IN the month sometimes referred to as “Octsober”, Drink Nil has launched bearing the slogan, “The Alcohol-Free Specialists”. The online retailer’s product offering focuses on the fast-growing alcohol-free drinks sector, from big brands to many “craft” and bespoke local producers. A healthy selection of wines and bubblies, gins, spirits, mocktails, tonics, seltzers, ciders and beers will delight all shoppers looking for something a little healthier to drink at their next dinner date.
Targeting a mixed customer base, from those trying to get healthier by drinking less alcohol to those who don’t drink due to religious, medical or any other personal reasons, Drink Nil is the first retail specialist of its type for South Africans. The business is the brainchild of Cape-based marketing strategists Caroline van Schalkwyk and Fiona Hilton, who discovered the exciting array of alcohol-free options available during the lockdown ban of 2020 and were quick to respond to this rapidly evolving drinks marketplace by providing a focused retail solution to which they believe people will respond.
“Fiona and I met by chance in 2019. We both have a marketing background, share a (healthy!) love of wine and are working moms. We were both seeking more energy and a healthier lifestyle in general, so when lockdown came around, the penny dropped! The decision to unite as business partners was a simple one and Drink Nil was born a few months later”, says Van Schalkwyk.
With a passion for brand building, marketing and advertising, Fiona and Caroline are keen to build awareness around promoting healthier drink choices, and mindful consumption. “We are keen to promote a healthier lifestyle and offer a choice of delicious drinks that you would be proud to serve at any time of the day”, says Fiona.
Drink Nil has sourced a vast choice of non-alcoholic drinks so an entire party can be catered for in one convenient place. Key brands include Devil’s Peak Hero and Darling Brew beers, Fibs and The Duchess mocktails, Cognato, Robertson Winery and Uncanny wines, Barker & Quin tonics, Pura sodas and John Ross, Seedlip and Vermont gins. Customers can shop online at any time of the day or night, and orders are delivered throughout SA.