities in London, Kent, and Suffolk, and distributes them through major UK grocery retailers (Tesco, Waitrose, Ocado) and on-trade hospitality venues (pubs, restaurants, hotels). It pursues an active acquisition and licensing strategy to expand its portfolio while providing shared operational, commercial, and strategic support to each brand.

Product overview

Sunrise Beverages operates as an independent UK brewing group and beverage portfolio company, unifying eight distinctive drinks brands under one platform. The portfolio includes Mediterranean lager (Efes), South London craft beers (Gipsy Hill), West London pilsner (Portobello), non-alcoholic beer (Days), Japanese island lager (Orion), wine-inspired luxury beers (Curious), historic Suffolk ales (St Peter's Brewery), and wild-fermented beers (Wild Beer Co.). Each brand maintains its unique character and heritage while benefiting from Sunrise's shared resources, distribution network, and operational expertise. The company pursues an active acquisition strategy, having added brands through acquisitions (St Peter's, Curious, Portobello, Gipsy Hill) and licensing agreements (Orion, Efes), with the most recent addition being the Days Brewing partnership in May 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Efes: Mediterranean lager brewed since 1969 near Ephesus, known for its heritage, character, and uncompromising quality with over 85 international awards.
• Gipsy Hill
• Portobello
• Days
• Orion
• Curious
• St Peter's Brewery
• Wild Beer Co.

Products and services

• Efes Pilsener Mediterranean lager (5% ABV) brewed since 1969 near Ephesus, Turkey, with over 85 international awards; marketed as a crisp, golden pilsner with smooth malt sweetness and clean hop finish.
• Gipsy Hill craft beers (including Hepcat Session IPA) South London craft beer range founded in 2014, built around full-flavoured beers and Hepcat Session IPA, with over 300 unique specials produced and a strong focus on local community engagement.
• Portobello Pilsner and Portobello craft range West London craft beer range founded in 2012, anchored by Portobello Pilsner, a clean, crisp lager brewed for city life; SALSA-approved and ranked London's best-tasting lager in blind tasting panels.
• Days Brewing 0.0% alcohol-free beer range UK's leading independent 0.0% alcohol-free beer brand founded in 2021, made using the proprietary TrueZero™ brewing compound to deliver quality and draught stability; crowned Best Zero Lager by The Times and fastest-growing non-alcoholic beer brand in UK grocery in 2024, distributed in 3,500+ locations.
• Orion Japanese island lager range Light, crisp Japanese island lager from Okinawa brewed since 1957 by Japan's fifth-largest brewer, made with pure spring water and German/Czech ingredients; flagship Orion Draft captures an Okinawan island character.
• Curious Brewery wine-inspired beers and ciders Luxury beer and cider range founded in 2009 by Chapel Down (England's largest winemaker), produced at a state-of-the-art, 15-million-pint-capacity brewery in Ashford, Kent, using precision fermentation, unique ingredients, and extended maturation inspired by winemaking.
• St Peter's Brewery cask ales and bottled beers One of England's original craft breweries, founded in 1996 in former agricultural buildings alongside the 13th-century St Peter's Hall in Suffolk; known for distinctive oval bottles, classic cask ales, and a heritage combining centuries of brewing tradition with modern craft innovation.
• Wild Beer Co. wild-fermented and barrel-aged beers Craft beer brand focused on fermentation, barrel-ageing, and flavour, characterised by unique terroir with seasonal, wild ingredients foraged from local areas.

Quantifiable outcome

• Days Brewing achieved 30x volume increase per site in Stonegate pilot
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and minor.

