This is our first-ever healthcare focused issue, and it just happens to coincide with my own recent decision to make healthier choices.
One of the big ways I’m doing this is by limiting my alcohol intake — and I am certainly not alone in my quest to drink less.
I got my first taste, however, in how big the non-alcoholic beverage industry has become this past September when I attended New York City’s first zero-proof festival, Drinks With Benefits.
The vibe was much different from any New Orleans festival — for one, it was all indoors and there was no live music, just a very pregnant live D.J. There was, however, plenty to drink. More than 50 top non-alcoholic beverage companies from around the world were in attendance, including N/A beers and wines, drinks infused with adaptogens — natural substances that are designed to help with stress and mood — and THC/CBD beverages.
I had lots of great conversations, the most fascinating of which included a chat with a woman from France who shared that — even in a country known for its love of alcohol — 40 non-alcoholic shops are now operating in France; Paris launched its first N/A shop two years ago. I also spoke with the young owner of a company called Opius out of Belgium — which makes high-end elixirs using ancient recipes — about how Belgium is currently a leader in the booming N/A scene.
Festivals like this are popping up around the world with increasing frequency — from N/A music festivals like the Coachella spinoff Soberchella in California to our own Bridge House/Grace House’s Sober Fest, the fourth iteration of which will be held this month, Nov. 22, at The Broadside. There are also sober dating sites, travel companies, comedy nights, you name it.
The mood at the fest was one of youthful exuberance — like how you’d feel if you knew you were in the early days of something big. They are. Today’s young people are drinking less than any generation before them, and Gen X and Boomers are hitting ages where alcohol can cause more problems than it used to. This is all adding up to an N/A market estimated to be worth about $5 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate for N/A spirits of 18% according to IWSR out of London — the leading global drinks data and insight provider.
Last month, the first N/A bar in Louisiana opened on Frenchmen Street above Bamboula’s — Mélange by Cali Sober Market. Will it be the first of many such businesses as New Orleans embraces more kinds of drinking? We shall see.
Thanks for reading,
Kimberley Singletary, Editor
Kimberley@BizNewOrleans.com
