Northern Monk seeks £1m investment through crowdfunding platform

Members of the public can invest at the same terms and price lead investor Active Partners, who is investing £500,000 as part of this round.

The investment will fund three ‘key initiatives’: the opening of a flagship Northern Monk venue in London; an expansion of the brewery to meet demand and become carbon zero by 2030; and turning the brewer’s original brewery site – The Old Flax Store, Leeds – into ‘the best’ brewery visitor experience in the UK.

Russell Bisset, Northern Monk co-founder and managing director, said: “We’ve only got to where we are thanks to the support of our community and this continued support has led us to a place where we can now set ourselves exciting challenges and ambitions for the future.​

Flagship store

“We want to bring the freshest Northern Monk experience we can to the heart of the capital. A place for our community in London and beyond to congregate. An outpost for the North has always been an ambition but was knocked back due to the pandemic. Now, we’re ready to launch a flagship venue in the capital, before opening more tap rooms in 2025 and beyond.”​

n 2018, the Leeds-based brewer smashed its £500,000 crowdfunding target,​​ raising more than £823,000 of investment in less than a week. Since then, Northern Monk has brewed more than 40 million pints, increased revenue by 400% and are now stocked in all of the UK’s major retailers. Today, Northern Monk is one of the largest founder-led craft breweries in the UK.

Janice Cargo, Partner at investment firm Active Partners, added: “What Russell and the team have built at Northern Monk is nothing short of exceptional. From their roots in the North, they have created unrivalled beer experiences for millions, built a hugely engaged, loyal community and are on track to become one of the largest craft breweries in Europe. ​

‘Proven track record’

“With this proven track record of growth, we are excited to support the brand in its next chapter and welcome new and existing crowd investors to help shape Northern Monk’s future.”​

A number of food and drink manufacturers have seen investment success after turning to crowdfunding to raise capital. In 2022, plant-based food brand Clean Kitchen Club raised more than £2m in a funding round.​​

Meanwhile, direct-to-consumer infant and toddler nutrition firm Mamamade secured £1.5m of investment through crowdfunding platform Seedrs​​, more than 300% of its initial investment target.