Demand for non-alcoholic drinks has seen a rapid surge in recent years, with many brands entering the market and attempting to carve out their own niche. Melbourne-based Naked Life, however, took a different approach. Rather than focus on a single product, the brand launched a range of mocktails, from a classic gin and tonic to a cosmopolitan, that seek to reproduce the complexity and flavours of the real thing.
Demand for non-alcoholic drinks has seen a rapid surge in recent years, with many brands entering the market and attempting to carve out their own niche. Melbourne-based Naked Life, however, took a different approach. Rather than focus on a single product, the brand launched a range of mocktails, from a classic gin and tonic to a cosmopolitan, that seek to reproduce the complexity and flavours of the real thing.
The strategy has paid off, with Naked Life being named Australia’s leading non-alcoholic cocktail at the 2022 Melbourne International Spirits Competition, and is now available in over 30,000 distribution points across grocery, hospitality, food service and liquor stores.
Ahead of Dry July, the brand has plans to scale it up even further. Last week, Naked Life kicked off an equity crowdfunding raise through Birchal, and, at the time of writing, passed $2 million in funding in two days. Before the campaign, the business was valued at approximately $34.5 million. The proceeds from the raise will go to facilitate the brand’s expansion into the US and UK in an attempt to capture even more of the $14.7 billion global no/low-alcohol market, as well as a bigger marketing push to introduce the brand to more Australians.
According to IWSR, 71 per cent of Australians are reducing their alcohol intake, signalling a structural and cultural shift in the country’s relationship with alcohol – and it’s being driven by 18-35 year olds. Naked Life founder David Andrews believes that people who aren’t drinking alcohol are looking for the same complexity and choice on a night out, rather than being limited to soft drinks or water when at the pub.
“The 18- to 35-year-old group isn’t necessarily replacing alcohol, they’re just not picking it up to start with. They’ve grown up with role models that were drinking less,” Andrews said. “And they’re now looking for more choice in what they drink.”
Sources: https://insideretail.com.au/sectors/food-beverage/how-the-booming-non-alc-market-helped-naked-life-raise-over-2m-in-two-days-202306
