Could sobriety become a big trend in 2020? Interestingly, that’s what some business analysts from Entreprenuer magazine are predicting; particularly when it comes to the non-alcoholic beer market.
Dubbed NA (for non-alcoholic) by Entrepreneur, this is now reportedly a very lucrative industry. The magazine called out the fact that traditional domestic beer sales slipped by nearly 5 percent in 2019. On the flipside, NA profits are expected to hit $5.95 billion within the next three years.
Another big indicator of this growth is the behavior of major distributors. Brands like Anheuser-Busch, Heineken and Coors have all been investing heavily into NA products over the past 12 months. You may also have noticed the fact that famed NA brand O’Doul’s has now become a sponsor at major sporting events.
Coors rep Marty Maloney spoke to Entrepreneur, emphasizing the dramatic shift they intend to take; particularly with their NA brand Coors Edge.
“This year we intentionally took stock of our non-alcohol offerings within the Coors family of brands,” Maloney told the site. “In the case of Coors Edge, we saw an opportunity to up our game in a booming space that isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.”
Interestingly, there is also a significant craft element that is now involved with NA beer. High end variations (such as Einbecker and Clausthaler) come out of Germany and have received recognition from top brewing associations around the world. That, the article correctly points out, ties in to some of the behaviors of younger generations, who put a strong emphasis on authenticity and taste.
Tammer Zein-El-Abedein, a top San Francisco NA brewer, also spoke to the site, explaining the care and and craftsmanship that goes into these particular batches.
“The quality and innovation of what is being created today is much better than what was in the domestic market for the last 30 years,” Zein-El-Abedein said. “We are seeing now for the first time that U.S. craft beer producers are entering the market with a passion and vision for great non-alcoholic beer.”
Many of these craft brands are now regularly available in local supermarkets. To us, it is certainly a step in the right direction and positive encouragement for people working to maintain their sobriety. As we mentioned before, #SoberIsSexy is quite a powerful movement right now and one that will hopefully be further bolstered by these unique NA beer brands.
