237: Compelling Reasons to Serve Elevated Non Alcoholic Drinks at Your Events

Tracy Stuckrath [00:00:06]:
Welcome to the catering at a meeting podcast. I'm your host, Tracy Stuckraff, dietary needs expert, certified meetings manager, certified food protection manager. I have searched the globe to find people and businesses who are creating safe, sustainable, and inclusive food and beverage experiences for their employees, guests, and communities. In each episode, you will find authentic conversations about how food and beverage impacts inclusion, sustainability, culture, community, health, and wellness. I know that sounds like a lot, but we're gonna cover it all. Are you ready to feed engagement, nourish inclusion, and bolster your bottom line? If so, let's go. I'm so excited to bring you an episode today to celebrate dry January. January is vegan and dry January, so I try to spread the wealth across the month and talk about both.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:01:02]:
And my two guests, Kate Faulkner and Jen Veralla (Gilhoi), who were on the show last year in March for Women's Dietary Month. They are with Zero Proof Collective. And after 2 years of deep diving into the nonalcoholic beverages, they are going to bring light to its flourishing potential and looming challenges. And they are here today to talk about, as the title on the show said, the and compelling reasons to serve elevated nonalcoholic drinks at your next event. And welcome, ladies.

Jen Veralla [00:01:35]:
Thank you. And you. To be back.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:01:37]:
Likewise. I'm so excited, and we've got some people, our bunch of Instagram already, Jessica Bank and Craig and Steven Einstein. Hi. And Ruth, thank you for joining us. I'm just gonna jump in and I'm gonna say and kind of as a joke to something that I did attended years ago was that an elevated drink would not be Cheerwine and Fresca mixed together. Is

Jen Veralla [00:01:58]:
that correct? That's perfect. Yes.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:02:00]:
The deal. Yes. Alright. Tell everybody what how the 2 of you started 0 Proof Collective, what is 0 Proof Collective, and why we're here today to talk about this. Yeah. Well, we started 0 Proof Collective in May of 2022 with the idea that there were

Jen Veralla [00:02:17]:
a lot of barriers in the nonalcoholic industry that we needed to overcome. So we have hosted meetings for people in the NA industry, and we've learned a lot along the way, a lot of lessons, and collaboration has been one of our biggest lessons. And then we've also been serving NA cocktails at events, and talking with people in person and having these conversations about why NA beverages matter, we've just learned so much, so that's what we're gonna share today, so share a little bit of perspective over the last year.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:02:50]:
Okay. Great. And the I mean, I even me. I mean, I well, you can't really see them up there very well, but I've got 4 different bottles of nonalcoholic beverages up here.

Jen Veralla [00:03:00]:
Got it. And I'll just bring them

Tracy Stuckrath [00:03:02]:
closer because they're easier to see. But my house is now I mean, I've not drank in 5 years now, but my dad is drinking nonalcoholic beverages. So we've really started to incorporate these different beverages in the household, not just the sodas and club soda with the lime. So I really want to in that 9 months, it's our life has changed here too, so I'm really interested in getting into this. But I will I'm like, we might as well jump in because we've got 7 reasons to talk about.

Cate Faulkner [00:03:32]:
Yes. Yeah. I do wanna say interesting to watch your dad because you told me he was on some medication and he needed Mhmm. Turn bibs, and he's really embraced it. He's Yes. Making it his ritual. So one of the common questions is what age category is this? Who does it detract? Who is this for? And it really is for everyone. There's no no limitation.

Cate Faulkner [00:03:54]:
It's for anyone who chooses not to drink alcohol on occasion or not at all.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:03:59]:
Well and my niece, I gave her some of the I had the canned spiritless beverage, and I gave her some of those and she tried she's like, oh my gosh. I really like this. So she's doing the same thing and she's 23. So I got 23 and 81 in my house. My immediate family that are drinking non and then 55, not drinking alcohol.

Cate Faulkner [00:04:22]:
And that that probably is the most important lesson that we've learned religious get people to try it. Right. It's come a

Tracy Stuckrath [00:04:27]:
long way.

Cate Faulkner [00:04:28]:
We've come

Tracy Stuckrath [00:04:28]:
a long way. Yeah. Okay, baby. You're the

Jen Veralla [00:04:30]:
only one and remember. Campaign.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:04:32]:
No. I remember that. So what is number what is let's jump in with the service reasons. So what's your number one reason? What's number one compelling reason to bring this into

Cate Faulkner [00:04:46]:
your event bars. Yes. Okay. So just before we start, I wanna clarify that NA is the acronym for nonalcoholic. We say NA all the time, and we say it really quickly and sometimes it just sort of floats through the sentence. Those of us in this space are beginning to assume a lot of things that we have to remember that some people have never heard of this. So then, NA options are just nonalcoholic beverages, elevated nonalcoholic beverages that would be available at an event. So and this is all part of the NA movement, which is a major cultural shift.

Cate Faulkner [00:05:25]:
Mhmm. Celebrates a lifestyle choice focused on choosing not to drink on occasion or not at all. And it promotes a sense of belonging and a wide range of elevated NA alternatives and encourages individuals to continue to socialize, unwind, and celebrate without alcohol.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:05:48]:
Well, and I shared the story with you that my friend Joan shared with me from Washington DC and a woman who started a nonalcoholic bar in DC after she had a DUI. And Yeah. Vergy Vergy.

