# Mark Wong

Mark Wong is the founder of [IMPOSSIBREW](https://impossibrew.co.uk/), a UK alcohol-free beer company.

## Biography

Mark Wong was born in Hong Kong and moved to the UK with his younger brother when he was 13. He attended St Edmund's School in Canterbury, won a double scholarship and became the school's first non-Caucasian head boy. [S04] [S08] [S09] [S32]

He studied Philosophy at Grey College, Durham University, and graduated with a First-class degree in 2020. He also qualified as a French Wine Scholar. [S02] [S08] [S10]

He worked with Professor Paul Chazot at Durham University on early product research and launched IMPOSSIBREW in 2021. He appeared on Series 19 of the television programme Dragons' Den in 2022. BBC is the broadcaster. The five Dragons did not invest. [S03] [S04] [S05] [S07]

## Education
- **School, St Edmund's School:** Won a double scholarship and became the school's first non-Caucasian head boy. [S08] [S09]
- **2017-2020, Durham University:** Studied Philosophy and graduated with a First-class degree in 2020. [S02] [S10]
- **Age 18, Wine Scholar Guild:** Qualified as a French Wine Scholar and was reported as one of the highest-scoring candidates in the country. [S08]

## Timeline
- **Age 13, Moved from Hong Kong to the UK:** Mark moved to the UK with his younger brother and attended school in Canterbury. [S04] [S32]
- **School, St Edmund's School:** He won a double scholarship and became the school's first non-Caucasian head boy. [S08] [S09]
- **2017-2020, Durham University:** He studied Philosophy at Grey College, qualified as a French Wine Scholar and graduated with a First-class degree in 2020. [S02] [S10]
- **2019-2020, Early product research:** He began developing an alcohol-free beer and worked with Professor Paul Chazot at Durham University on the early formulation. [S03] [S07]
- **2020, Company incorporated:** The company now called A1CO Ltd was incorporated as IMPOSSIBREW Limited in November 2020. [S06]
- **2021, IMPOSSIBREW launched:** The website launched in January. The company shipped its first production batch and won the Entrepreneurial Impact Award at Durham University’s Blueprint Startup Challenge. [S03]
- **2022, Dragons' Den and first crowdfund:** Mark pitched IMPOSSIBREW on Dragons' Den. The five Dragons did not invest. Later that year, the company completed its first Crowdcube campaign and Mark won Great British Food & Drink Entrepreneur of the Year. [S04] [S11]
- **2023, Product and company awards:** IMPOSSIBREW was named Food & Drink Startup of the Year. Its Lager and Hazy Pale Ale were recognised as England country winners at the World Beer Awards. [S24] [S12]
- **2024, BBC coverage and Startups 100:** BBC News interviewed Mark about the brewing process. Startups 100 placed IMPOSSIBREW at number 26 and shortlisted Mark for its Exceptional Founder Award. [S07] [S24]
- **2025, Second crowdfund and repeat Startups 100 listing:** Independent coverage reported that the second Crowdcube campaign passed £1.2 million within 24 hours. IMPOSSIBREW was included in the Startups 100 for a second year. [S26] [S25]
- **2026, Ocado launch and operating-model coverage:** IMPOSSIBREW launched with Ocado. The Drinks Business and ChronicleLive separately reported on the company’s growth and use of a four-person, automation-supported operating model. [S28] [S30] [S31]

## Work record
- **November 2020, Legal company record:** A1CO Ltd was incorporated as IMPOSSIBREW Limited. Companies House records the active legal entity and company number 13014642. [S06]
- **2020-2021, Product research and launch:** Mark worked with Professor Paul Chazot at Durham University on the early formulation. IMPOSSIBREW began trading in 2021. [S03] [S07]
- **2022 and 2025, Public crowdfunding:** The company completed two public Crowdcube campaigns. The Grocer reported that the 2025 campaign passed £1.2 million within 24 hours and later exceeded £1.4 million. [S15] [S26]
- **January 2026, National grocery distribution:** Enhanced Lager and Enhanced Hazy Pale launched with Ocado as the company’s first major supermarket listing. [S28] [S35]
- **June 2026, Lean operating model:** The Drinks Business reported £3.57 million revenue for 2025 and a four-person team using internal automation for operations, reporting, customer insight and content production. These figures are dated to the publication, not presented as current live values. [S30] [S31]

