Dry January gives boost to nonalcoholic beverage offerings

Between growing health concerns and Dry January, the number of nonalcoholic beverages from which to choose is increasing.

Molson Coors, which has said it wants to become a total beverage company and “continues to look for new ways to connect with consumers on more occasions,” has grown its portfolio of nonalcoholic offerings in the U.S. market over the past few years. 

Now, the company said the plan is working. Over the past 12 weeks, Molson Coors’ nonalcoholic beer brands were up 89%, gaining 2.1 share of the nonalcoholic beer segment, according to Chicago-based NIQ food-store data for the week ending Dec 28. That’s more than any other company. 

It sells nonalcoholic equivalents of its popular Blue Moon and Peroni brews as well as ZOA Energy, which is entirely outside the alcohol aisle.

Although Dry January, a month in which one refrains from drinking any alcohol, is expected to boost sales of nonalcoholic offerings, Director of Marketing Innovation Tracey Bien Schenck said nonalcoholic is proving to be important all year long.  

Mindful Drinking

“Dry January is still very much a thing for people,” Schenck said. “But we’re also seeing that mindful drinking is becoming a year-long behavior for some consumers, which means more demand for options like Peroni 0.0% and Blue Moon Non-Alcoholic and the rest of our non-alc options, like the upcoming Naked Life.”  

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Molson Coors will make another move into the non-alcohol space in March, when it will bring Naked Life nonalcoholic cocktails to the U.S. The brand is already the No. 1 nonalcoholic ready-to-drink beverage in Australia, according to Quantum and Circana.

Along with a focus on Peroni Nastro Azzurro in 2025, Molson Coors is also investing more in Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%, its nonalcoholic version.  

“Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% was created to deliver the same superior taste of Peroni Nastro Azzurro but with 0.0% alcohol so you can live every moment without compromising on taste,” said Marketing Director Liz Cramton.  

Fast Growth

It’s also growing fast. Peroni 0.0%’s dollar sales have grown by nearly 83.5% for the 52 weeks ending Dec. 29 compared to the previous year, according to Chicago-based Circana. 

Blue Moon Non-Alcoholic was released less than a year ago, but it has already broken into the top 10 non-alcohol brews in dollar share, landing at No. 9 for the last 13-week and four-week period, according to Circana. It’s also the No. 3 craft nonalcoholic brew in dollar share for the last 13-week period. 

According to Vice President of Marketing for Above Premium Beer Courtney Benedict, Molson Coors isn’t surprised by the success. 

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“We had high ambitions for Blue Moon Non-Alcoholic from the beginning, and we are wholly delivering against them,” Benedict said. “We had velocity and distribution targets that were quite aggressive, leveraging proxies that we'd seen from other top brands in the non-alc space.”

Elsewhere:

Philters, Tucson, Arizona, said it “offers sophisticated alternatives for those participating in this health-conscious movement.”

Alcohol-free spirits crafted from natural ingredients includes Jynn, Mezkahl, Wiski and Ruhm, each “designed to mirror the complexity and depth of traditional spirits without the alcohol content,” the company said.

Vivazen Alcohol Alternative Seltzers feature zero alcohol, carbs, calories, caffeine and sugar with a blend of five mood-boosting botanicals. The three seltzer flavors are Tropical Botanical, Raspberry Lime and Orange Cream. Vivazen is based in Phoenix.

In celebration of Dry January, Oakland, California-based Olipop had been planning a “Dry Thru” mocktail pack, but it has been postponed due to the Los Angeles fires.

The company also has a special-edition launch of a Classic Soda Pack, which includes Vintage Cola, Root Beer, Cream Soda and Doctor Goodwin, all with high fiber and lower sugar. 

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Olipop also has a Best Sellers Pack, its top-selling flavors in one pack with high-fiber, lower-sugar versions of Classic Root Beer, Classic Grape, Tropical Punch and Vintage Cola.

This story was originally featured on CSP Daily News, a sister publication of Supermarket News.