Cate Faulkner [00:06:01]:
Is that her name? Yeah.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:06:02]:
Yeah. And she started as her 13th step because she needed a place to go. Oh, wow. Awesome. And I just I love that. Yeah. The fact that she did that, and and and she's been in business for a year, and so hopefully I get to see her we get to go meet her at the end of the month. Kate, that would be great to meet her in person in DC.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:06:20]:
But, I mean, I think that's really another pivotal reason in medication choice, just choosing not to do it or whatever. I think it's a really keen opportunity, and we're all at events. Let's start with the number and. We like

Cate Faulkner [00:06:35]:
to get number 1 and number 2 out of the way because it's and of the icky part of the conversation. We are not taking anyone's alcohol away food starters. This is not Okay. Promoting. We are coming from a place of abundance. Okay. That's imperative that we started that category. It seems sometimes this industry polarizes people, just the concept and the thought of it.

Cate Faulkner [00:06:58]:
So we can't be careful. The reality is the World Health Organization took a definitive stance a year ago now with The Lancet Public Health Journal, and it the summation of the study, it's Canadian study, states that when it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect your health, period. End of discussion.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:07:20]:
So that's even the glass of red wine that people some doctors are saying.

Cate Faulkner [00:07:25]:
Check. And, that was a con. Right? Yeah. 60 minutes did that actually. So, yeah, physical health, alcohol, headaches, dehydration, nausea, and digestion. I sound like one of those commercials for medication. I'll just say them all really fast. But and then there's another aspect, just mental health.

Cate Faulkner [00:07:42]:
We've post COVID, we've got a lot of mental health issues Mhmm. For our country. Modern drinkers, they might have temporary effects, but it doesn't last. And heavier usage of alcohol is defined as 5 drinks for men on one day or 15 or more per week. And for women, it's only, 4 on one day, but 8 drinks per week. That's Wow. Consumption. And this is what's associated with depression, anxiety, emotional instability, sleep disorders.

Cate Faulkner [00:08:17]:
Everyone can pretty much talk about their sleep because they do find themselves waking up. And you can get and, cognitive impairment. I'll speak to that with my personal experience and my father. It was a it was a dementia inducing this is the health and wellness issue, and it's Right. Wasn't, but it's a fact. So it the only real purpose of it is it's nice to share the information so everyone knows, and then it's out there. Yeah. You you

Jen Veralla [00:08:45]:
got it. It's almost like drawing a very set line with your alcohol use and it's was very compelling last year to hear that statement be made because people now aren't looking for, oh, what's a good amount and trying to moderate, they're simply saying, okay, now we're shifting to the idea that it really is not good for us in any amount, so that's huge and that also paired this with dry January again.

Cate Faulkner [00:09:09]:
Mhmm.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:09:09]:
But so Right.

Cate Faulkner [00:09:10]:
Live a life and drink it in moderation. That's the reality if you choose to. But if you don't wanna exceed the 5 drinks, this is where and options come into play. Yeah. You catering or 2 and then switch and keep drinking. Yeah.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:09:24]:
Yeah. I mean and I don't remember the name of the book. Philip Cook, I think, is the author. He's like people 30% of people don't drink alcohol and it's or they stop after and drink. Right? And it's I know you have the

Jen Veralla [00:09:39]:
Who are those people?

Cate Faulkner [00:09:40]:
But then catering, what what I would have that statistic of half the world's population doesn't drink alcohol, so Right. Number 2, what's number 2?

Jen Veralla [00:09:48]:
The second one, responsible choices and when it comes to safety and liability, so this is obviously huge in the corporate space, and over the last year catering with a lot of legal teams and departments about all of the things that they are faced with, especially after company holiday parties, large conferences where the impact of serving and over service people through an event like that, there is a corporate responsibility, and to be able to look at that and say, let's build some things in that make sense where we're offering nonalcoholic options so we don't have our attendees in these situations, which we know. Right. The drinking culture around that is massive, and the thought that you have to apply your employees or attendees with alcohol to get them to talk to one another is crazy. It's like these people are hopefully coming together with a professional interest in something, and to be able to just recognize that, and offer some different NA options, and also lead with that. Let your guests and attendees know that's gonna be the tone of the event. Right. I'm prepared to learn and engage without that drink ticket, and looking forward to an alcoholic forward happy hour. So Right.

Jen Veralla [00:11:05]:
There's all sorts of research behind this, but looking at a commitment, for example, a corporation could look at having a commitment to guest safety at their events. You can change your policies within, you can create buy in and leadership that this is important. The other stat we look at is people get in their cars and they drive home after these events, and even at bars and restaurants, there's supplies everywhere where we see, huge numbers of DUIs still catering. In Minnesota here, average about and DUIs per day, and this Wow. Yeah. And that's the normal. Yeah. And this other stat, 5,700,000 of DUI related issues, so you can't really hide behind that, and a legal team, and good legal team or lawyer in an organization would be encouraged to take a look at that and shift their offerings to support a commitment to that responsible hosting.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:11:59]:
Right. Well and I took the story from the DC bar this and today posted it, and I was writing it and I said, one of my former clients used to give the sales team drink tickets, and then they would pass them out to the sponsors, like, unlimited drink tickets for people just to drink. And then I had this moment that it was the same convention probably a decade ago or more, actually more, that one of my former coworkers at my corporate job the next morning, the meeting plantbased telling me the dietary. He's like, yeah. Last night, this woman left our reception, and she fell into the she was so drunk, she fell into the fountain and she split her head open and such company pulled her out. Mhmm. She went to the emergency room and I'm like going, please don't be my employee. Please don't be somebody for me, my company.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:12:46]:
And it was. And she wasn't there with me specifically. She was a local that had come in to attend, but they over service her margaritas the whole time. Mhmm. And I mean, as a meeting planner, it was my duty of care to report it to my bosses, but she ended up losing her job. And I said in my piece today, I'm like, thankfully, she didn't get behind a car. Yeah. Right? The only damage was, quote, unquote, the only damage was her split open head, but the loss of her job.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:13:14]:
Right. I mean That was so things yeah. Yeah. Thankfully, it wasn't the loss of a life. Right. So

