U.S. of N/A: Non-Alcoholic and THC Drinks

Drinking craft beer is communal, a ritual meant to be shared amongst friends and family members. It is also often local, built around a shared community based on geography or shared interests. In today's bonus episode, we sit down with Mark Ruf and Tyler Keough, founders of the NA Beer Market, a new addition borne from the same platform that created the NA Beer Club in 2021. We talk about how the idea evolved from Mark sharing...

Who said local breweries can't do an NA beer profitably? And how did Pittsburgh wind-up with so much happening in the local non-alcoholic scene? In this Part II of our two-part series from the Steel City, we finish our interview with The Open Road's Mel Babitz, and the Loaded Food Group's Katrina Tomacchio (also known as The Northeast Ginger on IG), who talk about the local scene and what's coming up. We then ch...

Nearly a year removed from our first visit, we return to the Steel City in the new location (and future lounge) of the longest-running non-alcoholic specialty retailer in the country, The Open Road. With so much happening in the local NA scene, we split our visit into a two-part episode. In Part I, we include much of our interview with The Open Road's Mel Babitz, and Katrina Tomacchio of the Loaded Food Group (also known as Th...

Is the craft brewing industry in serious decline, or just in a state of transition to what it may look like tomorrow? We traveled to Indianapolis for the 2025 Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo to get answers to that, as well as to better understand the broader landscape of beverages, including THC and non-alcoholic beer.

Interviewed in this episode:

Julie Rhodes, Co-Owner, Kick Beverage Company, Inc.

Jason Pickle, President, Volun...

After a hospitality career that included stops at some of the most exclusive brands in hospitality, Ian Blessing is no stranger to world-class food and beverage experiences. In this episode, we sit down to talk about how he and his wife, Carly, have built a unique, handcrafted product set around non-alcoholic bitters, a category that lends itself perfectly to collaboration. Using what he learned at legendary establishments like The...

It's been quite a year in the U.S. hemp market, which is still just getting started. The explosion of hemp-derived THC/CBD beverages has, not surprisingly, collided with regulations that have come fast and furious at the state level. In an effort to make sense of it all we sat down with David Spang, Founder of Coastal Green Wellness, a hemp/CBD retailer with locations in South Carolina and Georgia, as well as a new line of THC...

Craft beer's evolution includes a spectrum of new and mindful choices. This episode captures the vibrant atmosphere of the fifth installment of Little Beer, a festival held in Duluth, Georgia celebrating lower-gravity brews such as English Ales and Lagers. In this bonus episode we chat with industry leaders there who understand the need for a full spectrum of beverage options to meet the changing needs of today's consumer...

The origin story of Spiritless begins deep in Kentucky Bourbon country, where the trio of co-founders initially bought large quantities of Old Forester at their local Total Wine, while enlisting the services of a sump pump to help power their early experiments. Alongside her two other co-founders, Lauren Chitwood's brand journey dates back to before the pandemic, and in those early days they sought to craft a brand and liquid ...

While the non-alcoholic beverage space is booming, the low and no-alcohol wine category has had its own unique set of challenges. This episode features an in-depth conversation with Brandon Joldersma, CEO of Surely, and the Founder/CEO of Arlow, two brands at the forefront of this emerging space. In our discussion Brandon shares his candid thoughts on the low-alcohol wine category he's trying to help create, explaining the pot...

While the hemp-fueled THC beverage category may be just getting started, it's been a more complicated path for an over-arching industry still waiting on perceptions and legislation to catch-up with consumer preferences.  Today's episode features a sit down with Ricardo Baca, named one of the 7 Most Powerful People In America's Marijuana Industry, and founder/CEO of a leading integrated communications firm, Grasslands...

As mindfulness and moderation in drinking continues to become a bigger thing, so too are festivals that celebrate discovery in the non-alcoholic world, along with finding holistic wellness and community. In this bonus episode we recap our visit to Bluffton, South Carolina for the first-ever Lowcountry Dry Fest. Hear from the three principals behind this new event; Kayla Lewis of NAPS Chicago, Jessa Frances De La Rosa of Untoxicated...

While Athletic Brewing may today be known as one of the fastest-growing breweries the craft beer industry has ever seen, its origins were more deliberate and intentional, with a rollout strategy that stayed local for as long as possible. Bill Shufelt's founder story goes back nearly a decade, and in those early years he carefully constructed a foundation that would serve the company well as it emerged as one of the faces of a ...

Entrepreneurial from a young age, Busty Lush founder Laurel Harrop has always been open to trying something new. Little did she know when starting a successful lighting recycling business that her next venture would involve creating a stylish icon of the non-alcoholic drinking movement. In our conversation, we talk with Laurel about a number of topics related to Busty Lush's first four years in business, including:

• What dre...

How many beverage companies started by making their product in a 53' tractor trailer that traveled the country? That was the question we asked ourselves upon hearing the origin story of the Wynk THC-infused seltzer brand, which initially competed in the state-by-state regulated cannabis industry. In our conversation with co-founder and CEO Angus Rittenburg, we talk about where the brand started, how they have evolved, the ways...

In a category still getting its footing in the consumer consciousness, creating a perfectly flavored cocktail infused with THC/CBD is a task with many layers to it. So explains today's guest, Ben Kennedy, who along with his wife Kristen founded Fable Libations, a Denver-based brand in the growing hemp-derived beverage space.

In our conversation Ben talks about how his background in advertising and marketing helped hi...

How can a mountain town, hundreds of miles from the ocean, be expected to defend itself from a major hurricane? That's what the residents of Asheville, North Carolina and the surrounding Blue Ridge mountains had to be asking themselves on Friday, September 27th, the day Hurricane Helene took a devastating path through the region.

In this episode we return to the story of our first-ever N/ATION road trip back in Februa...

Cannabis beverages have exploded in the market, not coincidentally just as consumer preferences seem to be shifting away from alcohol. In today's episode we're joined by Lehua Brands CEO Sierra Elaina, herself a veteran of the alcohol industry having formerly held key leadership roles in sales and marketing for Diageo. In our conversation we talk about what's driving the category, how the cannabis industry is recover...

If you've enjoyed an American craft beer over the last few decades, you've benefited from the efforts of our guest today. Keith Villa founded Blue Moon Brewing Company for Miller Coors back in 1995, which would of course become an iconic brand that helped usher in a new era of craft beer that we know today. His trailblazing efforts in craft beer didn't stop there, though, as he would start Ceria Brewing in 2018. Ceri...

The state of the (NA category) is strong, and getting stronger. Today's episode has a bit of a "state of the industry" feel to it, as I'm joined by Laura Silverman, founder of Zero Proof Nation, one of the most authentic voices in the non-alcoholic beverage movement.

In our conversation we first talk about her advocacy in the space, and how much has changed in the time she's been involved. She made...