Non-alcoholic beverages were on full display at Natural Products Expo West 2024 last week, as hop-heavy brands like Hoplark, H2OPS, and Lagunitas shared how they are tapping into consumer demands for bold and interesting flavors.
Sam Paget Steavenson created aperitif-inspired botanical drink Botivo with high-end occasions in mind (his background in events saw him create drinks for The Royal Wedding in 2018). Who better to ask what the secret to the ultimate non-alcoholic cocktail...
Alcohol-free beer Days Brewing has grown the brand through witty advertising and cheeky TikTok videos. Co-founders Mike Gammell and Duncan Keith tell us about their 2024 plans to drive brand awareness, availability and the right formats for modern beer...
Does the word ‘mocktail’ accurately describe a non-alcoholic cocktail - or does it make it sound like an inferior counterpart? Does ‘teetotal’ do a good job of explaining alcohol-free - or does it smack of puritanism and prohibition? Nomenclature is important:...
Creating a great alcohol-free product is one thing: growing and scaling that into a successful business is another thing entirely. In the last five years, Spirits of Virtue has perfected a range of products; expanded to 16 countries including the US (a...
After 25 years in the brewing industry – most recently as Heineken’s Global Director of Craft Beer in Amsterdam – Grant Caunter returned to his native New Zealand to start zero-alcohol brand State of Play Brewing. In our series profiling innovators in...
Ryan Hanson co-founded non-alcoholic wine Surely in 2020, attracted to the opportunity to innovate in a very traditional category. In our series on entrepreneurs in the low/no alcohol industry, he takes us through what he’s focusing on as a leader of...
Los Angeles brand OPTIMIST makes botanical spirits that are completely free from alcohol, and this month debuts its first RTD canned cocktail. In our series on innovators in the low/no alcohol industry, co-founder Lisa Farr Johnstone tells us about the...
Alcohol-free alternatives provide a welcome option to the increasing number of consumers who choose not to drink. But there are growing concerns that branding similarities to alcohol could mean that alcohol-free alternatives act as a gateway into alcohol...
In 2021, Canadian craft brewery Philips Brewing & Malting Co. made the move into the non-alcoholic category with the launch of iOTA. It sees January as the perfect month to help consumers explore the growing choice in the category.
Canadian non-alcoholic beer Partake Brewing was launched in 2017: and now sells its brews across Canada and the US. Evan Cohen, President and Chief Commercial Officer, looks at the two markets in this series on innovators in the low/no alcohol industry....
Profile series: Innovators in the low/no alcohol industry
UK alcohol-free wine Wednesday’s Domaine is on a mission to become the midweek wine alternative of choice for food and drink lovers. In our series profiling innovators in the low/no alcohol industry, founder Luke Hemsley tells us why alcohol-free wine...
Profile series: Innovators in the low/no alcohol industry
ISH Spirits offers a range of alcohol-free sparkling wines, spirits and cocktails: using a proprietary technique so that drinks mimic their alcoholic counterparts as closely as possible. In our series profiling movers and shakers in the industry, founder...
Profile series: Innovators in the low/no alcohol industry
Sharelle Klaus founded DRY Soda Co. in Seattle in 2005: it’s safe to say the alcohol-free market has changed a lot since then. In our series profiling movers and shakers in the industry, she tells us how she's seen the category evolve - and how she's...
It's January: which means the spotlight is on the low/no alcohol category. From non-alcoholic sparkling magnums to alcohol-free IPAs, we take a look at some of the new beverages launching in the sector this month.
Profile series: Innovators in the low/no alcohol industry
Throughout January, this series will profile some of the movers and shakers in the booming low/no alcohol industry. Today: Paul Beavis, CEO of premium alcohol-free sparkling wine Wild Idol, tells us how the brand has built up listings in upmarket retailers...
Tesco is ordering in extra stock to accommodate demand for low and no alcohol drinks this Christmas: as it predicts a record season for the category in the UK.
Hard seltzer pioneer White Claw is launching White Claw 0% Alcohol in the US in January: ‘a radically new beverage’ that is designed to combine White Claw flavors with hydrating electrolytes while replicating the complexity of alcohol.
England is considering raising the upper limit for an ‘alcohol-free’ drink from 0.05% ABV to 0.5% ABV. How could this change the burgeoning alcohol-free market in the UK?