Cate Faulkner [00:13:20]:
Well, there aren't many events that don't have dietary line that include Yeah. Sometimes Particularly when it's an open bar and we'll just say weddings as the plantbased. Yeah. Yes.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:13:31]:
Yeah. So now I like that. And, Kate, you had mentioned the story of me of a corporate client that you had events spoke to, and it was a kind of a happy hour thing food. And the CEO was surprised that they you were pitching nonalcoholic beverages. Do you remember that what I'm talking about? Mhmm.

Cate Faulkner [00:13:49]:
Yeah. I think there's there's less of that. I mean, there's some knowledge. I would say the year, while we think while we sit can say everything, things have really changed and the sales have increased and there's more knowledge, to some degree, it's still the same in many spaces. So, yes. And if there's a leader who drinks alcohol, there will be less awareness, and perhaps awareness is from the younger people, but there's this balance. We have this and we had this and woman tell us she was in leadership at a corporation and she said she was reluctant to ask for nonalcoholic options at a corporate event because she thought they would think that she

Jen Veralla [00:14:31]:
had a drinking problem. Mhmm. Wow. That is the stigma we're still dealing with. So when we talk about the power to make change in our organization, it and come from anywhere, and so if leaders aren't yet on board, it can be anyone in the organization, and that's what we do at Zero Pro Collective is give individuals tools to be able to move that forward. And it Right.

Cate Faulkner [00:14:50]:
It's not more than a couple options. This isn't really hard. We're talking about, like, we were making it a lot big and complicated, but this isn't a big Start small. It starts small. Okay.

Jen Veralla [00:15:00]:
Anyone.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:15:01]:
Yeah. Yeah. You're not and we're like you said at the very beginning, we're not eliminating it altogether. We're just adding more options to that bar top. Hey. You can have these things too.

Cate Faulkner [00:15:12]:
So that that leads right into number 3, which is the most important word that everybody uses, and that's inclusivity. It's our favorite word. Reason Jenna and I even came together because we were struggling with the lack of inclusivity in the social spaces, and it was it's been remarkable in the last year how quickly these spaces have changed.

Jen Veralla [00:15:30]:
And can I just add through, our connecting, we each have about 9 years of sobriety? So we are, what I term, sober dietary. So that's important to understand too because we have a history of being in these spaces for a very long time and asking the questions. Mhmm.

Cate Faulkner [00:15:46]:
Like, oh, whip something up for they might as well say, hey. The woman on the bar stool at

Tracy Stuckrath [00:15:50]:
the end is not drinking alcohol.

Cate Faulkner [00:15:53]:
Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. So, anyway, this again, this isn't about prohibition that didn't work. This is about provision. So it's Okay. Providing food. And I have an a new phrase that I really connected with a couple needs ago that bartenders should craft and serve NA options with the same Okay.

Cate Faulkner [00:16:14]:
Actual finesse as their alcoholic counterparts. I like that. Yeah. Just not only gonna ping. Yeah. Have it Right. Make it lower. Just allergies, please.

Cate Faulkner [00:16:26]:
Integrate and just yeah.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:16:28]:
Send Yeah. Integration. That I think that's really important. Integrating it into the overall bar program and even looking at hotel catering needs, and I'm looking at 3 different hotels right now for different events I'm producing this year, and the nonalcoholic beverages are, like, the sodas and bottled water and the what are those other drinks that

Jen Veralla [00:16:52]:
A little combo thrown in there and

Tracy Stuckrath [00:16:54]:
Not even that on a hotel catering menu, but it's the bowl red bowl.

Cate Faulkner [00:16:59]:
Oh, really?

Tracy Stuckrath [00:16:59]:
Those and of drinks. Right? Right. That's what's offered on the nonalcoholic beverages of the hotel catering menu.

Cate Faulkner [00:17:04]:
Yes. That's just it it's lazy and it's come on. It's you gotta do better. That's a guess says these words. I'll just have water or Right. I'd like a sparkling water with a lemon. Can you put it in a wine glass, please? That's pretty common because everybody wants the pretty glass. K? Mhmm.

Cate Faulkner [00:17:22]:
I decided this is Greek code and, please, yes, I would love an NA option. So

Tracy Stuckrath [00:17:28]:
Great. Attention to that. Yes. And there's a guy that I chatted with years ago, and he said it's you know, it's really that glass thing. And, Kate, you and I have a we'll talk about something we're gonna do next month. But, like, the different glass options. Right? It's not just that the regular soda glass or the regular water glass. Let me have my drink in a in a martini glass or whatever kind of other glasses there are that I can't think of at the moment.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:17:53]:
Right.

Cate Faulkner [00:17:53]:
But that means that's the casual finesse of it. Yeah. Right. Same as everybody else. It's just like Here you go.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:17:59]:
Yeah. I love that terminology, casual finesse. It should just be integrated.

Jen Veralla [00:18:03]:
Yeah. And and Yeah. Now meetings into this next idea of beverage and and what that means, there's a lot of education that goes into getting a server or a restaurant. Attendees used to that kind of casual finesse that we want people to experience. Right. There's a lot of learning that goes into it, but the first

Cate Faulkner [00:18:21]:
So this is number 4. Number 4. And it's really we we learned it from you because you you use the term food insecure.

