Founded in New York in 2021, Boisson now hosts up to 450 SKUs at any given time. It offers a curated assortment of premium non-alcoholic beers, wines, spirits, and ready-to-drink options.
The retailer suffered a severe setback in 2024 when a lack of capital forced the company to shutter its physical retail stores. Boisson has now refocused its strategy to focus on D2C and wholesale, retaining its faith in the fundamental strengths (and long-term growth potential) of the alcohol-free category.
What consumers need when searching for alcohol-free
Boisson’s mission is to make it ‘easy, enjoyable, and aspirational to explore alcohol-free options without sacrificing quality, ritual, or experience,’ as Hannah Delaney, president of Boisson, tells us.
But specialist alcohol-free retailers like Boisson have a key role to play in expanding the alcohol-free category, she explains.
“For consumers, we’re the largest online platform dedicated to premium non-alcoholic drinks, designed to make the category easy to explore and comfortable to navigate.
“Through tasting notes, education, and personalized guidance, we help people discover what they like and build confidence in their preferences: something general retailers often don’t offer.
“For brands, we give them a platform where their products are understood, merchandised properly, and explained to the consumer. That context is critical in developing a category like this.”
Brands available at Boisson include:
Noughty (alcoh ol-free wine)
Giesen (alcohol-free wine)
Ghia (non-alcoholic aperitif)
Three Spirit (non-alcoholic aperitif)
De Soi (non- alcoholic aperitif)
Pentire (non-alcoholic distilled spirit)
Almave (non-alcoholic agave spirit)
Optimist (non-alcoholic distilled spirit)
Ritual (non-alcoholic aperitif)
Bero (non-alcoholic beer)
That knowledge and know-how is crucial at this stage of the alcohol-free category’s expansion, she says.
The category is growing fast: but it’s not all plain sailing. While more and more sober curious consumers are receptive to alcohol-free products, many haven’t yet found a product that suits them.
“We see ourselves as category builders, not just sellers,” explained Delaney. “This space is still new, and consumers need guidance, storytelling, and confidence to explore it.”
That doesn’t just mean giving consumers a selection of the best alcohol-free products out there. It means helping them understand what they’re drinking and how they should drink it.
Take, for example, the recent launch of the Boisson x André Hueston Mack Non-Alcoholic Wine Club: a subscription service delivering curated alcohol-free wine selections to members’ doors.
Sommelier André Hueston Mack, who has a long career in fine-dining and pairing non-alcoholic alternatives, helps consumers understand how to serve, drink and pair wines with food for the optimal experience, via tasting videos and virtual events. New Yorkers also benefit from in-person experiences at Fabrik Dumbo and Tribeca.
Boisson’s failure in retail was blamed on the simple challenges faced by any start-up: growing too fast with limited resources and spreading itself too thin across several business areas (retail, ecommerce and wholesale).
At the time of the retail closure in 2024, Boisson highlighted the difficulties of the channel: fixed costs associated with a retail footprint and the challenging macroeconomic conditions facing retail and consumer start-ups.
But at no point has the business doubted the fundamentals of the alcohol-free category.
Changing its focus to D2C online sales and wholesale distribution, Boisson appointed Holly Berrigan as CEO and Hannah Delaney as president in July last year: announcing a ‘a new chapter with a renewed focus on long-term growth and community collaboration’.
Berrigan and Delaney came to the company with experience in both non-alcoholic beverages and direct-to-consumer marketplaces: including online natural wine marketplace MYSA Natural Wine, digital performance agency Pioneer BevCom, and a joint venture between Gold Medal Wine Group and Last Bottle Wines.
The duo believe they can build on Boisson’s solid brand foundations and reputation with a stronger focus on building up the mindful drinking community.
Curating the alcohol-free selection
So what is a marketplace like Boisson looking for in top alcohol-free products?
The company wants brands that tap into top consumer trends: but that doesn’t stop at being alcohol-free.
Delaney is on the lookout for products that think about broader consumer needs and desires: whether that’s about authenticity and branding or overall health and wellness.
“Every product we carry meets quality standards from taste and ingredients to branding and story,” emphasizes Delaney.
“We look for brands that treat non-alc as a craft category, and look to give our consumers the room to explore.
“For example, a large part of our customer base chooses not to drink for health related reasons. So if a non-alcoholic product is filled with sugar, it may not be the best fit for Boisson either.”
