18th July 2025
PMGL:JPJ
ISIN: GB00BPNWR625
Powder Monkey Group Limited
(“Powder Monkey” or “the Company”)
Powder Monkey Group Acquires Akasha & Wayward Brewing Co.
Sydney, Australia & Gosport, UK – Powder Monkey Group, an independent craft brewing and hospitality collective with operations across the UK and Australia, has officially acquired the brands of Wayward Brewing Company and Akasha Brewing Company, two of Sydney’s most celebrated craft breweries. The move is a major step in Powder Monkey’s global expansion strategy and further consolidates its operations alongside Southern Highlands Brewing Co. and Willie the Boatman and the Powder Monkey brand in Australia and Asia.
This acquisition brings together five award-winning breweries, uniting operational scale, local authenticity, brand strength, and innovative brewing under a single, independent global platform. It adds an additional $AUD5.5m revenue to the Group turnover and provides the capacity and capability for a series of significant new ventures.
Powder Monkey Group’s Australian based Director Ben Twomey said “This was about extending the international ‘buy and build’ value strategy as well as creating a sizeable central brewing engine in Australia. High asset utilisation is a key measure which is supported by the multiple brand wholesale businesses”
With this acquisition, the combined Australian team will operate from four high-performing venues:
- Akasha’s Five Dock Brewery (Five Dock)
- The Akasha Barrel Room (Leichhardt)
- Willie the Boatman’s St Peters (St Peters)
- Powder Monkey’s soon to be launched Camden facility (Camden)
Dave Padden will be appointed General Manager Powder Monkey Australia, overseeing a team of combined talent from the previous independent entities.
“Akasha and Wayward are two of the most respected names in independent Australian brewing, and I am excited about the experience Dave Padden provides to the Group” said Andy Burdon, Group CEO. “This acquisition brings strength, scale, and storytelling power to our portfolio—and positions us to lead in craft beer not just in Australia and the UK, but across global markets.”
About Powder Monkey Group
Founded in 2021 in Gosport, UK, Powder Monkey Group operates breweries, taprooms, and hospitality venues across the UK and Australia. With a focus on craft, community, and quality, the group now includes:
- Powder Monkey Brewing Co (Gosport, UK)
- Goddards Brewery (Isle of Wight, UK)
- Castle Eden Brewery (Durham, UK)
- Empress Ale (West Midlands, UK)
- Andover Taphouse (Andover, UK)
- Powder Monkey Australia (Sydney)
- Wayward Brewing Co. (Sydney)
- Akasha Brewing Co. (Sydney)
- Southern Highlands Brewing Co. (Moss Vale)
- Willie the Boatman (St Peters)
In 2025, the group listed on the JP Jenkins secondary market and continues to pursue targeted acquisitions and partnerships across Europe, Australia, and Southeast Asia.
About Akasha & Wayward
Founded by close friends Pete Philip (Wayward) and Dave Padden (Akasha), the two Sydney breweries have long been mainstays of Australia’s independent beer scene. Their partnership—now supercharged by Powder Monkey—unlocks significant opportunity for growth, innovation, and efficiency.
Wayward is known for its bold creativity, pioneering category moves like sparkling hop waters, hard seltzer and better-for-you beers, while Akasha brings technical precision and mastery of hop-forward, core-range beers like Hopsmith IPA and Freshwater Pale Ale. Together, they boast decades of brewing experience and a trophy cabinet full of gold medals from the AIBAs, The Indies, and Sydney Royal.
“This is about more than joining forces—it’s about doing more of what we love, better,” said Pete Philip, Founder of Wayward. “We’ve always believed in independent beer with soul and integrity. Powder Monkey brings the backing and structure to take that spirit global—without compromising what made our brands special in the first place.”
Dave Padden, Founder of Akasha, added: “We’ve always brewed with precision, but now we have a platform to scale that quality. Partnering with Powder Monkey means better beer, broader reach, and more capacity to innovate.”
Contacts
- Investor Relations:
investor.relations@powdermonkeygroup.com