Jen Veralla [00:18:27]:
Yes. Absolutely. And so we've, you know, embraced the term beverage insecurity because of the seriousness of when you do not have a quality elevated nonalcoholic option. People are instantly coming into that space and have no option, so they're either going to all have a catering, or if they're, you know, potentially in early sobriety or just choosing not to drink, they are faced with a very specific challenge in a social setting that is very uncomfortable and awkward, and so the level of seriousness that insecurity that word implies, I think is very applicable, and having these options so that people can make better decisions in the moment is Right. Just what needs to happen now. And then I think, also, you don't have to explain your choice, so I overhear this. We've been serving bars and restaurants and in corporate event spaces, and you just overhear the conversation, and people have to explain them to them to their whoever why they're not drinking. That is happening a little bit less.

Jen Veralla [00:19:31]:
Yep. We're seeing good for you. It's dry January. This is a perfect month to just go out and breathe, but not having that stigma around it is huge. We're seeing that shift. So the seriousness of it is wiped at the label.

Cate Faulkner [00:19:45]:
To your point, you told me this morning that you mentioned you were in a space that's serving in Orlando that suggested nobody asked for it. Right. Yeah. And it was the

Tracy Stuckrath [00:19:56]:
catering manager that said that to me. That's

Cate Faulkner [00:19:58]:
that nobody asks for it. That should also be in the secret code book. Right? Nobody asks for it. Mhmm. Meaning there's beverage insecurity in your space. Yeah. And they don't know what

Tracy Stuckrath [00:20:10]:
yeah. Yeah. Well and then that is so what just popped into my head from that is that in meetings with some catering managers over the last couple of years or whatever, is their job is to actually upsell. Right? And, like, I have a food and beverage minimum of just, say, and. And actually, one I was chatting with for one of these events is like, okay. Well and I'm just ex and explain this. I'm gonna take the dessert from the lunch. Dessert always comes with the lunch order.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:20:36]:
I'm like, I wanna take the dessert from lunch and serve it as my afternoon break so that I'm not having to spend more money on my afternoon break food. And she's like, well, I said, is that doable? Do you allow that? And she's like, yeah. I don't like it. And I said, why don't you like it? Because my and she's like, because my goal religious make you to spend more money. And so tying that into now these drinks is, like, why not look at this as an opportunity to make more money on the bottom line as a for a hotelier? Or and if that catering sales manager makes commission on that Yes. Like, hey. You're gonna make instead of selling the $8 soda, which is they do charge $8 for soda, sell a $13 nonalcoholic elevated nonalcoholic beverage Right. And you're making more money.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:21:22]:
Yes. More tax and more gratuity and

Cate Faulkner [00:21:25]:
yeah. That's number and, so we'll come to that. Oh, sorry. Alright. That's my favorite. Okay. So number 5, creativity and innovation. Okay.

Cate Faulkner [00:21:37]:
The rise of nonalcoholic beverages is not subtraction to alcohol, but and addition of creativity and innovation. And we just talked about that with Budweiser and tell that what you read.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:21:54]:
Me? Yeah. About the Olympics. Oh, yeah. They Budweiser has announced that their nonalcoholic beverage is going to be the beer of the Olympics food the next 3 years, their nonalcoholic beer.

Cate Faulkner [00:22:08]:
Okay. And I'm like That is the biggest message. You know, Wall Halal Street advised alcohol makers recently that you better get on board with this and space because you're gonna be down. While and% maybe doesn't seem like a lot, that's Mhmm. A $1,000,000,000 to them. So, yes, they're well aware of the situation. So that alone

Tracy Stuckrath [00:22:30]:
Mhmm.

Cate Faulkner [00:22:30]:
Should tell you it's something. Okay? Yeah. That's a wonderful example kosher than some of the things we've experienced.

Jen Veralla [00:22:37]:
That's the best one. Right. Right. They they're anyway.

Cate Faulkner [00:22:42]:
But there are so many new options that are sophisticated and thoughtfully crafted, and the flavor profiles are unlike everything

Tracy Stuckrath [00:22:51]:
Mhmm.

Cate Faulkner [00:22:52]:
Anything you've ever tasted before. And it's fun. It's catering. And it it really is fun to share with people because they light up. It's a life changing thing. They're like, woah. That's a life changer. And the dealkalization process, which we try to talk about a lot, comes after the fact, after it's a an official bottle of wine or an official can of beer.

Cate Faulkner [00:23:14]:
They take the alcohol out. It's Ben Jordan of ABB Technology reminded me it's like decaffeinated coffee. You gotta pay a couple extra bucks because we're doing a service. We're taking the caffeine out for people who don't want too much caffeine. So it's a gift, but it's not gonna continue unless we keep the cycle going and people take the opportunity to enjoy this new creativity and all this innovative technology. Mhmm. Absolutely.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:23:43]:
Yeah. I agree. I there's so much innovation to it. And actually, a gentleman that I spoke to a couple of months ago, he it's the the automated, like, the cod the soda machines at the movie theater. Right? His beverage system is kind of like that going picking that up. But in in his thought process on it is that in a busy restaurant, in a busy event, it allows the server not to it allows the bartender to focus on the people sitting at the bar. Right? And it allows the servers to actually get their drinks out faster to their guests that are sitting at tables. And we talked about it in, like, you could put the nonalcoholic premade batch drinks in that, right, to serve it faster.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:24:25]:
Right? And There was a

Cate Faulkner [00:24:27]:
we did a wedding this summer, and they had them it almost was all completed, but she just did, 3 or 4 ounces of mix and then topped it with the sparkling water and the beautiful garnish. Yeah. And this went very fast. Yes.

