In the emerging non-alcoholic beverage category, momentum behind “unleaded” drinks is coming from a rising demand among sober-curious consumers as well as an abundance of new NA brands entering the set.
Although there are plenty of male founders (and consumers) in non-alc, a growing contingent of women entrepreneurs are pushing the category into new places with NA bottle shops, pop-ups and innovative products to bring more inclusivity to the movement.
As the trend has moved into more mainstream outlets like music venues and live events, community-building and consulting businesses like Zero Proof Nation launched by Laura Silverman have sprung up to help sober-curious consumers find non-alc bottle shops and bars. Many of these businesses are also female-founded like Bendición Dry Bar in Chicago to Soft Spirits in Los Angeles and Killjoy in Nashville, among dozens of others.
“About 85% of our customers are women,” said Elizabeth Gascoigne, founder and CEO of sober curious platform and digital marketplace Absence of Proof.
Agreeing with that sentiment, Emily Heintz – owner of functional and alcohol-free bottle shop Sèchey – added that her store doesn’t “specifically market to women but our aesthetic does skew female and women still make the majority of the purchasing decisions.”
Heintz and Gascoigne are joined by Sharelle Klaus, CEO of Dry Botanical Bubbly, on a recent call with BevNET to talk about how women are in many ways leading the drive towards alcohol alternative socializing. The three entrepreneurs spoke about the successes in launching innovative brands, the challenges to operating in the category and how building community among female founders helps drive the industry forward.