Sydney-based non-alcoholic drinks brand Hopr has secured a $3 million Seed round after traditional venture capital investors opted out. The funding marks a significant milestone for the four-year-old company, which has built momentum in Australia’s fast-growing “better-for-you” beverage segment. The round was assembled with the support of boutique advisory firm TWIYO and a group of private backers rather than local VC funds.
Origins of Hopr and Founder’s Motivation
Founder Jose Ramirez launched Hopr in 2020 after becoming concerned about his own drinking patterns during Covid lockdowns. Having lost family and friends to alcohol-related issues, he began questioning whether he needed to change his relationship with alcohol. That personal turning point led him to explore alternatives that could offer the ritual of an evening drink without the downsides of alcohol.
From Kitchen Experiments to Product Launch
Ramirez spent months working at night in his kitchen, experimenting with blends of hops, adaptogens and nootropics to build a distinctive recipe. The result is a sparkling hops-infused water that carries some of the bite and aroma of an IPA, complemented by citrus notes. Positioned clearly as a non-alcoholic drink, Hopr aims to deliver both flavor and a sense of occasion without the impact of alcohol.
Rapid Growth and Operational Scaling
Over the past two years, Hopr has expanded more than tenfold as demand for sober-curious and functional beverages has climbed. The brand is now stocked in supermarkets and bottle shops across Australia, moving well beyond its early niche positioning. To support that trajectory, Ramirez recently shifted operations into a facility almost three times larger than the previous warehouse, the company’s sixth move in just two years.
Funding Round Structure and Key Backers
With local venture capital firms declining to participate, Ramirez turned to his customer base and network to assemble the Seed round. The raise was structured with the help of TWIYO and attracted cornerstone investor John Bromley, a seasoned executive in the fast-moving consumer goods sector. Other notable investors include former Matildas goalkeeper and multi-sport athlete turned psychologist Sue Read, as well as former Morgans broker and fintech commentator Chris Titley.
Challenges in Consumer Capital Raising
Ramirez has been candid about the challenges of raising capital for physical consumer products in Australia. He argues that the domestic VC ecosystem is oriented toward software, fintech and artificial intelligence, favoring high-margin, low operational complexity models. By contrast, building a beverage brand requires intensive work in logistics, manufacturing and distribution, which many institutional investors view as too operationally heavy and difficult to scale.
Community Support and Investor Confidence
According to Ramirez, the turning point in the fundraising journey came from the enthusiasm of Hopr’s community of customers and early supporters. He frames the Seed round not just as access to capital, but as validation that persistence in building tangible products can generate momentum even when institutional investors decline. Bromley has praised both the company’s performance and the founder’s execution, saying Hopr’s revenue growth has exceeded his expectations and that the product concept made his investment decision straightforward.
Growing Demand for Better-For-You Drinks
Hopr’s trajectory is aligned with broader industry trends as analysts expect continued double-digit growth in “better-for-you” beverages that blend wellness benefits with social appeal. Titley has highlighted the role of Hopr as a natural way to delay or replace the first alcoholic drink, pointing to better sleep and clearer mornings as key benefits. Read, who proactively approached Ramirez about investing, views the drink as a way to maintain an evening ritual while supporting long-term health.
The $3 million Seed funding gives Hopr additional firepower to scale production, broaden distribution, and invest in sales and marketing talent. For Ramirez, the round underscores that community-driven support can unlock growth for consumer brands even in a funding environment that favors digital products. As non-alcoholic and functional beverages gain ground with health-conscious consumers, Hopr is positioning itself as one of the category’s more ambitious challengers in the Australian market.