Brian Helfrich

Let's talk Zebra Striping and Dry January 93% of people buying adult non-alcoholic (ANA) beverages also buy alcoholic drinks (NielsenIQ) Let that sink in for a second. The ANA customer isn't choosing between alcohol and adult NA drinks. → They're choosing both → They're alternating throughout the week → They're moderating, not abstaining This behavior is called Zebra Striping (if you haven't heard the term already). → One alcoholic drink → One adult NA drink → Back and forth throughout the evening In fact, 25% of UK pub goers actively alternate between alcoholic and NA beer during visits. And this is one reason why Dry January isn't simply "Dry" anymore. It's really a combination of Dry and Dry(ish) January. Because not everyone is giving up alcohol for the month. They're incorporating ANA beverages into their routine while still enjoying alcohol in moderation. And this is changing how businesses are approaching Dry January. Athletic Brewing Co. understands this with their "Athletic January" campaign. As Andrew Katz​, CMO for Athletic, puts it: "For too long, January has been defined by limitations, framed around sacrifice rather than possibility. In 2026, we're shifting the conversation by encouraging drinkers to prioritize presence, explore new experiences, and make moderation a year-round mindset." Instead of encouraging total abstinence? → They're celebrating moderation → They're partnering with OpenTable to make ANA beverages easier to find in bars and restaurants → They're positioning their products as part of the drinking experience, not a replacement for it When talking about adult non-alcoholic beverages, we don't need to think "replacement" - we can think "rotation." The person ordering an ANA gin alternative? → They had a craft beer last night → They'll have a glass of wine tomorrow → They're not leaving alcohol behind - they're building it into a more balanced approach What is the business opportunity for sellers of ANA drinks? Retailers: Stock ANA beverages alongside alcohol, not in a separate "alternatives" section. Bars and restaurants: Staff can suggest ANA options as part of a balanced evening, not as a consolation prize. (NOTE: More than two-thirds of young drinkers say they've left venues due to poor adult NA options.) There are many more ANA options today - from NA beers that taste just as good as any alcohol counterpart to sophisticated NA cocktails - and this is making Dry(ish) January easier than ever. Months or events like Dry January don’t have to be about choosing sides. They can be about having (and providing) options for different moments - for everyone. So that we all can enjoy sipping, connecting, and celebrating in any way we choose. ❓How are you seeing zebra striping show up in your market - are your customers alternating, or still thinking in all-or-nothing terms? P.P.S. Want more insights like this? Subscribe to ANA Insider - link in the comments.

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In more fun* beverage-industry news for Colorado businesses that use Shopify. Shopify's recently championed addition of SMS marketing to their core email functionality comes with a MAJOR asterisk. For context, Wine Dispensary is an aptly named wine, beer, and spirits retailer. Marketing of alcohol products is precluded by Shopify's current SMS policy. Given the state of the beverage industry's decline, we desperately need to increase the proportion of food products we sell. SMS is a great channel for that and we were approved by Shopify to send SMS messages earlier this year... but none of the messages we send actually go out?! I just got off the phone with Shopify Support. They won't let us send SMS messages simply because of our company name and industry classification. The content of our marketing messages doesn't matter. If we were a grocery store that sold alcohol? All good! Send SMS messages! If we were a pharmacy that sold alcohol? All good! Send SMS messages! Food retailer that sells alcohol? All good! This is such an incredibly poor policy implementation by Alexandra Clark, Harley Finkelstein, and Ian Goldin. Thanks Shopify!

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Protein is the fastest-growing trend in CPG. No surprise there. Here's the part most people get wrong about protein drinks. They think the decision is refrigerated or shelf-stable. Pick a temperature state and build a business there. Shoppers don't think that way and the data shows it. 1 in 2 people, new to RTD protein, enter through the cold set. Not the center aisle. In beverage, "when its cold, its sold" and the refrigerated section is ideal for discovery, trial, and immediate consumptions. Then something happens around the one-year mark. 40% of them start buying shelf-stable too. Not instead of refrigerated — in addition to it. They've gone from trying protein drinks, to stocking up on them. That's a loyalty signal most brands never get to see, because they only live in one zone. And here's the issue: when you live in one temperature state, you miss half of the occasions. Either consumers discover your brand in the refrigerated section and switch to a new one when they start pantry loading shelf stable items, or they don't have an on-the-go, refrigerated option of their shelf stable brand when they're out and about. Despite conventional thinking, thats exactly why Koia is available in both refrigerated and shelf stable formats.

