Founded in 2019 by British TV personality and entrepreneur Spencer Matthews, CleanCo boasts a range of alcohol-free spirit alternatives.
Each are designed to create a replacement to full strength drinks (including tequila, gin, rum, vodka and whiskey) without compromising on experience, taste, aroma or mouthfeel.
The brand now has 11,000 points of distribution across the UK and US.
CEO Billy Paretti tells us about the brand’s journey so far... and its ambitions for 2026.
BD: Introduce us to CleanCo!
BP: CleanCo was founded 2019, when the options were either water, soft drinks or ‘mocktails’ packed with sugar. It felt like people assumed that if you weren’t drinking alcohol, you didn’t care about flavor or the experience.
That gap is what led to CleanCo; the ritual of a G&T or a margarita with friends or something satisfying at the end of a long week, without the downsides.
We’re not here to preach about alcohol. We’re here to give people proper choice. You should be able to enjoy the delicious, refreshing cocktails you know and love, without repercussions. Whether you’re at a party, catching up with friends, or eating at your favorite restaurant, you can choose to drink clean.
Across the UK and US, you’ll find us on shelves from the biggest retailers like Tesco, to niche stockists like Total Wines, and social clubs like Soho House. We’re fiercely independent, fast-moving, and built for global scale. And we’re building a movement where moderation feels good: more clarity, more connection, more of life.
Who’s your target market?
We’re a premium brand, but we’re not niche.
CleanCo is for anyone who loves the ritual and fun of a great drink without the alcohol.
You can find us everywhere; from a busy local pub to a five-star hotel.
We’re not precious about who gets access to great quality alcohol-free spirits.
Broadly, our drinkers tend to fall into three groups.
Self-improvers: people who care about their well-being and want to feel sharp, without missing out on going out.
Experience-seekers: foodies and cocktail lovers who want the flavor and the occasion, and still want to enjoy tomorrow.
Finally, responsibility-holders: people who need to be switched on, whether that’s at work or at home, but still want a proper drink in hand.
Your drinks are designed specifically as 1-1 replacements to traditional spirits. How have you done this?
We take the idea of “like-for-like” very seriously. If someone orders a G&T, an Old Fashioned, or a margarita, they want that familiar taste and feel.
So our focus is on building spirits that behave like the real thing in a drink. That means taste and innovation are at the heart of what we do. We keep refining our liquids so they deliver the flavor and drinking experience people expect from their favorite cocktails. The goal is simple: alcohol-free spirits that can stand shoulder to shoulder with full-strength spirits, and taste closer and closer to the real thing.
But we’re not finished. Our liquid development team is constantly testing, tweaking and improving the formulas, and we’ve got some exciting innovation coming later this year that we can’t wait to share.
Tell us about the brand’s growth trajectory to date...
Our growth has been driven by a change in behavior: people are drinking differently now.
The demand is real, and it’s rising quickly.
We’re now the No.1 independent non-alcoholic spirit brand globally, with a 10% market share of UK non-alcoholic spirits.
Maintaining this share is really important for us, as we build our reputation.
We have over 11,000 points of distribution across the UK and US, including 5,000 across the UK, and 6,000 in the US.
The US has also been an important area of growth for us. More Americans are actively drinking less, and the category has moved from niche to normal. You can now find CleanCo in places like Total Wine, as well as hotels and clubs like The Hoxton.
In terms of defining moments, getting onto major retail shelves was a big one, because it proved this category isn’t a trend. It’s a permanent shift. And building real traction in the on-trade has also been huge, because it shows bartenders take the liquid seriously.
What’s been your strategy for brand expansion?
We’ve grown by doing two things at the same time: building availability, and protecting the premium experience.
In the UK, that means being easy to find. We’re listed in top retailers and have strong reach across grocery, but we’ve also made sure CleanCo shows up in places that shape culture, like great bars, restaurants, and social clubs.
In the US, we’ve focused on proving the category in the right way: premium, experiential, and led by taste. It’s why we’ve built strong on-trade momentum and scaled quickly, with CleanCo now available across 6,000 distribution points.
We also have an important advantage: we offer a full portfolio. We’re the only brand offering a comprehensive non-alcoholic portfolio across the top 10 US cocktails. That makes us useful, not just interesting, because a bar or a retailer can cover a whole menu with one brand.
Marketing-wise, we’ve always tried to lead with fun and confidence. The tone is clean living without the lectures. We’re rooted in British wit and irreverence, but the idea travels: whether you’re in London or LA, New York or Newcastle, people want better choices without losing the moment.
What’s your favorite CleanCo product and why?
My favorite CleanCo product is Clean T.
Tequila was always my go-to spirit when I drank full strength, so Clean T lets me recreate all my favourite tequila cocktails without compromise.
You still get those core flavors you expect from a good tequila, the green agave note, and the black-peppery finish.
What inspires you in your journey in the alcohol-free category?
What inspires me is the idea of real choice. We’re helping create a world where people can drink clean without feeling like they’re missing out. That matters because alcohol-free shouldn’t mean second best.
I’m also driven by education.
Brands and retailers have a responsibility to help people understand what they’re eating and drinking.
When people have better information, they make better choices.
Over time, that genuinely changes lives.
And I’m inspired by how much room there still is to grow. The category has moved quickly, but there’s still a big gap between what people want and what’s widely available. That’s where we come in, and that’s what keeps it exciting.