Jen Veralla [00:24:40]:
And yeah. Catering, I just wanna mention there is ready to drink. So a lot of smaller scale events that I'm doing will just have a something you can open up and serve, and that really works well in the corporate event space. When you have a little social hour, you gotta get people served into moved into a panel discussion or something. So there are Yeah. Whole host of options there. Yes. Exactly.

Jen Veralla [00:25:03]:
Okay. Cool. Number 6. Number 6. This is a favorite, that it promotes mindfulness. So think about meetings, like, the only person in a room that is choosing not to drink and how that can feel isolating and you can feel alone. I have felt that. What I noticed a couple years ago is I attended an event that was completely alcohol free, so no one was drinking alcohol, and what I noticed in that space and experience was the level of engagement and the deep connection people were able to experience when no one was drinking alcohol, so we have all a complete spectrum of event experiences around how you can shape mindfulness and how you can promote that through, of course, offering NA options.

Jen Veralla [00:25:52]:
They could be alongside alcoholic options, but the gold standard is in some of these corporate events to be able to just say, hey, we're doing a completely alcohol free event, and this is what happens when you have people that are engaging in that way.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:26:08]:
Mhmm.

Jen Veralla [00:26:08]:
They're immersed in the present moment. It allows people that maybe have never chosen, like, not to drink at a corporate function to say, I might try this, and understand the mindfulness between making those choices, and provide unity as we've done with experiences that showcase what that actually looks like. Yeah. And I think the relationships are deeper, and as a corporation, of course, you're gonna get more value and connectivity when you are engaging with people that aren't under any sort of influence. Right. The most interesting example, we've had it

Cate Faulkner [00:26:42]:
a couple times, but one that religious jumps out, is when we had a bar manager, been in the alcohol business for years. He we had a lot of tasting and tasting, tasting. His personality, like, was just blooming after drinking all this non alcohol. It was like this placebo effect because you you're doing the thing, your brain, it's just it's going through the motions, and he was so likely. It was fascinating. Yeah.

Jen Veralla [00:27:08]:
And I I think the biggest thing I always say it's about 20 minutes in to, like, a happy hour. So as you're coming into a new space, whether you're drinking or not, there is a social anxiety that a lot of people experience. Yep. And the immediate thing is I've got my drink ticket in hand. I'm going directly to the bar to get an alcoholic drink so that I can wind down and be ready for conversation. But when the alcohol is removed, what we find, and people are drinking these great and, is that about 20 minutes or so, people just start naturally warming up to each kosher, and it's because of the connection. So if you could lean into that and watch that happen, if you are an event host, that is such a compelling reason to continue to do that, and just observe what happens.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:27:55]:
Yeah. And I've got a story to say on that, but I wanna put some up here. Laura Silverman says, just wanna say how incredible the 0 proof collection On And, Kate Hill. Love her.

Cate Faulkner [00:28:04]:
Yeah. She's the 0 proof nation. She has the most and I was gonna mention her in this next in the last point. She has a website, which I'm sorry to interrupt your story, but she has a website, Zeroproof Nation, that identifies where all of the NA bars are around the country and oh, really around the world. She's got a very beautiful interactive map and the bottle shops. So it's a great resource and the online shop. So she's and she is a she's a pioneer Absolutely. In the space.

Cate Faulkner [00:28:36]:
We we talked about that one time. She's gonna be one of the people on Mount Rushmore.

Jen Veralla [00:28:40]:
We'll call it. The Mount to NA Mount Rushmore. And Mount Rise.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:28:45]:
Maui Hey, Laura. I I wanna meet you at Yes. The mindful drink events later this month up in DC. That's fine. So I just I just I want to meet with you while we're there. We're talking about mindfulness and well, no. And then there's something about the mindful drink fest too about not drinking and the keynote speaker that Catering sent you, and it was about having sex without alcohol. Oh, she's amazing.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:29:07]:
Yes. Yep.

Cate Faulkner [00:29:08]:
And oh

Tracy Stuckrath [00:29:08]:
my gosh. Let's talk about that. But the oh, I lost my story, but it's okay. There's so many ways that you can really think through this and and when you're not drinking, you can actually the whole point of events is connecting. Right? And you don't wanna have that stigmatism of being that person who falls into the fountain. Right? You wanna land that deal. Oh, I know what it was. It was the episode in The Morning Show.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:29:37]:
Did you all see that episode? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yes. Vegan. And where she went to the bar, and a friend of mine used to do this as well at my old corporate job, and she's, like, pay the bartender some extra cash or the server so that she can stop drinking and while they're still serving the pea other people, and they caught on. And it was just it was

Cate Faulkner [00:29:56]:
a horrible that mess. And, I knew an entrepreneur who said he came home with a lots of money that night because there were about 50 or 20 people doing the same meetings. So it it's not an unusual practice. Sure isn't. There's no casual finesse going on there with and options. To be back to Tanya Lara food, it's the sober sexpert, and she's gonna be, one of the keynote speakers, at the mindfulness drink food drinking fest, which love the word mindfulness there because and Derek Brown and his, partner, Maria. Okay. So let's move on to 7.

Cate Faulkner [00:30:31]:
Oh, good and. Okay. Which leads right from what you were just saying about guest depreciation. It's increased revenue and guest appreciation. This is all about placing value on your guests, all of your guests, the NA product itself, and the experience that they have when they attend. Guests are willing to pay, as we just discussed, a premium for non alcoholic, oh, yeah, love. These are the 2 drinks. We'll talk about that.

