Non-alcoholic beer: Tom Holland’s new business venture after almost three years of sobriety

Tom Holland, 28, stopped drinking alcohol in January 2022. His turning point was Dry January, a public health initiative launched in 2013 by the charity Alcohol Change UK that encourages Britons to eliminate alcohol from their diet for the first 31 days of the year. “Dry January was really tough, so I ended up spilling over into February,” Holland told Forbes. “February was no easier. Then I did March, and I sort of said to myself, look, if I can do six months without drinking, I get to June 1, which is my birthday, and I would have proved to myself that I don’t have a problem. It was very difficult, it has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and arguably the greatest achievement of my life,” he added. “I’m very proud to be sober today.”

The actor from the latest Spider-Man movie has always been open about his health, particularly his mental well-being. In August 2022, for instance, he decided to step back from social media to prioritize self-care. “I find Instagram and Twitter to be overstimulating, to be overwhelming. I get caught up and I spiral when I read things about me online and ultimately it’s very detrimental to my mental state. So I decided to take a step back and delete the app,” he said in a video posted on Instagram, where he now has nearly 65 million followers. He returned to social media in October, two months later.

This isn’t the first time he has spoken publicly about his sobriety, either; however, this time it’s for promotional purpose. The actor has just launched Bero, a line of non-alcoholic beer in collaboration with Imaginary Ventures and seasoned brand creator John Herman. “There’s no secret that as a celebrity, you’re constantly being offered these kinds of brand deals. But I never found anything I felt particularly passionate about — until now,” he told Forbes.

“I was drinking too much. I was the type of person that, when I’d have one beer, I couldn’t just have one beer. I knew I’d had a bit of a problem for a while,” he continued.

With Bero — supposedly pronounced like beer-oh — he doesn’t have that problem. “When I got sober, I started exploring the world of non-alcoholic beers and realized there was space for me to fit in,” he said. That space was high-quality non-alcoholic drinks, which he describes as scarce in the market. This scarcity not only frustrated him but also motivated him to embark on this new venture.

“With Bero in hand, you’re not just drinking — you’re embracing a badge of pride, one that belongs in your fridge, your bar, or your store, signifying a life enriched,” says the website.

Holland and his partner, John Herman, have crafted three distinctive drinks: Kingston Golden Pils, Edge Hill Hazy IPA, and Noon Wheat. Each beer holds a personal connection to Holland’s life. Kingston Golden Pils is named after his hometown of Kingston-upon-Thames and is described as a “fresh take” on a European Pilsner. Edge Hill Hazy IPA, with its tropical and hoppy profile, is named after the university he attended. While Noon Wheat is named after his dog and is tailored for those who like a touch of citrus. “Either everyone in my life is lying to me, or we’ve somehow bottled fucking liquid gold,” said Holland.

One of the tasters who has given the new product her seal of approval is Zendaya, 28. The actress and Holland have been a couple since 2017, after they met on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming, where he played Spider-Man, and she portrayed MJ, his enigmatic classmate.

“Zendaya hates beer, like, absolutely hates beer. She does not drink beer at all, and the first round of testing she was like, ‘wow, these are really tasty’, and I was like, ‘well, that’s probably not a good sign,’” he joked to Forbes about his girlfriend, who is rumored appeared in promotional photos and videos for Bero. In fact, both the website and the social media for Bero has a tennis aesthetic reminiscent of Zendaya’s film Challengers.

“It’s not about compromise, but about striking the perfect balance between pleasure and moderation. Inspired by our founder’s own journey, Bero is an invitation to experiencing life’s richness, fully, and without holding back,” states the website. “Bero is not a substitute. It’s the new gold standard in beer.”

There’s another nod to Holland on the cans themselves: a trout emblem that represents his hometown.

In February, the Marvel actor surprised fans by announcing he was taking a break from film to return to the stage. While the fourth film in his Spider-Man saga is in pre-production, Holland has been playing Romeo in a production of Romeo and Juliet directed by Jamie Lloyd, known for redefining West End theater in London.

“I remember coming off stage during the second act, walking into my dressing room, seeing my assistant had put the new samples on the table, and I was like, ‘fuck it, let me try one now. They’re not alcoholic’... and it was not good,” he said. “I gave one of the best and most authentic death scenes that evening, just because I was so stressed about getting the liquid right.”

He is now pleased with the final product. “A lot of the time with these celebrity brands, you come on, and there’s an existing product, and you basically tailor the branding to make it fit to your narrative. With Imaginary, they had nothing. I had an idea, and a bunch of money. And we just had to find someone who was going to captain the ship,” he told Forbes, referring to his partner, John Herman.

Beyond the taste, what excites the actor about this new product is that it symbolizes the challenges he has faced in stopping drinking. “It really feels like a special journey, and one with a lot of reason,” he said. Holland hopes to celebrate three years of sobriety next January and envisions Bero not only as a profitable business but also as a catalyst for a cultural shift toward mindful alcohol consumption. “If we can help people explore sobriety or moderation, that would be my greatest achievement. Everything else would just be icing on the cake.”

While many celebrities have launched their own brands of gin, vodka, or wine in recent years, Holland is promoting alcohol-free options, just like actress Blake Lively, who has launched a brand of non-alcoholic sparkling mixers.

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