## Selected recognition
- **2021:** [Entrepreneurial Impact Award](https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/careers-employability-enterprise/our-services/start-new-ventures/success-stories/), Blueprint Startup Challenge, Durham University [S03]
- **2022:** [Great British Food & Drink Entrepreneur of the Year](https://www.smeweb.com/great-british-entrepreneur-awards-the-winners/), Great British Entrepreneur Awards [S11]
- **2022:** [Gold Medal, IMPOSSIBREW Lager](https://londonbeercompetition.com/en/competition-shelf-talkers/2022/special-awards/3304/), London Beer Competition [S13]
- **2023:** [Food & Drink Startup of the Year](https://startups.co.uk/startups-100/2024/impossibrew/), StartUp Awards [S24]
- **2023:** [England Country Winner, Lager and Hazy Pale Ale](https://www.worldbeerawards.com/winner-beer/beer/2023/worlds-best-no--low-alcohol-lager-47724-world-beer-awards-2023), World Beer Awards [S12]
- **2024:** [Number 26, Startups 100](https://startups.co.uk/startups-100/2024/impossibrew/), Startups 100 [S24]
- **2024:** [Young Entrepreneur of the Year shortlist](https://greatbritishentrepreneurawards.com/artist/mark-wong-impossibrew/), Great British Entrepreneur Awards [S34]
- **2025:** [Startups 100 listing](https://startups.co.uk/startups-100/2025/impossibrew-2025/), Startups 100 [S25]

## Media
- **27 January 2022:** [Official Dragons' Den video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2K51aYBgCQ), Dragons' Den [S05]
- **21 February 2022:** [What Dragons' Den is really like](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlGDwf2E_ic), If Only They Knew [S32]
- **19 May 2022:** [What's it Like Inside Dragon's Den?](https://pennybooks.io/podcasts/whats-it-like-inside-dragons-den/), PennyBooks [S17]
- **30 January 2023:** [The future of functional non-alcoholic beer](https://www.beveragedaily.com/Article/2023/01/30/My-Drynuary-Impossibrew-on-the-future-of-functional-non-alcoholic-beers/), BeverageDaily [S19]
- **8 February 2023:** [Redefining alcohol-free options](https://joinclubsoda.com/hub/mark-wong-of-impossibrew-on-redefining-alcohol-free-options/), Club Soda [S18]
- **16 November 2023:** [Sobering up the beer industry](https://unnoticed-entrepreneur.beam.ly/video/sobering-up-the-beer-industry-with-a-hoppy-alcohol-free-mission), The UnNoticed Entrepreneur [S20]
- **22 November 2023:** [How to start a beer company without drinking](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7KFl38k5bQ), Bright Ideas [S21]
- **11 June 2025:** [Alcohol-free beer for the one or two pint feeling](https://www.lownodrinker.com/lndpodcast/impossibrew), Low No Drinker [S27]

## Contact
- [Contact page](https://mark-personal-site.vercel.app/contact)
- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/markwonginfo/)
- [Email](mailto:mark@impossibrew.co.uk)

## Canonical names
- **Mark Wong** | Person | Founder of IMPOSSIBREW. LinkedIn uses the handle markwonginfo.
- **IMPOSSIBREW** | Company and brand | Always written in capital letters.
- **A1CO Ltd** | Legal company | Company number 13014642; previously IMPOSSIBREW Limited.
- **Professor Paul Chazot** | Person | Professor at Durham University who worked with Mark on the early product research.
- **Social Blend** | Product formulation | The name used by IMPOSSIBREW for its plant-based formulation.
- **Dragons' Den** | Television programme | BBC is the broadcaster. Mark appeared in Series 19 in 2022.
- **St Edmund's School** | School | The school in Canterbury that Mark attended after moving to the UK.
- **Durham University** | University | Mark studied Philosophy at Grey College and started the early IMPOSSIBREW work there.

