Non Alcoholic Beverage Demonstration at National Restaurant Association Show NRA Show 2024

Non Alcoholic Beverages are the biggest subject in food and beverage, bars & restaurants right now. People drinking less is at the intersection of the trillion $$$ alcohol industry, AND the trillion $$$ wellness industry and big alcohol is actively pivoting for changing consumer preferences.

This talk is about how I went from drinking A LOT and geeking out on liquor, beer and wine for 22 years, to geeking out on what's good in the Non Alcoholic liquor, beer and wine industry.

(Pro tip: The last half is even better than the first half!)

I cover where the NA industry started in 2021 when it was trying to create alcohol analogues, and honestly really missing the mark flavor profile wise. Then take us to today where more inspiring adaptogenic and nootropic beverages are giving us function in our cocktails.

Mocktails are so 2018. No one wants a sugary mocktail with pineapple, grenadine and 70 grams of sugar! We want interesting, complex, undersweet adult NA cocktails in pretty glasses that may even give you a little buzz!

I want people know what fills the room when you remove the frequency of alcohol from it. What I see, EVERYDAY, is people are genuinely excited. They are SO curious to learn about, and try all these new, sexy bottles on the shelf. And we can now do this in a hospitality focused brick + mortar. I long for the day when there are desirable adult Non Alcoholic options avaialble in a social setting in the evening, so we have a more wellness focused choice for the 10's of millions of people that cut back, or stopped drinking alcohol, for whatever reason.

Please reach out to me about where to get these things (spoiler: airgoods.com is a great place to start!)
Please reach out to me if you're interested in opening a space. I would love to give you the greatest chance of success in this important endeavor.

If you want more information, please holler at your boy at [email protected]

Joshua James
Ocean Beach Cafe
Ocean Beach Brands