include Seedlip, Proteau, Kin
Euphorics, Curious Elixirs
and Ritual, to name a few.
“I’d encourage retailers to not
be afraid of reaching people
that are already converted.
One of the cool things about
creating Proteau was learning
there’s an untapped need
there,” said John deBary,
founder of Proteau, a zero-
proof, botanical aperitif. “I
wouldn’t tell a retailer, ‘you
need to carry this product
because you need to take
on this new market,’ it’s a
market that already exists.
It’s about innovation.”
respondents said they now
“don’t ever” drink alcohol,
versus 24 percent from 2018.
Several beverage brands
are noting this trend and
have quickly responded.
For instance, White Plains,
N.Y.-based HEINEKEN USA
released Heineken 0.0, an
alcohol-free beer made with
all-natural ingredients.
“ The alcohol-free beer
segment is growing globally.
This trend is arriving in the
U.S., and we’re getting
out early with a premium
product to satisfy consumers
who appreciate beer taste
and want a beer for occasions
when they don’t necessarily
want to consume alcohol,”
says Ashleigh Phelps,
Heineken brand manager at
HEINEKEN USA. “With well-
being and mindful drinking on
the rise, Heineken 0.0 is the
perfect addition to a beer
drinker’s portfolio, allowing
them to do more without
giving up the drink they love.”
Phelps says that the outlook
for zero-proof beverages
is “great,” with Heineken
0.0 exceeding sales
projections, and feedback
from consumers and retailers
being overwhelmingly
positive. HEINEKEN USA is
confi dent this category will
keep growing, as sales are
on target to double 2019
performance with increases
in distribution — particularly
on-premise, Phelps says.
The health-and-wellness
market also is ripe for smaller
brands specializing in “small
batch” or “handcrafted”
tonics, aperitifs, zero-proof
beverages mimicking the
fl avor profi les of spirits, with
some even dabbling with
“euphorics,” which fuse
herbs, botanicals, nutrients
and adaptogens designed to
induce relaxation without
alcohol. Pioneering brands
in the handcrafted category
The alcohol-free beer
segment is growing
globally. This trend
is arriving in the U.S.,
and we’re getting
out early with a
premium product to
satisfy consumers
who appreciate beer
taste and want a
beer for occasions
Drink Asia
23
March-April 2020
Within the small-batch,
zero-proof beer category,
Outbound Brewing, San
Diego, offers a non-alcohol
product line that includes
traditional zero-proof
brews, CBD-infused (20
mg broad-spectrum hemp),
and cannabis-infused (10
mg THC) brews, available
in Pale Haze, Blood Orange
Haze and Grapefruit Haze
flavors. Beverages such as
Outbound’s, which have
the added “perk” of CBD