A Swansea brewery founded by two women is celebrating International Women’s Day by highlighting the role women have played in brewing throughout history and the growing influence they continue to have in the industry today.
Swansea based Drop Bear Beer Co., founded by Joelle and Sarah Drummond, has grown from humble beginnings in a Mumbles kitchen to become the city’s largest brewery producing award winning alcohol free craft beer distributed across the UK and internationally.
The story of brewing in Britain began largely with women. In medieval times, alewives brewed beer from their homes, supplying their local communities. However, as brewing became more industrialised and commercial, women became less visible in the sector. Today, women make up around 30 percent of the UK brewery workforce, with significantly fewer working in technical brewing roles.
Drop Bear Beer Co. is helping to shift that balance.
The business was first launched when Joelle and Sarah began developing alcohol free beer recipes in a saucepan in Mumbles. Since then, the company has steadily grown into a major player in the alcohol free craft beer market.
In 2023, the company reached another major milestone when it acquired the iconic Welsh brewery Tomos Watkin, strengthening its presence in the Welsh brewing industry and marking a significant moment for female led brewing in Wales.
Leading brewing operations at the Swansea site is Head Brewer Bex, who oversees production and quality across the brewery. Her role reflects a growing number of women taking on technical brewing positions in a sector where representation has traditionally been uneven.
Joelle Drummond, Co-Founder of Drop Bear Beer Co., said: “We’re proud to be part of a new generation of women building and brewing in this industry. Women were central to brewing historically, and while representation today isn’t equal, it is changing. For us, International Women’s Day is about recognising that progress and contributing to it through the work we do every day.”
From small scale experiments in a kitchen saucepan to running Swansea’s largest brewery and taking ownership of a historic Welsh brand, Drop Bear’s journey highlights both ambition and the growing role of female leadership within the brewing industry.
This International Women’s Day, the Drop Bear team is celebrating women across Wales who are shaping business, brewing and industry, while demonstrating that leadership in beer is continuing to evolve.
