Ben Branson has been busy ever since his trailblazing non-alcoholic (NA) spirit brand Seedlip was acquired by Diageo five years ago. He launched venture studio Pollen Projects last year with its first product, Seasn, aiming to be the “salt and pepper” of alcohol-free and full-strength cocktails on-premise.
“We have been conditioned to understand that seasoning is a huge, important part of cooking,” he said. “We don’t do that with our drinks, and we can.”
Seasn marks the first product released from Seedlip’s founder since stepping away from the brand (Branson remains a shareholder and a creative consultant for the NA spirit). Pollen Projects is expected to release two more beverage products in the next 12 months, neither of which will be focused on the on-premise channel.
Branson admitted that Seasn’s November launch in the UK came “before we were ready to,” but after bringing in an undisclosed investment in January from angels, family offices and actor Kit Harrington, the brand is ready for its test run in the U.S starting next month.
Besides being non-alcoholic, the bitters are vegan, sugar-free and allergen-free and come in two varieties, Dark and Light. The former is described as “aromatic and spicy” intended for dark spirit cocktails like Old-Fashioneds, Manhattans or Dark & Stormys. In contrast, the “green and zesty” Light flavor has hints of citrus that would pair with Gin and Tonics, Margaritas or Martinis.
“People want quick, easy hacks at home to make drinks more interesting, better, elevated drinks,” he said. “Something doesn’t mean you need any fancy cocktail equipment or mixologist knowledge.”
Each 150ml bottle makes about 50 drinks and will sell in two-bottle variety packs for $39. Consumers are instructed to use the product by adding three dashes to their drink of choice. Both varieties use King of Bitters, or paniculata, as the base with the Dark adding kola nut, smoked cherrywood, star anise, cinnamon and black pepper as the backbone to its profile. The Light flavor opts for Lime, Grapefruit, Rosemary, Kombu seaweed and Quassia for an earthier flavor.
Seasn’s two flavors use over 30 extract ingredients but are not made with the same distillate-based process as Seedlip but instead are much more “volatile,” Branson said.
“They’re more alive than distillates,” he said. “For example, if you shake them without egg white in a cocktail, you’ll get foam. Which was a beautiful, happy accident.”
The brand is taking a similar approach to distribution as it did in the UK, mostly targeting on-premise establishments, fine dining restaurants and cocktail bars in New York and California.
That strategy worked in the early days of Seedlip and is likely even more relevant today. About one in seven on-premise visitors drink NA alternatives with that number growing to one in four among the 21 to 35 year age range, according to NielsenIQ data.
The opportunity was echoed in a recent IWSR report that said on-premise and DTC channels present “relatively untapped opportunities” where “brands can focus on expanding their presence” in order to reach a broader audience.
Within the bitters category, the brand is betting that Branson’s name and standing as an influential figure in the expanding non-alcoholic community will bring a certain amount of clout to the brand. Three-star Michelin chefs like Grant Achatz, Dominique Crenn and Kyle Connaughton have all expressed interest in bringing Seasn to their respective restaurant cocktail menus.
Seedlip was conceptualized in 2012 using a distillation recipe Branson adapted from a 17th century physician’s text. The brand hit the UK market in 2015 touting itself as “the world’s first non-alcoholic spirit” and by 2017 had landed in the U.S.It was acquired in 2019 by Diageo’s venture capital arm, Distill Ventures. Since then, Diageo has used its pull in spirits to make Seedlip the one of the most recognizable NA brands in both on-premise and off-premise locations. Most recently, the brand added a tequila-inspired variety Notas de Agave bringing Seedlip’s portfolio to four offerings, all available in 700ml bottles.
“I’m interested in not just what the brand looks like or what the liquid tastes like,” he said. “I’m interested in what’s the right growth model. What are the right markets? What is the right way to launch a business and grow it in not necessarily the way that drink brands have historically been grown?”
This nuanced perspective on the beverage industry comes from seeing NA drinks evolve in the last decade from a niche market to a maturing category with buy-in from major spirits houses, beer producers and winemakers.
“It is pretty chaotic out there,” he said in reference to how much has changed since the early days of Seedlip. “There’s a long, bright, happy future for this space, but I do think there’s going to be a shakeout and some rationalization and I don’t think a new brand should try and imitate alcohol.”
“I guess it’s my rose-tinted idealistic hope that we can move beyond the ABV conversation and beyond the simple numbers on a bottle,” he added. “In my view, the way to change things is to change the majority.”