## Source register
- **S01:** [LinkedIn: Mark Wong public profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/markwonginfo/) | Primary profile | Current
- **S02:** [Durham University: Durham 200 Hong Kong Scholarship alumni profile](https://www.durham.ac.uk/alumni/the-hub/scholarships/durham-200-hong-kong-scholarships/) | Institutional | 2020
- **S03:** [Durham University: Venture Lab founder success stories](https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/careers-employability-enterprise/our-services/start-new-ventures/success-stories/) | Institutional | Current
- **S04:** [UK Intellectual Property Office: Dragons' Den, Episode 4, Series 19](https://dragonsden.blog.gov.uk/2022/01/27/dragons-den-episode-4-series-19/) | Government record | 27 January 2022
- **S05:** [Dragons' Den: Official Dragons' Den programme video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2K51aYBgCQ) | Primary media | 27 January 2022
- **S06:** [Companies House: A1CO Ltd company record, number 13014642](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/13014642) | Public record | Current
- **S07:** [BBC News: The brewing secrets behind tastier no-alcohol beer](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68138944) | Independent editorial | 30 January 2024
- **S08:** [KentOnline: Former Canterbury schoolboy pitches alcohol-free beer on Dragons' Den](https://www.kentonline.co.uk/canterbury/news/former-kent-pupil-pitches-alcohol-free-beer-on-dragons-den-261452/) | Independent news | 27 January 2022
- **S09:** [Metro: Five Dragons' Den stars rejected this company](https://metro.co.uk/2025/02/18/five-dragons-den-stars-rejected-company-now-worth-12-000-000-22580466/) | Independent news | 18 February 2025
- **S10:** [Ember Startups: IMPOSSIBREW university origins and company timeline](https://emberstartups.com/businesses/impossibrew-crowdcube-non-alcoholic-beer-company-thats-brewed-over-2-5m-turnover/) | Founder profile | 7 August 2025
- **S11:** [Great British Entrepreneur Awards: Great British Entrepreneur Awards winners](https://www.smeweb.com/great-british-entrepreneur-awards-the-winners/) | Award record | 2022
- **S12:** [World Beer Awards: World Beer Awards 2023 results](https://www.worldbeerawards.com/winner-beer/beer/2023/worlds-best-no--low-alcohol-lager-47724-world-beer-awards-2023) | Award record | 2023
- **S13:** [London Beer Competition: London Beer Competition 2022 result](https://londonbeercompetition.com/en/competition-shelf-talkers/2022/special-awards/3304/) | Award record | 2022
- **S14:** [IMPOSSIBREW: IMPOSSIBREW website](https://impossibrew.co.uk/) | Primary company | Current
- **S15:** [BusinessLive: Dragons' Den entrepreneur prepares IMPOSSIBREW crowdfund](https://www.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/dragons-den-impossibrew-crowdfund-invest-23037652) | Independent business news | 9 February 2022
- **S16:** [Living North: Entrepreneur Mark Wong and IMPOSSIBREW](https://www.livingnorth.com/article/entrepreneur-mark-wong-pioneering-replacement-traditional-beer) | Independent profile | February 2022
- **S17:** [PennyBooks: What's it Like Inside Dragon's Den?](https://pennybooks.io/podcasts/whats-it-like-inside-dragons-den/) | Podcast | 19 May 2022
- **S18:** [Club Soda: Mark Wong on redefining alcohol-free options](https://joinclubsoda.com/hub/mark-wong-of-impossibrew-on-redefining-alcohol-free-options/) | Podcast | 8 February 2023
- **S19:** [BeverageDaily: Interview with Mark Wong on functional non-alcoholic beer](https://www.beveragedaily.com/Article/2023/01/30/My-Drynuary-Impossibrew-on-the-future-of-functional-non-alcoholic-beers/) | Industry interview | 30 January 2023
