The Rise Of Alcohol-free: How To Reach Millennials And Gen Z Changing The Drinks Industry

Mr. McMillan also asserted that millennial consumers are more concerned with social justice and with health and environmental issues, including climate change. “A brand’s social values are increasingly connected to a consumer’s decision to purchase particular products, including wine,” he said. As baby boomers retire and buy less wine, producers need new ways to tempt a White Claw generation back from other alcoholic drinks, according to a new report. But a strong tone of voice won’t be enough to convince a growing group of non-drinking gen Z consumers to invest in your brand; clear messaging and a standout visual identity are as necessary as an appealing product. Gen Z may be changing the low- and no-alcohol space by rebelling against traditional drinks products, but the same rules apply with regard to capturing their attention.

More than 15,000 people regularly follow and engage with Paquette and Millennials Drink Wine co-creator Tina Iannacchino — both of whom are 32 — on their social media pages. A large share of their growing following is, in fact, millennials. Penny Sadler is a travel, wine, and food writer based in Dallas, Texas. Multiple trips to California wine country, as well as Italy and France, inspired her studies with the Wine and Spirits Education . After a stint in Napa Valley she now focuses on writing about wine through the lens of travel and lifestyle.

The company wants to offer the same level of expertise to non-alcoholic beverages for its diners as it does for alcoholic ones. In fact, 56% of millennials consider themselves to be mindful drinkers compared to 37% of baby boomers, according to a September 2019 survey of 2,400 British workers carried about by Total Jobs. is alcoholism genetic or hereditary As noted above, financial pressure and stress is correlated to alcohol abuse as a means to cope. Binge drinking, which consists of four or more drinks in a two-hour period for women and five or more for men, is typical behavior for 7 percent of adults aged and 10 percent of adults aged 45-54, the AOA findings show.

We used a convenience sampling of people from 50 states and the District of Columbia. Sampling error results from collecting data from some, rather than all, members of the population. For our survey, we report a margin of sampling error for the total sample and for key subgroups analyzed in the report. According to wine retailer Vivino, the cost of an average bottle of white wine averages $14.41, while an average bottle of red wine costs $15.66. On January 20, 2017, Cassie Schoon rolled into work with a hangover.

Beers now come from hundreds of small breweries in dozens of historic and newly created styles. Cocktail-making has become an esteemed craft in which every ingredient counts, and high-end spirits producers are all over, working in every style. Mr. McMillan pointed to the reopening of restaurants in 2021 after Covid-19 vaccines became available; during that period, sales of wine declined as sales of spirits rose. The top choice was roughly split between wine and beer for those 35 to 64, with the other options trailing in the distance. But people ages 21 to 34 were almost evenly split among five options, with cider trailing. Because of the size difference, Generation X has less buying power, although its wine-buying behavior does not seem that different from boomers’.

More Questions about Treatment?

In conjunction with changes to when and why they drink alcohol, Gen Z and Millennials are also increasingly reaching for different types of alcoholic beverages. More specifically, 14% of Gen Z and Millennials are intentionally choosing beverages with reduced ABV or added healthy benefits over standard alcoholic beverages. To find out how these trends might impact the alcoholic beverage world, Reach3 Insights and Rival Technologies leveraged Rival’s mobile messaging-based research platform to reach out to consumers across the United States. Alcohol addiction has become a matter of concern among millennials. The symptoms of alcoholism do not depend on the quantities of alcohol taken every other day or the number of years a person engages in alcoholism. The question many people still ask is what has led to the quick rise of alcoholics among young adults.

It could be a bar trivia tournament where the prize is a donation to the winning team’s favorite charity. Another trend in entertainment for bars that heats up during the summer is dog adoption events held on bar patios. Most of the locations in the Bar Louie chain are dog-friendly, and regularly team up with local dog shelters to host adoption events. With many younger generations staying away from alcohol, beverage brands seek more creative ways to attract the sober-curious customer. Companies take canned seltzers and add herbs, nourishing plants, and other compounds that support cognition and health. Several large beer companies in Europe and the US have promised to fill at least 20 percent of their global portfolio with non-alcoholic beer by 2025.