Cate Faulkner [00:31:01]:
And Twin Disease' 1st annual NA day. Twin Cities NA day is this Saturday, and will be this cocktail and a cocktail which is made from amethyst botanicals. And amethyst is out of South Carolina. Jane, she's amazing. Oh, so that.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:31:21]:
And Laura just typed in, you're leaving money on the table if you don't include alcohol nonalcoholic.

Cate Faulkner [00:31:26]:
Oh, the best. Yeah. Absolutely. And these spirits are these this is delicious. They have 3 e flavor profiles, grapefruit, basil, cucumber, lemon, cucumber, serrano, and blueberry ginger. Just Blueberry ginger is I'm

Tracy Stuckrath [00:31:43]:
all over that blueberry ginger.

Cate Faulkner [00:31:45]:
Fabulous. So I'm I created a pink amethyst, which is Okay. I did up higher. The goal here Yeah. For me personally, I've realized that the creation of NA options is getting rather complicated. I attended a big, event recently where it came from I felt like he was coming from a mixology perspective, like, it was gonna be equal to the alcohol counterpart. While we wanted to have the casual finesse, frankly, we want less calories and less sugar, and we know that people out there are feeling the same way because they ask us, of what we have, what in this category is the lowest sugar calories? It goes yeah. All the time.

Cate Faulkner [00:32:24]:
So this is literally, 2 ounces of the spirit, which is I think it's 10 11 calories for that. 3 ounces of pink grapefruit. Okay. I don't know what's that. 50 calories. 2 ounces of sparkling water, which is no calories. And so and then a piece of pink grapefruit with pink peppercorns and pink Himalayan sea salt on the nice. And the goal is to have something basic where you could go to a lot of different places and say, I'll have amethyst.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:32:57]:
Right.

Cate Faulkner [00:32:57]:
It's amethyst Yeah. Pink, it's easy, they have all the ingredients, and it's a regular drape versus, okay, what's in that? And then now you gotta dissect it. You're gonna lose casual finesse if you have Right. Sort of and some restaurants will wanna elevate a little bit more, but Right. This event space, this is easy to do. And you can also dehydrate. I've dehydrated the the second part, you just need Tennyson, which you're familiar with because you have that in your house. Yep.

Cate Faulkner [00:33:26]:
This is one of our favorites, and Graham and Michael from like Tennison are the best. And this is a black ginger spirit.

Jen Veralla [00:33:33]:
This just

Cate Faulkner [00:33:33]:
wows people. This wows everybody when we

Tracy Stuckrath [00:33:36]:
I wish celiac can see the pineapple in here.

Jen Veralla [00:33:37]:
It's beautiful. And, you can dehydrate these fruits and they last for more in here. It's beautiful.

Cate Faulkner [00:33:39]:
And, you can dehydrate these fruits and they last for more than a year. Yeah. You just grab them and throw them. Wow. So an event person, you just have a stash of dehydrated. And here's one I can

Tracy Stuckrath [00:33:50]:
you see? That's one that I got at Cypress Hall, a restaurant in New Bern, which, Laura, you have them listed on 0 proof nation. Thank you very much. And this was called a meetings ruby, and it was blood orange and blackberry shrub with agave, grenadine, and then topped with a whipped egg white. And it was so good. I and drink multiple ones of those, but I could

Cate Faulkner [00:34:12]:
No. That's gonna be a little higher in sugar, so use that as a secondary or third. I vegan, it's not I wouldn't call that a particularly event friendly drink.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:34:22]:
I would call that a bar. Yeah.

Cate Faulkner [00:34:24]:
Okay? So it's gonna be an event space. Yeah. Service of these is because you can make them in batches and Right. Serve them really fast and they're simple and delicious. Yep. So then this one is I'll have a Tennyson, Arnieos Celiac, and, it's got, the Tennyson black ginger, pineapple juice, soda, some lime, and a dehydrated pineapple. We can get creepy and add some other things to it, but it it if you're and event space, you don't need it. It's perfect.

Cate Faulkner [00:34:54]:
It squishes. It's different. It's low in allergies, very low in calories again. Well received.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:35:00]:
And I had and at a conference a couple of months ago, and it was with Seedlip. And the garden and is what they used in that one, and it had I'm looking at the picture that I took. It had basil, mint, strawberries, and lemon, and this. And they was batched into a big bin, and and they were just serving it from it, but they garnished it. And I have a picture of me walking with 3 of them, and people are like, oh, aren't you Lola? And I'm like, oh, if only you knew. Right?

Cate Faulkner [00:35:28]:
Yes. I am. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. I am. I love that. So we know that guests are willing to pay.

Cate Faulkner [00:35:35]:
Now Yeah. What is hospitality? Mhmm. I mean, the true needs essence of hospitality is providing options for everyone. Right. You and you this is your world. You've been in the gluten Yep. World for

Tracy Stuckrath [00:35:49]:
5th what? 15, 17 years? Whatever. Dietary needs world. Gluten

Cate Faulkner [00:35:52]:
I am

Tracy Stuckrath [00:35:52]:
not free.

Cate Faulkner [00:35:53]:
Yeah. Of course. But that yep. This whole the nonalcoholic beverage space is on the tail of that. People have decided they're gonna pay attention when they're out as to what they're meetings. Now they're thinking, well, what's the beverage options? Why can't we do better there? Yeah. So it's addressing those diverse preferences that you have been doing, and it's ensuring all guests feel equally welcomed and valued. They do not feel equally welcomed and valued if you don't have elevated non alcoholic options.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:36:21]:
Yeah. Yeah, I agree. I mean, yeah.

