The warm weather means people are still toasting to patio season, but many are saying “cheers” with no booze in the glass. In fact, non-alcoholic drinks are rising in popularity and more businesses are cashing in.
According to global data platform Statista, revenue from the Canadian non-alcoholic beer market is expected to grow nearly nine per cent annually. Volume growth is slated for nearly five per cent in 2023. Changing attitudes and changing habits of the younger generation are a big factor.
“Lots of kids don’t drink, or don’t drink much or have a beer or two and that’s it. It’s different than it was for sure,” explains Graham Matheos of Calgary’s One for the Road Brewing. His products are all nonalcoholic craft beers and they are exploding in popularity, available at liquor stores, bars and breweries. What started as a hobby is now a full-on business.
“From a sales perspective, we grow anywhere from 35 per cent to 46 per cent annually over the last five years. It’s been great growth. The hardest part is keeping up with it,” he says with a smile.
The bottom line is taste. Consumers looking for a replacement for beer whether full-time or just for a night don’t want to compromise on quality.
“Taste is a big thing, and it was really holding back for a lot of years. I think it’s been great to see so many new entrances into the segment for sure,” Matheos said.
Non-alcoholic beer is just part of it. A stroll through most liquor stores isn’t complete without booze-free options. Online stores that specialize in them are also popping up.
That includes Calgary’s Not Wasted. The online retailer showcases dozens of hard-to-find products ranging from spirits like non-whiskey to various wines and elixirs. A consumer searching to create the complex layers of a cocktail – only without the alcohol – would definitely find it here.
And then there’s Mocktailplus, a caterer that specializes in exotic mocktails for events. Its Instagram page (mocktailplus_yyc) is full of showstopping concoctions all without a hangover.
None of these entrepreneurs would be in business if there wasn’t a growing demand for such services.
“There’s four different components to it,” says Jayme Minor, explaining some of the reasons for the growing movement. He’s widely recognized as the man who dazzles the crowds with his trumpet at Calgary Flames games. He’s also four years sober.
“There’s people who are sober proud like me. You know, I can’t drink. It will ruin my life again,” Minor says with conviction and honesty.
“Then we have people who are sober curious, who wonder what this is like. Then you have the awakeners, the young people that we know are seeing the damage that it’s caused and how life is good without alcohol. And then you have the strugglers. the people who are in desperate need of help.”
He says positive personal journeys shared on social media and more celebrities embracing sobriety have changed the culture of what’s considered a ‘fun night out’ and that people can even just take a night off drinking and still have fun. Sober events are an element of it too.
“I feel it’s a big fire that is waiting to be lit and I want to be the main person that sparks that flame,” he says with a smile.
So far he’s on the right path. He’s the founder of OktSOBERfest, an alcohol and drug-free event that raises money for addiction and mental health services. The event will be Oct. 29 at 2 p.m. at Jack Singer Hall. Admission is free.