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Prices are rising for consumers, but they’re still going out to eat & drink – just a little earlier. OpenTable’s 2026 Dining Trends Report shows a 13% rise in eating out between 4-5 pm, AKA Happy Hour. More than half of Americans say they want to see more happy hour and value deals in 2026, and 35% prioritize happy hour drinks and snacks when they eat out. Luckily, there’s a ton of opportunity for operators to create Happy Hour offers that satisfy the quest for value while preserving profitability. One way to do it is to engineer Happy Hour around what already works hardest on your P&L: - Build a tight HH menu around shareables like wings, loaded fries, nachos, and sliders that already run at 60%+ gross margin, and only lightly discount a few draft/house pours instead of the full bar. - Create set “drink + snack” combos (like house wine or draft plus one designated app) so guests feel like they’re getting a deal, but you’re blending a 70–80% margin beverage with a high‑margin small plate instead of cutting price across the board. - Point Happy Hour toward draft beer, house wines, and one or two batched cocktails (cheaper to pour and faster on the line) so you can offer a visible discount without eroding profit margins or overloading your staff. You can create an experience that keeps checks reasonable for guests AND profitable.

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🚨 Where are the funding options for sub-$1M brands? Every single week, I talk to 100+ founders LIVE inside my ShelfMade community. Through my Founder Circles and office hours, I’m in the trenches with early-stage CPG brands…hearing their wins, struggles, and everything in between. And week after week, I keep hearing the same 4 things on repeat: 1️⃣ “I’m doing less than $1M… how the hell do I raise money?” 2️⃣ “How do I get into retail… the right way?” 3️⃣ “How do I find the right manufacturer?” 4️⃣ “Who can I actually trust to partner with…agencies, suppliers, brokers, etc.?” Here’s what’s wild to me 👇 There’s no real funding option for brands under $1M in revenue. We all know how brutally hard it is to make a CPG product work. If your margins don’t work, your brand won’t either. Period. But for the brands that do have something special.. a killer product + margin, strong founder, smart strategy..the lack of funding options is a massive gap in the ecosystem. I get why investors see early CPG as “too risky.” But it’s also where the upside is the highest. Inside my Founder Circles, I have a front-row seat to who’s “working” way before the rest of the market sees it… founders with velocity, strong branding, margin, sharp instincts. And it got me thinking… 👉 What if Shelfmade became the bridge? 👉 What if we not only advised and connected early-stage founders, but funded them too? 👉 What if the ecosystem supported them through both capital and community? Early capital + intimate founder circles + advisor access = a real shot at building something lasting. No one’s putting founders in curated rooms with both peers and advisors while backing them with capital. I wish this existed when I was building.. 🔸 If you’re a founder, what’s been your biggest challenge raising? 🔸 If you’re an investor, what would make you lean in at this stage? 🔸 If you’re in the ecosystem, what are you seeing? Happy Sunday Fam

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I have written a lot lately about protein and where the category is heading. This deal is another data point worth paying attention to. Second Nature Brands, the PE-backed snacking platform behind Brownie Brittle, Sahale Snacks and Voortman, just agreed to acquire Tillamook Country Smoker. Tillamook generates more than $175 million in annual sales and makes clean-label zero-sugar jerky, beef sticks and sausages. This is Second Nature's first move into protein snacks. The category numbers explain why. Dried meat snack sales excluding jerky rose 10.7% to $3.3 billion in 2024. PepsiCo entered this year with Good Warrior. Chomps, Jack Link's Protein Snacks and Archer Meat Snacks are all scaling. The category has gone from a niche better-for-you play to one of the most competitive aisles in the store in a very short window. For Second Nature, Tillamook gives them a platform in a category with real consumer tailwinds. For CapVest, the PE firm backing Second Nature, this is the roll-up playbook working exactly as designed. Buy castoffs and undermanaged brands, add distribution muscle and retail relationships, and let the category growth do some of the work. The harder question is whether clean-label meat snacks can hold their positioning as the category gets crowded with scaled players. Full article: https://lnkd.in/gvsRjjzQ

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MILO'S TEA CROSSES $1B IN RETAIL SALES one of the best scale stories in non-alc beverage. Milo's Tea Company, Inc. just hit $1B in annual retail sales, beating its own 2027 target. According to Circana, the brand more than doubled from ~$450M in 2022 to $1B in the ltm. Founded in 1946 by Milo and Bea Carlton as a walk-up stand in Alabama. Third-gen Chair and CEO Tricia Wallwork has run it since 2012. Distribution is up 50% to 65,000+ stores across all 50 states. Milo’s now holds nearly half of refrigerated tea in units and dollars.

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