Tom Holland swings by Soho House 40 Greek Street
As the actor settles into his third year of sobriety, he’s finding new ways to connect with people – both on screen and in our bars
Thursday 24 April 2025 By Chloe Lawrance Photography by Adam Fussell
Up on the fourth-floor terrace of Soho House 40 Greek Street, Tom Holland looks right at home. It’s no surprise, really, as the actor has been a member of our original House – which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year – for well over a decade, using the Grade II-listed space to socialise, take meetings, and find refuge from the bustle of central London.
Today, he’s here to mark the arrival of BERO, his new zero-per cent beer brand, in our UK and US Houses. As we chat about the new venture, one thing becomes clear: authenticity has been the driving force behind every step of its creation.
‘Over the years, I’ve been approached to start brands: tequilas, clothing lines, that sort of stuff. But nothing ever felt authentic to me,’ Holland explains, sinking into a seat on the club’s rooftop on an unseasonably mild late-winter day. He has spent the morning shooting with his BERO cofounder John Herman, a soft-spoken American with 20 years of brand-building experience.
‘It wasn’t until I got sober that I recognised a gap in the market – a product that scratched the itch,’ says Holland. ‘I finally felt like I could build something that would be helpful for others; something that felt real to what I was going through.’
Today, he’s here to mark the arrival of BERO, his new zero-per cent beer brand, in our UK and US Houses. As we chat about the new venture, one thing becomes clear: authenticity has been the driving force behind every step of its creation.
‘Over the years, I’ve been approached to start brands: tequilas, clothing lines, that sort of stuff. But nothing ever felt authentic to me,’ Holland explains, sinking into a seat on the club’s rooftop on an unseasonably mild late-winter day. He has spent the morning shooting with his BERO cofounder John Herman, a soft-spoken American with 20 years of brand-building experience.
‘It wasn’t until I got sober that I recognised a gap in the market – a product that scratched the itch,’ says Holland. ‘I finally felt like I could build something that would be helpful for others; something that felt real to what I was going through.’
It’s not hard to find the root of Holland’s desire for ‘real’. With more success at 28 than many actors find in a lifetime – he began playing the titular role of Billy Elliot in the West End at 12; by 19 he had joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Spiderman – you would be excused for thinking Holland might have fallen victim to the pretences of Hollywood. But as he sips his coffee and tightens a cardigan around himself, he’s open, especially when discussing his sobriety.
‘I did Dry January [in 2022]. I found it very, very difficult. So I carried on to February – it didn’t get any easier,’ he says. ‘I started to worry that I was struggling so much, so I decided to go until my birthday in June. ‘I thought: If I can do six months, I will have proven that I don’t have a problem. By the time I got to June, I really started to notice the benefits. I was happier, more productive, better to work with. By the time I reached a year, I was like: I’m never going to drink again.’
The conception of BERO soon followed, and with it ‘a very helpful sobriety tool’, Holland says. ‘I have to represent this company; drinking is no longer an option for me.’
After meeting with Imaginary Ventures, BERO’s main investors, Holland was introduced to Herman, and the pair realised their aspirations for the brand. ‘The word that kept coming up was “premium”,’ Herman explains. ‘We wanted to build something that felt luxurious but not overdone. There’s fashion, which is temporary, and style, which is forever. BERO is grounded in style.’
‘I did Dry January [in 2022]. I found it very, very difficult. So I carried on to February – it didn’t get any easier,’ he says. ‘I started to worry that I was struggling so much, so I decided to go until my birthday in June. ‘I thought: If I can do six months, I will have proven that I don’t have a problem. By the time I got to June, I really started to notice the benefits. I was happier, more productive, better to work with. By the time I reached a year, I was like: I’m never going to drink again.’
The conception of BERO soon followed, and with it ‘a very helpful sobriety tool’, Holland says. ‘I have to represent this company; drinking is no longer an option for me.’