This group will be the demographic to watch – and target – going forwards. Equally, alcohol brands are working hard to evolve and diversify their range of alcohol-free beers and spirits, providing more options for this expanding market. And adjusting their tone of voice through slick and innovative branding is proving to be a guaranteed way to set marketers apart from competitors in this high-growth industry and appeal to sober young consumers. And the industry is expected to face a 20% decrease in volume of wine consumption over the next 10 years, an effect predicted to be primarily influenced by millennial-drinking trends. Stacy Brooks is a Minneapolis-based freelance journalist specializing in food and travel.

Alcohol Consumption by Generation

Joshua Lurie founded FoodGPS.com, a Los Angeles based company that showcases the best-tasting food and drink through online coverage and custom culinary tours. Jim Gladstone has written extensively about the arts, cuisine and travel. He is a freelance writer and creative consultant based in San Francisco. Gary Schwind is a music journalist and beer enthusiast who learned pretty much everything he knows about beer from Bart Bullington, formerly of Laguna Beach Brewing Company.

Millennials also account for 32% of all spirit consumption in the U.S. All these statistics prove how millennials are defining factors in alcohol consumption within the United States. Most of them are now vouching for small batched drinks that are cheaper and easily accessible. There isn’t any great statistical evidence yet that young adults have altered their drinking habits on a grand scale. Changes in habit often lag behind changes in attitude, and national survey data on drinking habits reflect only small declines in heavy alcohol use.

The Wine Business Sees a Problem: Millennials Aren’t Drinking Enough

He loves his dog Garret Oliver and wears Red to proudly represent Rutgers Sports. Abigail Deirdre Gullo first fell into bartending when she learned to make a Manhattan for her beloved grandfather at the age of 7. Abigail is a member of the United States Bartenders best sober house living in boston, massachusetts Guild and a proud supporter of the Museum of the American Cocktail in New Orleans. When not behind the bar at SoBou, she is behind her computer screen blogging at , or tweeting @nycbaby, though she would rather be singing in a Rock-n-Roll band.

• The company wants to offer the same level of expertise to non-alcoholic beverages for its diners as it does for alcoholic ones.
• Millennials are too health-conscious to drink much alcohol, one article insists.
• Further, the majority of Gen Z (54%) state that they are willing to spend an incremental 10% or more on sustainable products​, with 50% of Millennials saying the same.
• Global brand director Hervé Buzon explains that communication is key.

I also didn’t believe people who said they didn’t need to drink to have a good time. Even traditionally boozy worlds like Alpine après-ski culture are being given a sober-curious makeover — luxury ski chalet operator Bramble Ski has launched Après Ski chalets across the Alps in collaboration with Seedlip. And it’s millennials and Generation Z who are driving this move away from booze. “This could mean cutting down, extended periods of abstinence, or just taking the time to really understand your relationship with alcohol.” However, I’ve realized that not drinking doesn’t mean not having fun, and becomes easier over time — and the benefits make it entirely worth it.

For years, this was always one of the booziest nights in my calendar, but when I got home from the last one I realized I’d had just as much fun as I did when I was drinking, and I stayed up as late as the others, too. Last week, I got home from one of my favorite nights of the month — our monthly girls’ dinner party which my friends and I have been doing for years — and not for the first time, I didn’t drink. Two years ago, if you’d suggested going to a party and not drinking, I’d have scoffed in your face and poured myself another glass of prosecco. According to the Drinks Retailing News 2019 Mindful Drinking Guide, the last year saw a growth of £22.4 million ($29.1 million) in the no and low alcohol category in the UK. For some — and I’m definitely one of them — cutting down on booze is linked to an increased focus on health and fitness.

