Andrea Grand Is Elevating Non-Alcoholic Beverage Options
In 2020, Andrea Grand’s sister Katie Fielding skilled a seizure that led her to cease consuming for a time period. Spurred by Katie’s state of affairs, the Toronto-based siblings based Barbet, a sparkling-beverages firm that goals to destigmatize non-alcoholic consuming. Here, 34-year-old Andrea shares her journey of beginning a business regardless of having zero entrepreneurial expertise and the way she hopes her product reduces the social strain to drink.
I bear in mind March 2020 not just for the pandemic, however for a second well being scare. My sister Katie, who has epilepsy, suffered an intense seizure. It was a daunting time for the household, however we’re grateful that she ultimately made a full restoration.
The incident compelled Katie to prioritize her well being and to stop consuming alcohol for a time period. During the uncommon social gatherings of 2020, she drank pop from vibrant cans that she felt made her look juvenile. People would additionally consistently ask her, “Why aren’t you drinking?” which made her really feel uncomfortable and excluded.
In the months following Katie’s episode, I used to be let go from my advertising and marketing job at a hashish firm. (Katie was additionally laid off, by her trend forecasting company, earlier within the pandemic.) The layoffs gave us the possibility to concentrate on a business alternative we had entertained all 12 months: to create a low-sugar, non-alcoholic beverage for adults to confidently convey to events. We struggled to seek out one like that in the marketplace, so we thought, Why don’t we create one?
We determined to fundraise and did a small friends-and-family spherical and used the cash to develop our model. We didn’t have a background as entrepreneurs, and with no expertise within the beverage business both, this enterprise got here with a steep studying curve. We needed to learn to produce glowing water, discover the appropriate flavours, convey a product to market, plan our launch and meet with restaurant homeowners to attempt to get them to serve our beverage—all by trial and error. In January 2021, we engaged with a brand-design workforce to create what’s now Barbet: a full-flavoured glowing beverage in a cool-looking striped can, meant for individuals who need to maintain one thing that appears good however isn’t alcohol.
Once we launched, we instantly created an Instagram web page and a web site. After just a few months, we realized that timing was on our aspect. Booze gross sales in Canada decreased in 2022, and these days, it’s changing into extra frequent for folks to drink each non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks over the course of an evening out, or simply reduce out consuming altogether.
We differentiate ourselves by staying true to our ethos. We aren’t an anti-drinking model; we simply consider that consuming ought to be an choice on an evening out, relatively than a given. We hope that our product helps folks slot in no matter their consuming selections, and that, ultimately, folks don’t have to justify their option to not drink alcohol altogether.
Competing for shelf area with manufacturers which were round for many years and have extra capital is a problem. This 12 months, we’re pushing to develop our model and distribution. We employed a part-time operations supervisor and an administration assistant, and put some family and friends members to work as model ambassadors. Our three core flavours—Light Wave (cucumber, pineapple and lavender), Love Bite (pink grapefruit, ginger and juniper) and Wild Card (blood orange, calamansi and jalapeno)—can be found at a number of cafes and eating places in Toronto like, Boxcar Social, Cafe Zuzu and Paris Paris, in addition to in specialty grocery shops in Ontario, like Summerhill Market, Fiesta Farms, McEwan and Healthy Planet. We are even accessible within the U.S. at Foxtrot, an American supply market with places in Chicago, Houston, Austin and Washington.
This new line of labor is busy and thrilling. These days, we’re specializing in increasing throughout Ontario into cities like Ottawa, and have our eyes set on increasing to extra Canadian cities and places. And, Katie is doing lots higher—she’s been seizure-free since March 2020. There is a lot to look ahead to inside and out of doors of labor.
