Dry Atlas

70% of consumers prefer beverages that align with their personal values. What is your brand doing to meet consumers where they are? In a category as nascent and fast-moving as non-alc, it’s tempting to launch quickly and course-correct later. But today’s consumers expect more from the start. You shouldn’t focus on being a general standout, but rather an obvious first choice for your core, target market. How do you even know what that market is? Boring as it might sound, the answer is through data. Data is what tells you: → Why someone buys your drink. → What made them choose you over the 10 other options on shelf. → What’s keeping them coming back (or not). The brands that win in this space will be the ones who learn to listen before they speak. That’s what made our webinar with Jess Cervellon so compelling. Jess—founder of Open Late Collective and early team member at Feastables—broke down the basics of how to gather, interpret, and use consumer insights to drive real brand decisions. The playback of this session, “Use Consumer Insights to Build Your Brand Strategy,” is available to Dry Atlas members. If you’d like to hear her insights, DM me for a free membership trial.

In New Orleans, a city known for booze, Cali Sober Market just opened its doors—proof that there’s demand for alternatives in even the most alcohol-centric places. Congrats, Monica! While recent closures have shown how tough non-alc retail can be, new stores like this suggest there’s still room for thoughtful, community-driven retail concepts. Success isn’t just about what’s on the shelf. It’s about how well these shops connect with customers, offering valuable shopping experiences that can compete with the convenience of Target, Amazon, etc. This next phase of non-alc retail will depend the quality of customer interactions, because it's not merely about accessibility anymore. Dry Atlas recently covered the ups and downs of non-alc retail. Full article linked below.

Plenty of media platforms will feature any brand that can foot the bill. But when your audience starts noticing that just about anyone can buy a spot, credibility slips—and attention follows. We’re not building Dry Atlas to sell quick ad space. We’re in this business to elevate the alcohol alternatives category by helping the right brands grow in the right way. That means we don’t accept every partnership. In fact, we turn down quite a few. Because our audience is engaged, discerning, and loyal. They trust what they see from us, and we work hard to protect that. We limit partnerships to just four per month to ensure every one gets the spotlight it deserves, and to ensure that our audience isn't bombarded with unvetted paid content. For those looking for a high-trust, high-quality platform to grow your presence in the non-alc space, we'd love to talk. My DMs are open.

Ben Branson is developing yet another non-alc brand—this time, it’s a shandy. The legendary Seedlip Drinks founder has been busy since the Diageo acquisition. Last year, he launched Seasn (a bitters brand) and Sylva (a wood-derived non-alc spirit). Daystar, this 0.0% shandy, is more mainstream than his previous brands. The idea came from a personal ask: during a pregnancy, his wife requested “the most refreshing shandy ever.” But in classic Branson fashion, it’s still simple by design. As he put it in a past Dry Atlas interview: “You’ve got to throw one tennis ball to the consumer—not ask them to catch 10 at the same time.” From time to time, I ask Douglas what kind of non-alc product he would launch. He's always said a shandy, so I'm particularly interested to see how this does.

The first wave of alcohol alternatives predominantly focused on mimicking their alcoholic counterparts. Today, more and more brands are breaking this mold. Take Ben Branson's Sylva, crafted from wood. Or Nor?e, which ferments flowers to create flavors that don’t fit into the traditional wine category. One reason to go more novel with formulation: as younger consumers step into their spending power, they're not necessarily seeking alcohol analogues. Without the same nostalgia for booze, they’re largely drawn to more unexpected sophisticated drinks. So, what does the future hold? Will alcohol alternatives continue evolving into something completely distinct, or will traditional-style replicas always have a place? This is a discussion I cover in my latest Dry Atlas piece, linked in the comments below. Curious what your thoughts are.

Getting press can be a major roadblock for some non-alc brands. Not because their story isn’t worth telling, and especially not because there aren’t journalists out there looking for non-alc pitches. It’s because they’re pitching the wrong people. (Or worse, not sending pitches at all.) Finding the right contacts can take hours of research and lots of dead ends. Who covers non-alc? Who actually responds? And of course, hiring a PR agency can cost thousands. That’s why we’ve assembled a contact list of 100+ journalists who actually write about non-alc. You’ll find their email addresses and past articles to get to know their work and tailor your pitch. Want to get your non-alc brand in front of the right journalists? This contact list is for Dry Atlas members only. DM me for a free trial.

Heritage wineries (especially 250-year-old estates) don’t just jump on trends. A move like this one signals something bigger: the industry as a whole is starting to take non-alc seriously. Kolonne Null has partnered with Schloss Johannisberg—the producer behind the legendary Grünlack Sp?tlese—to release a dealcoholized version of its iconic wine. This isn’t just any Riesling; the original Grünlack Sp?tlese was first vinified in 1775. As more respected producers enter the space, the old idea of non-alc wine as a lesser alternative gets harder to defend. This means that the conversation around non-alc can shift from one of legitimacy to one of craft. Congrats, Philipp R??le and team!

Back in the early days, being a non-alc brand was enough to get people interested. If you had a solid product and a clear message, you could carve out space. Nowadays, that’s not the case. With over 1,400 non-alc products on the market today, it’s no longer just about having a great formulation. It’s about making sure people understand why yours exist and, more importantly, why they should care. Because let’s be honest: → “A healthier alternative to alcohol” isn’t a unique angle anymore. → “Zero proof, full flavor” is no different from the 20 other brands saying the same thing. → “Better-for-you ingredients” are important, but what makes yours worth choosing? The brands that succeed don’t just check the right boxes. They carve out a clear niche in the category. They don’t rely on the growth of the non-alc space alone. They create their own momentum. And the first step? Understanding what else is out there. Before you decide on formulation, branding, positioning, and pricing, it helps to see the landscape clearly. That’s why we’ve built a database of 1,400+ non-alc spirits, wines, beers, and RTDs. Studying your competition is a solid way to sharpen your strategy. (DM me if you want access to the database.)

First impressions don’t just matter for face-to-face interactions; they matter for brands, too. In the alcohol alternatives space, breaking through the noise to even make that first impression isn’t easy. We recently worked with a new brand entering the market. They had everything in place: strong branding, a well-crafted product, and a clear vision. But without strategic visibility, they risked getting lost in an increasingly crowded space. That’s where Dry Atlas came in. With their campaign, we ensured their debut was noticed by the right consumers and industry insiders: → Multi-channel coverage spanning web, email, and social → 20,000+ impressions with a highly-targeted audience → An additional 12,000 impressions through bonus newsletter and social amplification If you're gearing up to introduce your brand, we'll work to make sure the right people are paying attention. Just DM me for more info.

Potential 200% tariffs on EU spirits and wine… but what about non-alc variants? Traditional spirit companies and winemakers are calling it a catastrophe, yet the impact on alcohol alternatives is still unclear. Since non-alc often exists in a regulatory gray area, it’s not certain whether these tariffs will apply. If they do, expect prices on imported non-alc brands to spike. Even if they don’t, will European producers shy away from the lucrative-yet-volatile US market? In the past few weeks, I've spoken with Canadian and Mexican brand founders who are stressed about their US plans. But I haven't heard much concern from my European brand friends just yet. If these tariffs take effect, we'll certainly see more of them shifting their strategies. We've already seen Canadian non-alc brands and retailers double down on domestic activity. For now, there are more questions than answers. But this could be bump in the road for the non-alc category. What are your predictions here?