- The US Surgeon General’s advisory calls for a warning label on alcohol products.
- The CEO of Free Spirits told BI he thinks the statement will further push a change in drinking culture.
- Non-alcoholic brands like Free Spirits are expanding as mindful drinking gains popularity.
Milan Martin, the CEO of non-alcohol spirit brand Free Spirits, said American drinking culture has evolved over the last decade — and the US Surgeon General’s statement on alcohol will further push that change.
In an advisory published Friday, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said alcohol consumption was the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the US, after tobacco and obesity. He also said he wants to see cancer warnings on wine, beer, and spirits.
In an interview with Business Insider, Martin said regardless of whether a change to the warning label would win political approval, he thinks the statement will impact consumers.
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“What we’ve seen with the surgeon general is that there’s enough research now that says alcohol does not play a positive role in your life and, specifically, it has ties to cancer,” Martin said.
Martin said the advisory will be another “nugget” that reinforces similar messages about drinking based on data points, positive stories from friends who have stopped drinking, or guidelines from other governments. All of those insights sit in consumers’ minds and lead them to make more informed decisions, Martin said.
“It’s not that the alcohol industry is going away,” Martin said. “It’s just that people are now just drinking more mindfully and more with an eye to moderation because they have the data.”
Martin said the current non-alcoholic drinking landscape looks different than it did even a year ago.
“Even a year ago, when I would see a zero-proof cocktail menu on a restaurant’s menu, I’d be like, ‘great,'” Martin said, adding that, “the expectation is that most restaurants have them now.”
Despite running a non-alcoholic spirits company, Martin said neither he nor his employees classify as “traditionally sober.” Martin said he still enjoys cocktails, but he drinks a lot less than he used to. Similar to most non-alcoholic consumers, Martin said he enjoys both options.
Before founding Free Spirits, Martin said he spent 20 years in the advertising industry and embraced the “work hard, drink harder” mentality of the business. Oftentimes, he said he overindulged — but not because he necessarily wanted to.
“It was just that phenomenon of you’re having a great time, you’re out with friends in some great cocktail bar. The energy is high,” Martin said. “Your glass is empty, you order another.”
Brands like Free Spirits, which is now distributed across around 8,000 locations in the US, including at stores like Total Wine & More and Wegmans, offer consumers the “bite and burn” of alcohol in a non-alcoholic drink. The drinks also integrate Vitamins B12, B6, and B3. Other popular non-alcoholic options infuse THC or psychedelics.
Instead of drinking orange juice or soda in a social setting, consumers now have the opportunity to experience a margarita or martini without the effects of alcohol.
Martin said Free Spirits’ prices have come down by about 15% to 20% since the company’s start. As Free Spirits continues to scale and find efficiencies in its supply chain, the company plans to pass those savings onto its partners and to consumers to broaden the availability of the category and the brand, the company said.