Cate Faulkner [00:36:25]:
Yeah. There's profound appreciation also when it's available. For sure. We were, we just did this beautiful zero proof dinner at this lovely restaurant here in 6 Smith, in Wayzata, And it was it food out in 9 days. And these, by the way, are approved dinners or NA dinners are going at, like, $800 a person. Wow. And they're selling out, and it's big money making opportunity for restaurants. Absolutely.

Cate Faulkner [00:36:53]:
But I stood up in between, and I was talking about the products and the people who created them and some a little bit of the backstory. And I saw 1 guy videotaping me, and I thought, okay. He's definitely has a thirst for information. This was not about what I was doing. It was what the information that I was imparting, and they are fascinated by it. They wanna know the story. Everybody likes the dietary. And there's this industry is filled with them.

Cate Faulkner [00:37:16]:
Compelling

Tracy Stuckrath [00:37:18]:
story. Well, I think when Laura posted this thing here is kind of going back to the mindfulness conversation and. It's like she and 4 people, they are integrating wellness into meeting plantbased, and conversation is so, so, so important. So they're Okay. Scott. On that goal dossier tomorrow at 2 o'clock. Yeah. Yeah.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:37:35]:
So really talking about that. And then she also said that Beth Harbison is a pioneer in the space as well as with her kosher secure certification. Oh, I like that. I need another couple of letters behind my name, Laura. So far security. Yes. Yeah. Yes.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:37:52]:
No. I like that. And then I just got a text message from a friend of mine. He says he's gonna listen to this episode later when he's not work trying to work. So and he hasn't drank in a decade, I don't think so. It reaches so many different people, and and I'm next month is heart health month, and I really wanna look at that and how this helps with that too. Right? Yeah. Pretty sure.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:38:15]:
So before we leave, though, I wanna say are we going to 11:45? We can yeah. We have 4 more minutes. Okay. Got a minute? We well, let's

Cate Faulkner [00:38:23]:
talk about sustainability. I just wanna be sure we talk about the a, b, c, and a, and then the

Tracy Stuckrath [00:38:27]:
Oh, okay.

Cate Faulkner [00:38:27]:
Coming up. So sustainability By that. Is this area sustainable? Well, I'll just say food my personal observation, the nonalcoholic beverage industry, it's a rough situation right now for makers trying to make and money and for people trying to serve it. We've already seen nonalcoholic bottle shops closing. We've already seen some of the biggest NA bars in the country closing. I won't say that it's not due to bad management in some cases or some poor decision making, but here they are. It's ABCs of NA. It's ask, buy, create, and serve.

Cate Faulkner [00:39:07]:
Mhmm. We have Awesome. We like that. Have this sequence where if you do any if you wanna help this industry,

Tracy Stuckrath [00:39:16]:
do all 4

Cate Faulkner [00:39:17]:
of these. Ask for an a. Request nonalcoholic beverages at every venue. You just had the event planner say, people don't ask for that. We hear it all the time. Even today in and catering dry January, how many dry Januarys we've had, we still hear that comment. Our customers aren't asking for it. Yes.

Cate Faulkner [00:39:38]:
They will if you have it, but regardless, okay. Let's ask the customers now. Could you please ask for it? That will really help. The other one is buy it. Even if you don't wanna drink it, bring a 6 pack of something. Bring a bottle of de alcoholized wine. Bring it to a party. You won't believe how thoughtful of a practice that is and how someone will be so appreciative of that effort.

Cate Faulkner [00:40:07]:
And because we have these really incredible artisans, if you will, and they're striving for liquid excellence and many are achieving it, so you gotta buy it. They gotta buy it. And that's the part of the sustainability. And then create it. Mix it at home food your family, for your Yeah. For your whatever. Try it out. It's not hard.

Cate Faulkner [00:40:28]:
It's we're gonna do this at the end of February, and we're gonna have a little class on how this we can simplify the nonalcoholic cocktail experience Right. At our Yep. Happy hour. February 29th. So create it and then serve it. And this is Right. To everyone, everywhere. Serve it.

Cate Faulkner [00:40:47]:
Just put it on the menu and serve it and Well, and it's will come.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:40:51]:
I and I love that because it that's it makes it simple. Buy it. And my one question though and we're gonna buy all of our product from Laura Silverman's on or see if and but for a hotel or convention center, are they and, like, I'm in North Carolina, and am I buying do they have to buy it through their distributor, or do they have to buy it through and I know I'm gonna have Marcus Salazar on in 2 weeks.

Cate Faulkner [00:41:15]:
Yeah. Association of And Alcohol Adult Non Alcoholic Beverages. So

Tracy Stuckrath [00:41:22]:
from Houston. Yes. But do they have to buy

Cate Faulkner [00:41:24]:
it through their distributor or they're just buying it from Amazon and Have to is a weird word. Right. There is the opportunity. Distribution is still low. We are still relying on UPS and Federal Express for the bulk of this, if you look at the whole country. Yes, there are distributors. Every day there are distributors picking up new products. They consider and should have a nonalcoholic product on their in their portfolio.