After meeting with Imaginary Ventures, BERO’s main investors, Holland was introduced to Herman, and the pair realised their aspirations for the brand. ‘The word that kept coming up was “premium”,’ Herman explains. ‘We wanted to build something that felt luxurious but not overdone. There’s fashion, which is temporary, and style, which is forever. BERO is grounded in style.’
Holland and Herman sat down with a creative team to come up with the look and feel of the brand: gold cans with colourful details, witty names derived from Holland’s life, and a trout logo ‘to represent the three salmon fisheries in my local town’. The result is a grand departure from the typical blue-tinged zero-per cent beers.
‘That’s a klaxon, like, “Look at me! I’m not drinking!” That’s not what I want in a bar,’ says Holland. ‘I want to be there with friends, blend in, and enjoy the night. With BERO, there’s no blue – it’s just beer. The fact that it has no alcohol, we believe that doesn’t make it any less of a beer.’
‘We get comments of, “It tastes like real beer”,’ adds Herman. ‘That’s because we’re making real beer. The same ingredients, less alcohol.’ That ‘real beer’ taste is down to the brewing process, in which maltose-negative yeast creates the flavours of fermentation, without producing alcohol.
‘That’s a klaxon, like, “Look at me! I’m not drinking!” That’s not what I want in a bar,’ says Holland. ‘I want to be there with friends, blend in, and enjoy the night. With BERO, there’s no blue – it’s just beer. The fact that it has no alcohol, we believe that doesn’t make it any less of a beer.’
‘We get comments of, “It tastes like real beer”,’ adds Herman. ‘That’s because we’re making real beer. The same ingredients, less alcohol.’ That ‘real beer’ taste is down to the brewing process, in which maltose-negative yeast creates the flavours of fermentation, without producing alcohol.
As we chat, our attention turns back to our setting, Soho House. ‘You look at the lifestyle of the members, the aesthetic, the global footprint – it felt like a good fit,’ Herman says, describing a recent BERO launch party at Ludlow House in New York as a ‘pinch-me’ moment. Of course, London has Holland’s heart, and Soho House has been a regular haunt for him over the years – he’s even decked out some of his house with Soho Home, our interiors brand inspired by the clubs around the world.
‘I think we’re sitting in my favourite House,’ he says. ‘But I’ve stayed in Houses all over the world. I love the bedrooms in Berlin; the history of that building is incredible. Really, I love being a member. It’s always been a great, safe place for me to bring friends. I’ve used the gyms a lot, too.’
With the arrival of a smoothie menu in our gyms, it’s only right we dream up a ‘Tom Holland’ smoothie. He’s actually already considered it. ‘We were talking about creating a BERO one,’ he laughs. ‘It would have to resemble the can, so I’d have lots of greens. For the gold, mango. Add creatine and protein – sorted.’
As the duo prepares for an afternoon of meetings, the conversation shifts to films. They consider their dream movie to watch in one of our screening rooms. For Holland, it’s Singin’ in the Rain. For Herman, Forrest Gump. But one thing they do agree on: ‘We’re drinking a BERO, right?’ asks Holland. ‘Oh, of course,’ Herman replies.
Discover Soho House 40 Greek Street and apply for membership
‘I think we’re sitting in my favourite House,’ he says. ‘But I’ve stayed in Houses all over the world. I love the bedrooms in Berlin; the history of that building is incredible. Really, I love being a member. It’s always been a great, safe place for me to bring friends. I’ve used the gyms a lot, too.’
With the arrival of a smoothie menu in our gyms, it’s only right we dream up a ‘Tom Holland’ smoothie. He’s actually already considered it. ‘We were talking about creating a BERO one,’ he laughs. ‘It would have to resemble the can, so I’d have lots of greens. For the gold, mango. Add creatine and protein – sorted.’
As the duo prepares for an afternoon of meetings, the conversation shifts to films. They consider their dream movie to watch in one of our screening rooms. For Holland, it’s Singin’ in the Rain. For Herman, Forrest Gump. But one thing they do agree on: ‘We’re drinking a BERO, right?’ asks Holland. ‘Oh, of course,’ Herman replies.
Discover Soho House 40 Greek Street and apply for membership