NEØNI opened its shop in St Jacobs Market at the beginning of September and is here to stay.
For years, consumers have had very limited options in terms of finding high-quality non-alcoholic beverages, so we set out to curate a large selection of premium beers, wines and spirits from around the world, and launched our store, says Ian Harvey, founder of NEØNI.
Many top-tier wine producers in France, Italy, Spain, Australia, South Africa and beyond are producing a wide range of excellent non-alcoholic wines, but these have not been available in Canada until very recently.
The products we are offering in our store, says Ian, are all premium beverages that elevate the alcohol free experience to whole new levels.
The same is for non-alcoholic beers and spirits. There are many producers now offering a wide range of superb non-alcoholic beers, and when it comes to spirits, there are now several options for those looking for alcohol free gin, rum, tequila, whiskey, aperitifs and more. Any cocktail can now be made with non-alcoholic alternatives.
I stopped drinking in my early twenties and have always enjoyed non-alcoholic beer, but the choices have been very limited and grocery store wines turned out to be not worth drinking, says Ian. I began to look for better options and realized there is a whole world of premium product out there, so I bought some online to try and was amazed at what I found. Thats when I decided to open a store in order to make these products easily available to consumers.
Canadian consumers are balancing healthy lifestyle choices with a desire to enjoy social occasions to the fullest, and no- and low-alcohol beverages are playing a major role in striking that balance.
Younger drinkers are increasingly drinking less or choosing not to drink at all. And alcohol free periods such as Dry January, Dry July and Sober October have been gaining traction throughout the US and UK.
NEØNI has opened its doors at an ideal time. The global market value for the non-alcoholic sector rose to just under $10 billion in 2021 from $7.8 billion in 2018, according to researcher IWSR, and the sector is expected to grow by at least 30% by 2025 reaching $30 billion USD annually.
And not only is NEØNI leading the way in providing consumers with something new, they also accept cryptocurrency for in-store payments, such as Dogecoin, Bitcoin and Ethereum. Consumer culture and sentiment is always evolving, and our plan is to eventually accept cryptocurrency for online sales too, Ian says.
About NEØNI
NEØNI offers a curated selection of premium non-alcoholic beverages from around the world.
NEØNI is located in the Market Tent at St Jacobs Market in Waterloo, Ontario, and is open every Thursday and Saturday throughout the year, including Tuesdays during the summer months.
NEØNI offers in-store sales as well as a secure online shopping experience at www.neoni.ca.
Contact
For media enquiries or interviews please contact:
Ian Harvey
519-502-7801
sales ( @ ) neoni dot ca
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