THE BOLD AND THE
Freshwater Revival
Bubbles NORTHERN BEACHES MUM IRENE FALCONE HAS SINGLE-HANDEDLY TURNED THE ALCOHOL INDUSTRY ON ITS HEAD. BUT DISRUPTION AND BRILLIANCE COMES AT A COST, WRITES DONNA ARMSTRONG. Sans Drinks owner Irene Falcone is tired. The mum of four has had a busy week, talking to media and meeting a swarm of new customers in the non-alcoholic bottle shop she opened in Freshwater in May. “To be honest I’m absolutely shattered,” she says, still flashing her trademark smile. “Did you see the story on Channel 7 last night? It’s been nonstop.” By nonstop, Irene means the energy. The energy of what she’s doing in business has been nonstop. And sitting on a plush green bar stool at the Sans Drinks counter, it’s easy to see why one of Australia’s most successful entrepreneurs is tired. In 2017 Irene sold her first business, Nourished Life, for $20 million. Since then she launched Sans Drinks online, opened a warehouse in Brookvale, completed a shop fit out, and unlocked the doors to Australia’s first non-alcoholic bottle shop. Irene works seven days a week, ordering stock, stacking shelves and shipping to customers from her online store, all while creating a storm on social media where she posts daily, and personally answers hundreds of questions about her products, conducting press interviews, being a mother, a wife and raising four kids. Not to mention fending off trolls who abuse her on social media.
WORDS: DONNA ARMSTRONG PHOTOS: SANS DRINKS
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“Have you seen some of their comments?” she exclaims, rolling her eyes. “They’re convinced I’ll go broke. They’re acting like I’ve walked into their homes and taken all their booze away. “I haven’t taken anyone’s booze away. All I’m doing is giving people a choice. I have never met anyone who doesn’t want to drink less.” And that’s a fair point. Do you know anyone who wouldn’t like to booze a little less? Aussies are a health conscious bunch after all. Why wouldn’t we choose to put less crap in our bodies?
DARING GREATLY What you may not know is Australia’s fastest growing drinks category is now non-alcoholic wine. In 2020, it was worth more than $4.5 million and the category is expanding at a rate of 800 per cent annually.