• Days BrewingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Days Brewing, the UK's leading independent 0.0% beer brand, partnered with Sunrise to accelerate growth in the alcohol-free beer category. The partnership adds Days to Sunrise's portfolio alongside existing brands like Efes and Orion. Days' founding team including Mike Gammell and Duncan Keith joined Sunrise, bringing expertise in product innovation, digital marketing, direct-to-consumer and brand building. Days achieved fastest-growing non-alcoholic beer brand status in 2024 with distribution in 3,500+ locations.
• Days Brewing (Mike Gammell and Duncan Keith)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Edinburgh-headquartered independent non-alcoholic beer brand Days Brewing partnered with Sunrise Beverages. Founded in 2021, Days was UK's fastest-growing non-alcoholic beer brand in 2024 with expansion to approximately 3,500 distribution points including Tesco, Waitrose, Ocado, and Prezzo. The founding team joined Sunrise as part of the partnership.
• StonegatekeyChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 May 2026Stonegate, the UK's largest pub company, partnered with Days Brewing for a draught beer pilot. Days achieved a 30x volume increase per site in the Stonegate pilot, demonstrating strong draught potential. The brand is now expanding draught distribution across the UK on-trade market.
• TescocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 April 2026Nationwide launch of Efes Pilsener in more than 690 Tesco stores across the UK from April 2026. Launch includes multiple formats: 660ml bottles, 4x440ml and 10x330ml can multipacks. This represents a major retail distribution milestone for Sunrise's Efes brand.
• Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2026Sunrise Beverages invested £25,000 in a two-year partnership with the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London. Funds used to refurbish the bar area where Sunrise brands including EFES and Hepcat draft will be featured prominently on menus and Self Ordering Units.
• Curious BrewerykeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Sunrise invested £100,000 in Curious Brewery to enhance production capabilities. Curious Brewery was acquired in September 2023 and produces beers inspired by winemaking techniques at their purpose-built facility in Ashford, Kent.
• Comptoir LibanaiskeyChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 February 2026EFES launched across all non-franchised Comptoir Libanais restaurants in the UK. The partnership introduced one of the Mediterranean's most iconic lagers into 17 high-quality dining locations in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bath, Oxford and Exeter.
• Westow HouseminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 February 2026Gipsy Hill Brewing Co. partnered with Westow House in Crystal Palace through installation of a state-of-the-art tank beer system. The partnership enables the venue to serve freshest pint available outside the brewery - unpasteurised, unfiltered, delivered directly from tank to glass.
• The Fresh Beer CominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 February 2026The Fresh Beer Co supports Gipsy Hill's Westow House partnership by managing maintenance, cleaning, and refilling of the tank beer system, ensuring reliability and consistency.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• BrewDog: Scotland-headquartered independent craft brewer operating a broad multi-brand portfolio and on-trade network across the UK. Highly comparable to Sunrise as a private craft beer group pursuing brand acquisition and national retail/on-trade expansion.
• Cloudwater Brew Co. Manchester-based craft brewery producing premium beers with focus on quality and innovation. Comparable as an independent UK craft producer competing for the same premium and on-trade occasions as Gipsy Hill and Portobello.
• Camden Town Brewery: North London craft brewery owned by AB InBev, distributed nationally through UK supermarkets and on-trade. Comparable as a London craft brand scaled via major retail partnerships and global-brewer backing.
• Athletic Brewing Company: US-headquartered independent brewer specialising in craft non-alcoholic beer. Directly comparable to Days Brewing (now part of Sunrise) as a leading independent NA beer brand pursuing national retail and on-trade expansion.
• Beavertown Brewery: London-based craft brewery acquired by Heineken, operating across on-trade and off-trade in the UK. Comparable as a London craft beer brand focused on premium positioning and urban on-trade distribution.
• Thornbridge Brewery: Peak District-based UK craft brewery producing premium cask and packaged beers with national on-trade and off-trade distribution. Comparable as an independent UK craft brewer positioned in the premium segment alongside Gipsy Hill and Curious.

Broad incumbents

• Asahi UK: UK arm of Asahi Group owning premium craft brewery brands Fuller's and Meantime. Directly comparable as a multi-brand UK beer portfolio platform combining premium craft acquisitions with international brand licences.
• Heineken UK: UK arm of Heineken operating a broad beer portfolio including Foster's, Strongbow, Birra Moretti, and owned craft brand Beavertown. Comparable as a UK beer portfolio owner with mix of global and acquired craft brands distributed nationally.
• C&C Group: Ireland-listed branded beverage group owning multi-brand beer and cider portfolios (Tennent's, Magners, Bulmers). Comparable as a multi-brand beverage holding company focused on premium and category-distinct brands.
• Marston's: UK brewer and pub operator with a multi-brand portfolio including Banks's, Ringwood, Jennings, and Wychwood. Comparable as a UK multi-brand beer portfolio company with both brewing and on-trade distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sunrise-alliance-beverages

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Sunrise Beverages