A Londoner couldn't get non-alcoholic drinks she wanted. So she started her own company
Pandemic drinking got Amber Wisniewski thinking.
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Pandemic drinking got Amber Wisniewski thinking.
“I was reaching for wine and waking up with a headache and thinking ‘What am I doing? I don’t want to be drinking this much,’” she said, adding life stress and lockdowns pushed her into an unhealthy habit.
“I started to look for some alternatives and I came across a whole world of quality non-alcoholic beverages. The problem was, they weren’t available here.”
So Wisniewski, an esthetician for 26 years, launched Dry Variety, an online shop for alcohol-free options so non-drinkers and those wanting to cut back aren’t just stuck with water, juice or pop.
The online retailer launched in December 2021 and is growing its brick-and-mortar business. It sells non-alcoholic spirits including tequila and gin, dealcoholized wine and alcohol-free craft beer. All products on the online store are less than 0.5 per cent alcohol by volume.
Dry spirits, including some that have their alcohol removed and others made without alcohol entirely, can be used in traditional cocktail recipes.
“It’s nice to have a sophisticated beverage. I’m a bit of a foodie. It’s not the same drinking water or even a traditional mocktail with oysters or something like that,” Wisniewski said.
“I loved Prosecco and Aperol spritz, so I started out searching for bubbly non-alcoholic wines. . . . My palate has graduated and now I’m into still non-alcoholic wines. It’s fun, it’s new and it’s different.”
Wisniewski started by contacting non-alcoholic brands, including many overseas, and making deals with importers to get the dry drinks here. She has more than 17 suppliers and about 100 products on her Dry Variety online store.
“I remember ordering my first 11 cases and I was like ‘What am I going to do with these? How am I going to sell these?’ And now I feel like a logistics expert, trying to figure out importing myself,” Wisniewski said. “It’s non-stop learning.”
Dry Variety has some of its products at Annie’s Chocolates on Hyde Park Road and is looking to ramp up its regional footprint, she said. She’s getting into distribution, reaching restaurants and other businesses in Southwestern Ontario to carry Dry Variety’s products.
Dry Variety is ramping up at a time when Canadian health officials have changed their advice on alcohol consumption, warning no amount of alcohol is good for you.
The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction’s latest guidelines, updated earlier this year after more than a decade, said health risks are low for people who consume two drinks or fewer a week.
Wisniewski said dry drink options are perfect for people who still want the experience of drinking wine, a cold beer or a cocktail, but are looking to cut out alcohol.
“I’m connecting with so many non-drinkers or people who live, I call it, dry curiously. People who really don’t drink a lot,” she said.
“Sometimes they feel excluded at events or restaurants. The inclusive piece (of non-alcoholic drinks) is really important to me.”
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