- **S20:** [The UnNoticed Entrepreneur: Sobering up the beer industry with a hoppy alcohol-free mission](https://unnoticed-entrepreneur.beam.ly/video/sobering-up-the-beer-industry-with-a-hoppy-alcohol-free-mission) | Podcast | 16 November 2023
- **S21:** [Bright Ideas: How to start a beer company without drinking](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7KFl38k5bQ) | Public talk | 22 November 2023
- **S22:** [ChronicleLive: Durham entrepreneur rejected by Dragons' Den gets £1.4m investment](https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/durham-entrepreneur-rejected-dragons-den-30872455) | Independent news | 27 January 2025
- **S23:** [KentOnline: Former Canterbury schoolboy's IMPOSSIBREW firm after Dragons' Den](https://www.kentonline.co.uk/canterbury/news/dragons-den-rejected-my-business-idea-but-now-it-s-worth-319403/) | Independent news | 1 February 2025
- **S24:** [Startups 100: IMPOSSIBREW at number 26 in the Startups 100](https://startups.co.uk/startups-100/2024/impossibrew/) | Independent ranking | 8 January 2024
- **S25:** [Startups 100: IMPOSSIBREW in the Startups 100 for 2025](https://startups.co.uk/startups-100/2025/impossibrew-2025/) | Independent ranking | 13 January 2025
- **S26:** [The Grocer: IMPOSSIBREW crowdfunding campaign passes £1m](https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/news/impossibrew-smashes-crowdfunding-campaign-to-raise-more-than-1m/700295.article) | Trade press | 27 January 2025
- **S27:** [Low No Drinker: IMPOSSIBREW Social Blend and alcohol-free beer](https://www.lownodrinker.com/lndpodcast/impossibrew) | Podcast | 11 June 2025
- **S28:** [The Grocer: IMPOSSIBREW launches with Ocado](https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/news/functional-alcohol-free-challenger-impossibrew-seals-retail-debut-with-ocado/714226.article) | Trade press | 21 January 2026
- **S29:** [The Drinks Business: Ocado listing signals forward steps for no and low](https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2026/01/ocado-listing-impossibrew-signals-forward-steps-for-no-and-low/) | Trade press | 30 January 2026
- **S30:** [The Drinks Business: What's next for IMPOSSIBREW?](https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2026/06/whats-next-for-impossibrew/) | Trade press | 10 June 2026
- **S31:** [ChronicleLive: IMPOSSIBREW operating model and company growth](https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/north-east-entrepreneur-knocked-back-34105744) | Independent business news | 11 June 2026
- **S32:** [If Only They Knew: What Dragons' Den is really like](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlGDwf2E_ic) | Video interview | 21 February 2022
- **S33:** [Yahoo Finance: IMPOSSIBREW founder interview](https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/impossibrew-alcohol-free-beer-brand-uk-060026040.html) | Independent profile | 23 February 2025
- **S34:** [Great British Entrepreneur Awards: Mark Wong, Young Entrepreneur of the Year shortlist](https://greatbritishentrepreneurawards.com/artist/mark-wong-impossibrew/) | Award record | 2024
- **S35:** [Ocado: IMPOSSIBREW Enhanced Lager product listing](https://www.ocado.com/products/impossibrew-alcohol-free-enhanced-lager/680932011) | Retail record | Current
- **S36:** [The Drinks Business: IMPOSSIBREW crowdfunding passes £1.2m within 24 hours](https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2025/01/impossibrew-crowdfunding-jumps-to-1-2m-in-under-24hrs/) | Trade press | 31 January 2025