When Abbie Romanul decided to quit drinking alcohol in 2018 she was frustrated at the lack of zero-proof options to make cocktails at home. Yet, as the segment has grown in popularity, Romanul realized there was a niche in providing booze-free ways to entertain.
Two-thirds of U.S. adults consciously intended to drink less alcohol in 2022 and 64% of younger consumers (ages 21-30) and 50% of all adults who drink alcohol will continue to drink less in 2023, according to non-alc brand BARE Zero Proof’s annual study The State of Sober Socializing 2023.
Romanul and her husband Devin launched Raising the Bar in 2020 providing at-home cocktail makers a monthly zero-proof way to make cocktails.
The DTC business caters to the NA and “sober curious” community by sending subscription-based or gift boxes that include all the ingredients to make four-servings of an alcohol-free cocktail and, in some cases, craft snacks as well. Romanul creates the recipes for each month in her home partnering with NA brands like Spiritless, Monday and Wilderton to bring innovative cocktail ideas to subscribers with themed boxes like “Brunch Bunch” featuring ingredients to make booze-free bloody marys.
We spoke to Romanul about how she built her non-alc business, how she keeps creating innovative new recipes to keep the business fresh and how inclusivity plays a role in the NA community.
What are some lessons you brought from your former positions in CPG that helped you to successfully build Raising the Bar?
To be honest, a lot of the things that never really excited me in previous roles have now coalesced into important foundations for building Raising the Bar! Critical exercises like forecasting, budgeting, analyzing margins and more are the important business foundations that help make the more creative (and fun!) pieces like product curation and recipe development work.
What I find most enjoyable is experimenting with various drink recipes, combining products that complement each other perfectly, and providing the consumer with the most enjoyable experience possible.
How has your own experience launching Raising the Bar allowed you to reach new audiences and consumers in the sober-curious or non-alc community?
While this business began as a passion project stemming from my own sobriety, launching and building the business and diving into market trends has hammered home just how important this category is – well beyond the sober community. Mindful drinkers and those who prioritize general health and wellness are driving the non-alc category, and we’ve broadened our reach as we’ve learned more about the consumers interested in this category.
I assumed that those who were consuming products in the non-alcoholic space were taking away share from the traditional alcohol segment. My understanding now is that consumption of non-alcoholic beverages occurs on many more occasions than traditional spirits/beer/wine, which means the opportunity is so much bigger!
What lessons have you taken from the meal kit industry or other DTC cocktail kit companies?
Make sure that recipes are accessible as possible to a broad range of interests. Our kits currently feature four drink recipes each, and some of them are more complex to really speak to the at-home mixologist, but we also try to have simpler pour-and-enjoy recipes too.
This is still a work in progress, and we are always learning. Organic social media interaction and influencers have been key since day one. As we grow, we’re investing more in paid social and search.
How do you structure Raising the Bar’s subscription rate to keep good profit margins when every month the cocktail ingredients change?
It’s a constant puzzle piece! We try to focus on one hero ingredient each month, and then build the box around that from both a recipe building and cost perspective. It is definitely an art, not a science!
We have started creating kits specifically designed for expectant mothers, such as the “new mama” kit. Additionally, there are opportunities to develop sampler kits for pre-made beverages and even explore the market for functional beverages.
How do you find new non-alc brands to work with and how do you structure those relationships?
This community is simply amazing. The people in this space are so encouraging and supportive, and we’ve been fortunate to build some amazing relationships that have allowed us to feature many brands multiple times over the past two and a half years. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship – we get to help sample their products with really engaged consumers, and they work with us to spread the word about Raising the Bar!
How do you take a product like monthly mocktail kits and expand the business in new directions or innovate beyond what has already been built?
We’ve created some unique one-time boxes for special occasions like holidays or for new mamas (the pregnant/nursing cohort loves mocktails!). We’ve also collaborated with businesses looking to offer inclusive team building opportunities or events, and that’s been a great way to branch out beyond the recurring revenue model. We’ve also started exploring non-alcoholic menu development with some restaurants. But, at our core, we focus on our monthly subscribers experiencing wonderful new NA products.