Listen Bar, a clubby pop-up that gives patrons a chance to party without alcohol, is crowdfunding to lease its first permanent location. In Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood, Getaway, a bar so dedicated to being booze-free that it won’t even use bitters that contain alcohol, is opening in a few weeks. Brands should take note of this conscientious drinking trend as 60% of Gen Z/Millennials both expect and would be more interested in companies that increased their offerings of lower ABV/health benefits products. Polish start-up Poshe, which produces non-alcoholic mixes for making cocktails at home, saw 191% more users of its online shop () in the last four months of 2021 and it is now expanding in the craft cocktails segment. While demand to drink in physical venues from Millennials, and other age groups, has been strong as a reaction to the chance to frequent them again, the jury is out on how consumers will react in the long term.

An age of uncertainty

He then went on to graduate school at the University of California at Santa Cruz, where he earned his Masters in Education, as well as the credentials he needed to be an English teacher. His passion, interest, and curious nature about food and spirits remained powerful influences. While developing his knack for identfying flavors on the plate he excelled when it came to working with spirits from distillation to the creation of cocktails.

You can find him in one of Berlin dark, smoky bars, unless it’s summer – when he’ll be more likely lounging on the canal with an extra hoppy IPA. Alicia Raeburn is a bartender and freelance travel and food writer. When she’s not writing, she chases her passions for running, hiking, and all outdoor activities around the world. You can see more of her work on Miles Less Traveled, a blog focused on all of the local eats and adventures she’s discovered in her travels.

If the previous millennial drinking trends made it seem like this generation is only focused on superficial things – think again. Millennials are considered the most health and well-being-focused generation, bringing great focus to the nutritional value of the food and drinks they consume. They actively seek organic or natural ingredients and take the time to investigate the source of whatever is on their plates and in their cups. Be sure to emphasize this information and emphasize your healthy options. As the handle suggests, Millennials Drink Wine was created to prove that millennials are, indeed, drinking wine.

John Pomeroy is the epitome of balance – in life and in his cocktails. Bitten by the hospitality bug in high school and continuing through college, he used his skills to move ahead when others may have thrown in the towel – literally. John went from dish washer, to busser, to waiter before finding his stride at the bar. He worked as a bartender through college at the award-winning Montrio in Monterey, CA. It wasn’t long, though, before he was recruited to open the Bernardus Lodge in Carmel Valley. Here he had the opportunity to work with and learn from world-renowned chef Cal Stamenov, and sommelier Mark Jensen, formerly of the Highlands Inn.

Defining the Generations

Stress has become a popular buzzword as the connection grows between chronic elevated stress levels and poor health outcomes. A key part of that equation is how we deal with our stress levels, and alcohol has a role to play for many. Overall, seven in ten (70%) reportedly use alcohol to help relieve stress, but compared to Millennials, Gen Z are much less likely to drink for stress relief. Online interaction, via both e-commerce and social media, as well as new ways to engage through NFTs and the metaverse. Millennials, and in some cases Gen Zs , are among the highest spenders on wine in markets such as Australia, Sweden, the US, and the UK. Whether that trend continues remains to been seen with governments globally withdrawing Covid support packages and the widespread cost of living crisis impacting available discretionary spend.

It’s time for serious conversations about the impact of excessive drinking on all demographics in our society,” says Dr. Barbosa. The AOA poll found 9 percent of adults aged continue to drink even though alcoholism and anger it has already negatively affected their career, education and/or relationships. Nine in 10 adults who drink too much alcohol are not alcoholics or alcohol dependent, according to a previous study.

For me, it’s worth it, and that’s the case for a growing number of people. “Their life hasn’t necessarily been ruined by alcohol but it’s still having a detrimental impact whether that’s on their physical health, their mental health, their relationships or even their finances.” For me, it’s about being more mindful about when a drink is worth it. On a Friday in the office just because it’s there, when I don’t even really like beer?