SASKATOON - Beers, wines and spirits are flying off the shelves inside one of Saskatoon’s newest shops, but not an ounce of liquor is being sold.
Dry Supply, Saskatchewan’s first non-alcoholic retailer, is a product of the global shift in drinking habits.
“We noticed that there was a gap in the market,” said James Kramer, Dry Supply’s CEO and sommelier.
“People were looking for a variety, and they were looking for high-quality products.”
The store, which opened on July 1, stocks everything from local non-alcoholic beers to big-name brands like Captain Morgan Zero Proof Spiced Rum and Tanqueray gin. They even have canned water.
“We’ve had to do a couple emergency orders already,” said Harrison Hall, founder and COO.
The demand speaks to a greater culture shift, Hall told CTV News.
The global non-alcoholic market is skyrocketing. At the same time, alcohol consumption in Canada dropped for the fourth consecutive year, according to Statistics Canada, hitting a 20-year low.
“I don’t think this is a trend,” Hall said. “This is more of a revolution.”
Hall said many customers he has talked to are looking for ways to participate in social gatherings without drinking booze.
“You feel ostracized when you are not drinking,” Hall said. “(Non-alcoholic options) take that away and now they are part of the party. They don’t feel like they are missing out. Just because you are not drinking, does not mean you have to sacrifice.”
‘Long-term decline’
Rod Phillips is a Carleton University history professor who specializes in the history of alcohol.
He said some people are cutting out alcohol altogether, but many more are scaling back the amount that they are drinking.
“The primary driver is health,” he told CTV News.
The younger generation is leading the shift, he added. He does not anticipate that their habits will change as they get older.
“We’re not expecting medical research to suddenly prove that alcohol is very good for you,” he said. “I think this is like smoking. It will be a long-term decline.”
Natalie MacLean, editor of Canada’s largest drinks review site, says the shift toward low- or no-alcohol beverages is one of the biggest changes she has seen in her 20-year career.
Rising consumer demand has created more competition within the industry, resulting in more high-quality drink options, she said.
“There is better technology that is really making the wines, beer, and spirits taste better,” she told CTV News.
MacLean, who has critiqued thousands of bottles of wine, said current products on the market can “stand shoulder to shoulder with traditional wines.”
“We’re all re-thinking drinking and the choice has never been better,” she said.
The founders of Dry Supply said it is important for some people to have those choices in a separate store that does not also sell alcohol.
At Dry Supply, customers do not have to worry about sifting through products to check the alcohol percentage, Kramer said.
“It really sets the pace for people to come in and approach us, however they want, (and) in whatever walk of life that they are currently in,” he said.
“We offer products with clear visibility of 0.0 per cent as well as less than 0.5 per cent, which really gives them a safe place to land.”
