Lisa King: AF Drinks Founder on the success of the brand, a nationwide distribution deal in the UK

The success story keeps rolling for Kiwi company AF Drinks. 

The alcohol-free brand has just secured nationwide distribution in the UK with supermarket giant Morrisons. 

It follows on from their US expansion, with them now stocked in over 4000 stores including Target, Walmart, and Sprouts. 

Founder Lisa King told Mike Hosking there’s been a huge trend towards alcohol moderation. 

She says that a lot of people are still drinking alcohol, but they’re moderating it and choosing to drink less or drink non-alcoholic versions.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The boos free culture continues to expand. Currently, let me
give you some numbers. Forty three billion dollar business looking
to expand to eighty two billion in the next ten years.
This is globally free. AF is the New Zealand brand.
Of course, it's now expanding into the UK nationwide. In fact,
they've just kind of deal all with the supermarket chain
Morrison's and Lisa King is the drinks founder and as
well as Lisa morning.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Good morning mate.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
The US story, Tell me about that. Have you been
successful there? And if you're successful in the US, how
do you grow further into a place like the UK.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Yeah, So we launched in the US about ten and
a half years ago, and you know it was actually
just starting out Lake New Zealand was when we first
launched back into at the end of twenty twenty and
so we were one of the first nine OUC ready
to drink cocktail brands to launch in the US supermarkets
and we started worth four hundred stores in the US

(00:51):
and we're now close to about four thousand wow stores.
So in a very very short time, they category and
space has just exploded and now you see products alcohol
free products like ours just pretty much everywhere and similar
to what we've seen happen in New Zealand.

Speaker 1 (01:11):
What's driving Is it youth or something else.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
There's definitely the stories around you know, gen z and
young people drinking less, but actually it's just this huge
trend towards moderation and people. A lot of people are
still drinking alcohol, but they're just moderating it and choosing,
you know, sometimes to drink a little less or in
between drinks, they're drinking non alcoholic versions. So there's definitely

(01:37):
more a drive towards moderating and reduction and being more
mindful about what you're drinking.

Speaker 1 (01:42):
Is the spend down on the economy? So are you
part of an economic story when an economy contracts, you
contract or the people drink anyway and they may drink
it non alcohol and therefore you're not affected.

Speaker 2 (01:54):
We haven't seen the impact like I think a lot
of other industries or brands or companies have. It's definitely,
you know, like alcohol is in decline globally, but for
alcohol free it's definitely what people are turning towards, and
so we haven't had that impact.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
Now what about cultures? See I get it in a
place like California, maybe Florida where you are this morning.
You know, they're called literally I get all of that.
In Britain, it's a different culture, isn't it And booze
is a big part of it.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
Yeah, and everyone's really surprised, you know, to hear that
actually a lot of Brits are choosing to go alcohol free.
And you know, half of UK adults now drink low
or no alcohol products and even pub visits like one
in three pub visits are now alcohol free in the UK,

(02:45):
and so it is surprising. But there is a huge
behavioral shift in the UK as well. And you know
with the lakes of say, Guinness zero. I've just read
somewhere that with an online shopping channel Ocado that Guinness
is out selling Guinness.

Speaker 1 (03:01):
Wow, unreal, interesting times, Lisa, go well with it. I'm
glad you're I'm glad you're enjoying your success. Lisa King,
who's the Apiair drinks founder Guinness zero. I was actually
reading an article yesterday or the day before about ire
Island and it's linked to alcohol and you sort of
you know, first thing your dad does is roll you
down to the pub when you're sixteen and introduce you
to the Guinness and that's your life, and it's socializing

(03:22):
its small villages. It is what it is for more
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