An alcohol-free cocktail is shown at a Toronto bar. A non-alcoholic drinks expert says the number of people turning to zero proof offerings has exploded over the last few years.
The LCBO's 2024 sales report shows non-alcoholic beverage sales nearly doubled compared to the year before. Experts say wellness is a big reason why many are cutting back.An alcohol-free cocktail is shown at a Toronto bar. A non-alcoholic drinks expert says the number of people turning to zero-proof offerings has exploded over the last few years. Ontario's biggest purveyor of booze, the LCBO, is seeing a surge in sales from an unlikely source: non-alcoholic drinks.
For comparison, the fastest selling alcoholic product this year was ready-to-drink cocktails, which saw a 17 per cent sales increase over last year.New Owen Sound, Ont., restaurant offers all non-alcoholic drink pairings with its tasting menu Sarah Kate started the website and newsletter Some Good Clean Fun in 2021 after noticing a lack of expertise and information about non-alcoholic beverages in Canada.
"People were making jokes about it. 'Oh, look at me, I've got wine in my teacup while I'm having a Zoom meeting. We've come out of the pandemic and people are saying, 'I actually don't want to drink this much anymore; I've got to cut back. I don't like how I'm feeling," Kate said.for pushing the change to non-alcoholic choices, but says she's now seeing people of all ages, especially the 35 to 50 category wanting to cut back.
Peyton Verhoeven co-founded Think Gen Z, a consulting and consumer insights firm that helps companies market to Gen Z. "A lot of these conversations are happening on TikTok," she said. "There is a change in social norms and I feel like Gen Z are starting to realize that you don't need to be drinking in order to have fun or to be at a social event."The spirits with the most increased growth in year-over-year sales were American whisky at seven per cent and tequila at six.
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