NZ's first non-alcoholic drinks online store provides healthy alternative

La Vie En Rose is a non-alcoholic rose cocktail, a great sparkling wine alternative.

Clear Head Drinks is a company like no other in New Zealand.

Launching at Beervana in August, the company is New Zealand's first non-alcoholic drinks online store.

After giving up drinking eight years ago, Kāpiti real estate agent Ricky Bartlett and his wife Donna Weston decided they wanted to create a place where people could find great non-alcoholic options, all under the same roof.

"I stopped drinking eight years ago," Ricky said.

"Drinking all the time just wasn't sitting right with me.

"I hadn't had major issues with it, but it was just becoming uncomfortable.

Clear Head Drinks co-founders and directors Donna Weston and Ricky Bartlett.

"I decided one morning to stop and that was it – I decided to knock it straight on the head and haven't had a drink since – that was eight years ago."

But what Ricky found was he still liked beer and wine, and he still liked to go out.

"When you stop drinking, especially back then, there weren't non-alcoholic alternatives when you go out.

"I used to go to functions and they'd hand you lemonade, orange or lemon, lime and bitters, and you just never quite felt like you were part of the occasion."

The alternatives felt like kids' drinks and were full of sugar.

"The options for non-alcoholic beer or wine and spirits were all over the place – you could find one thing at Pak'nSave and one thing at New World, but never multiple options at the same place.

"That got me frustrated and we decided to do something about it."

"The consumer demand is there," Donna said.

"This is an exciting sector to be in.

"It has a feel-good factor, firstly you're actually giving people options, and those options are healthy and good for you as well."

Noughty sparkling wines are some of the most popular products Clear Head Drinks have sold so far.

However, upon trying some of the non-alcoholic beers and wine, they found there weren't many options out there.

"As we tasted the few options out there we found that they weren't all that great. So we decided to look overseas.

"We found there were lots more options from companies that were specialising in non-alcoholic beer and wines."

With the idea formed years ago, the couple let life get in the way for a few years until Covid-19 hit last year.

"We didn't get going as quickly as we would have liked but when Covid-19 hit the first time we had four weeks to do whatever - and decided we would launch this company," Ricky said.

"And here we are."

With backgrounds in real estate, primary teaching and retail management, both Ricky and Donna have experience in sales, using that experience to get going, before working out the rest along the way.

"We tried to find business mentors 18 months ago but at the time no one understood the concept of non-alcoholic beverages as an industry.

"They also didn't understand e-commerce and the whole online thing – but that has since exploded with Covid-19.

"We decided we'd just have to do it ourselves and I started calling people."

One of their first suppliers was Thomson & Scott from the UK who produce a worldwide favourite non-alcoholic bubbly.

"We've sought products which have added health benefits for the whole health and wellbeing sector," Donna said.

"Often they're low calorie, low sugar, they've got added vitamins, they're organic, vegan friendly and gluten free - they tick all the boxes.

"There's a lot of fun involved, the marketing is very vibrant and fun which is really important.

"We understand that people who don't want to drink alcohol still want to be involved, they still want to have fun."

Clear Head Drinks provide tasty non-alcoholic options and enable you to continue having fun on a night out – with a clear head the next morning.

"There's been an increase in wineries bringing out zero alcohol wines, and some craft breweries here in New Zealand are starting to bring out non-alcoholic beers.

"What we offer is to sit alongside alcohol - it's still beer or wine, just with or without the alcohol content.

"This means you can still have a drinking night or participate in the party or celebration but be able to drive home afterwards.

"We've got options that are not just your lemonade or juice so that you feel like you're drinking an adult drink or having a glass of wine at dinner.

"It's about having the ritual and the occasion without feeling like you're being left out."

As for their recommendations on the best non-alcoholic drinks: Bravus Raspberry Gose and Thomson and Scott's Noughty Rosé would be their first picks.

Clear Head Drinks products are available online and are also available for wholesale.