no-alcohol
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What drives the no-alcohol category in New Zealand and is it set to expand or lose its shine? The Shout NZ Editor Charlotte Cowan asks producers, distributors and those in the know.
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ive years ago, if you were searching for a no-alcohol option in your supermarket, you’d be lucky to find one or two options. Fastforward to 2021 and there is a whole no-alcohol section - offering everything from beer, cider and wine to zero-alcohol spirits and cocktails. This shift in the acceptance and production of no-alcohol beverages didn’t happen overnight but, in some ways, it also did. Whilst pregnant women and other non-drinkers were sipping away on yet another bland lime and soda at bars and clubs, liquor producers in New Zealand were thinking of creative ways to produce no-alcohol drinks that were appealing to consumers and not just essentially grape or apple juice with a wine or cider colour. Push your trolley down the no-alcohol aisle at any good supermarket and you will find the likes of Ara Zero Sauvignon Blanc, Giesen 0% Sauvignon Blanc, the Edenvale wine range, Zeffer 0% Cider, Heineken 0.0%, DB Export 0.0% … the list goes on. According to Jeni Harper, Senior Category Manager at Foodstuffs South Island, there are around 70 different no-alcohol products available at Foodstuffs’ stores, with new products introduced regularly.
“Across our New World, PAK’nSAVE and Four Square stores in the South Island we’ve seen substantial growth in the zero-alcohol category,” Harper told The Shout NZ. “Sales have grown by 60%, with more Kiwis picking up non-alcoholic alternatives when entertaining guests.” According to global liquor analysts, IWSR, no-alcohol products are currently outperforming low-alcohol beverages. In 2019-2020, the no-alcohol sub-category increased volume by 4.5%, while lowalcohol decreased by 5.5%. Driven by innovation and investment in quality, IWSR says the no-alcohol beer and cider category dominates the overall no-alcohol market, commanding a 92% share of the Jody Scott, Zeffer Cidermaker
total no-alcohol segment. And Nielsen reports that the global non-alcoholic beer market is expected to reach $5.91 billion by 2023. LEADING THE CHARGE With global data showing beer and cider leading the way in the no-alcohol category, the New Zealand brewing sector is following suit, with a more than 100% increase in no-alcohol beer consumption in the past year. According to the latest ‘Alcohol Available For Consumption’ data released by Statistics NZ, beer under 1.15% produced for the year ending December 2020 increased 105%. “This shows that New Zealanders are getting in behind the no-alcohol category and following international trends in the beer market,” says Dylan Firth, Executive Director of the Brewers Association of New Zealand. IWSR says thanks to the investment in the no-alcohol beer and cider category from major brewers, consumers are becoming more accepting and familiar of the no-alcohol beer and cider as a quality product. One of New Zealand’s major cider players, Zeffer Cider, released the country’s first locally-made 0% cider into the market this year. Produced using the THE SHOUT NZ – MAY 2021 13