From alcohol-free tequila alternatives to sweet & spicy low alcohol wine, we take a look at some of the latest innovations in the low and no alcohol category.
Australia’s Kommunity Brew believes that hemp has the potential to feature more widely in its NPD and innovation strategies, amidst the addition of more local acquisitions to its healthier beverage portfolio.
England currently considers an ‘alcohol-free’ drink as one containing less than 0.05% ABV – differing from a number of other countries that use 0.5% ABV as the definition. A public consultation is now seeking views on whether to raise the threshold for...
Labatt Breweries of Canada (AB InBev) becomes the distributor across Quebec of Duvernois Creative Spirits’ non-alcoholic portfolio, which features the Romeo's Gin non-alcoholic and Bockale brands.
Alcohol contributes to the flavor, body and mouthfeel in traditional alcoholic beverages – so what happens when you take that away? In a category that has been plagued by perceptions of flavor inferiority, we explore how alcohol-free brands are innovating...
Global beer giant AB InBev is investing €31m ($34m) in upgrading its Belgian breweries in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Hoegaarden and Leuven: which will help expand its non-alcoholic beer portfolio.
The alcohol alternatives category is growing – so who are the consumers driving the revolution? If brands want to succeed in the marketplace, they need to understand the complex variety of reasons consumers turn to the category.
Non-alcoholic beer, wine and spirits are growing in popularity in the US, reports Drizly: drawing on both consumer surveys and its own data. ‘Consumers are more than just sober curious, they’re going all in on the non-alcoholic category,” says the US...
The ‘sober curious’ lifestyle is inching into the mainstream as, according to new Mintel research, nearly four in 10 US consumers closely (22%) or occasionally (16%) follow a sober curious lifestyle.
Non-alcoholic beverage brand Drink Monday is using recent crowdfunding to expand its retail presence, meet the demand for non-alcoholic drinks and spirits, and navigate the tighter capital market, the brand’s new CEO Ken Young told FoodNavigator-USA.
The low/no alcohol beer category is under-developed in convenience stores, says Asahi UK: but believes it represents a key opportunity for brands and retailers alike.
Most iconic alcohol brands have created alcohol-free versions of their flagship drinks, providing a welcome alternative for many consumers. But the Scottish government is worried that such products still serve as a branding boost for the full-strength...
With many consumers looking to supplement their alcoholic drink choices with non-alcoholic options, suppliers should be looking to work closely with operators to encourage trial and experimentation across their low and no alcohol brand repertoire, says...
January is the month of the year when the low and no alcohol category really has a chance to shine. So what have we learned about the direction of the category this year? Here’s five takeaways from Drynuary.
From the potential future irrelevance of ‘Dry Jan’, to 0% beers with an enhanced ‘relaxing feeling’, just how big can non-alcoholic beer really get, and where can it go next? Asks Jamie Williams, Managing Partner at independent creative agency, isobel.
As January draws to a close, James Kindred, co-founder and Chief Brand Officer at Big Drop, highlights that demand for alcohol-free beers is now spread out across the whole year.
David Fudge, co-founder and CEO of US non-alcoholic spirit brand Aplós, explains why he thinks functional ingredients are the key to reshaping the drinks category.
2023 will be a big year for Welsh brewery Drop Bear Beer, as it opens its own brewery and expands listings across the UK and beyond. Joelle Drummond, Co-Founder and Director of Sales and Marketing, tells us more in our series profiling entrepreneurs in...
Mark Wong, founder of UK functional non-alcoholic beer start-up Impossibrew, sees many parallels between the alcohol alternative category and the meat alternative movement. In our series of interviews with movers and shakers in the industry, we hear how...
Canadian non-alcoholic beer brand Harmon's expects to see more and more innovation in the industry as craft brewers sit up and take note of growth in alcohol-free. In our series of interviews with innovators in the low/no industry, we hear more about...
Non-alcoholic spirit Lyre's is now available in more than 100 markets worldwide. In our series of interviews profiling innovators in the low/no alcohol industry, CEO Mark Livings shares his secrets to success.
In our series of interviews with innovators in the low/no alcohol space, California entrepreneurs Jordan Bass and Nick Taranto talk to us about their experience in founding and growing HOP WTR: an alcohol-free sparkling hop water with nootropics.