Cate Faulkner [00:41:52]:
And so, yes, all of their distributors, you could ask when they come in, what's your nonalcoholic option? And just look and see what might fit. I think you should have a couple of cocktails that are made with a spirit. Pick a couple of de alcoholized wines, some good and, some NA beer food sure, some ready to drink that you got on ice that people can just grab, not just a can of soda, and thoughtful, nonalcoholic, ready to drink beverage that's already created in the

Tracy Stuckrath [00:42:20]:
UK. Yep. Yeah. Especially, and that to me, that works well in a hotel environment at an events. When you don't the bartenders who are trained Uh-huh. Don't have the knowledge of mixing, they're not mixologists Right. That makes it easy for them. Yep.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:42:34]:
That's Pour to pop that can open and pour it on a glass of I or on a glass of ice. Right? I mean, that to me makes it

Cate Faulkner [00:42:41]:
light advertise it. I gotta say this, though. Don't advertise it as a drink that you've made. This is what's happening in the product place. Oh, yes. We're seeing it on the menu, and then we realize, no. They're just taking it in a

Jen Veralla [00:42:51]:
can and putting it kosher ice. That's false advertising. Yeah. So just halal it out. Just wanna point out the power of people in corporate events and planning when they're going into venues to be able to ask for that as well. And so we we have seen large scale galas say, we want this nonalcoholic beverage, and there are a lot of health related, like the Alzheimer's conference Mhmm. That want that, and they are still being met with a lot of barriers because the model in venue doesn't yet support it. So, again, collaboration we're trying to create, it's important to work together and find a solution.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:43:25]:
Well, and it reminds me of an event that, Spiritless sponsored a couple of years ago, and they were gonna send their bottles so that the bartenders could make them. And the loopholes that the hotel made to bring the bottles of That's better. They ended up sending just the ready to drink cans I because it was so much easier.

Jen Veralla [00:43:46]:
Yep. Yep. That's what it looks like right now, but yeah.

Cate Faulkner [00:43:49]:
It's getting better. It's getting beverage. And And get it. It's the leadership. It's the leadership. They're saying you gotta we'll we'll figure this out. And then can you share the NA day? We have our first.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:43:58]:
I know.

Cate Faulkner [00:43:59]:
Yeah. Sure. And cities annually all across the nation.

Jen Veralla [00:44:04]:
So exciting. I think

Tracy Stuckrath [00:44:05]:
I'll go Okay.

Cate Faulkner [00:44:06]:
Had their NA day and this mindful No. I need

Tracy Stuckrath [00:44:09]:
to look it up. So that's this Saturday. Okay. Oh, I need to find my there's one in Raleigh. Yeah.

Jen Veralla [00:44:15]:
Yes. Shout out to our local community who have planned the best and believed in it and then supporting through 0 proof collected. There's a ton of brands on here that we know and support, so it's great to see. And we hope to have and of people come out for this and experience it for the first time in Minneapolis

Tracy Stuckrath [00:44:33]:
and cities. Awesome. Dietary cool. Yeah. I need to I don't know if there's one in Raleigh this weekend or not, but I'll look it up. But because that's 2 hours away from me. But and then you just alluded to something that you said on February 29th, and I don't have a slide for that yet, Kate. You and I are still working on that.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:44:50]:
But, yes, Thrive, my other company here, and catering at a meetings, we're gonna do a Thrive happier hour, and it is going to be a ticketed event where you come and learn how to make nonalcoholic beverages at home. Easy way. You're not easy to do things. So more to come on that in the next week or 2. We'll post that so you can buy tickets and buy a spot, I should say. And then included in that price will actually be the the spirits that you will be using

Cate Faulkner [00:45:21]:
in those drinks. Correct? We'll do some we'll do some optional, spirits. You can buy 1 or buy them all, but Right. And the bitters, all the bitter, Harley and Eve, blessing, shout out to them. They've created the nonalcoholics bitter. They're just religious. And they the goal will be, again, as I explained how, to make it simple, and you can have it every day if you choose. It's we Right.

Cate Faulkner [00:45:45]:
Wanna drink, but you don't have to start boiling something at the stove that you don't even have, and now you gotta pay $75 to get the ingredients to get the thing that you gotta make the syrup that you pour and. And that's hard for a lot of people. That's an obstacle that we run into all the time with people and fine for special events and special occasions, but people aren't consuming this. We're just talking about intentional pathways where more people will consume more non alcoholic beverages. And by simplifying this approach, really, we

Tracy Stuckrath [00:46:16]:
Yep.

Cate Faulkner [00:46:17]:
Will be a great lesson for people to just a message to hear and to, engage. Right. No. I love it. I love it. I love it.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:46:25]:
And there Laura's on it. She already shared the fact that there's the counterculture club in Charlotte. So that's 4 hours away from me, Laura, so I don't think I'm gonna make that

Cate Faulkner [00:46:33]:
one quick. We've got our back. So Yes. But people drive our way for NA because we had a couple who drove I don't know. It's 4 we had 45 or 50 miles to come to the and they go to the restaurant on a regular basis because Yeah. The tour manager, Vanessa Luna, has a beautiful nonalcoholic menu that she rotates also. So they drive on a regular basis because of that option. The NA options are good in their home.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:46:59]:
Wow. That's awesome. Yeah. Very cool. Alright. Well, we're at 51 minutes, and I'm like, there's so many other ways that we can go into this and describe it. And we can I can touch on some of those things next week with Mark or 2 weeks from now from with Marco's? So and that will be after that I meet Laura in person and Kate. Jen, are you gonna be there? I'm not.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:47:23]:
I'm missing out this year. So I get to meet Kate in person because I've yeah. Yay. I've met Jen in person already. Yeah. But we're gonna be at that mindful drink fest in the end of December or end of January, sorry, up in DC. And so, yes, we'll be we'll have a lot of fun. And but that will be when Marco talk we'll talk about how that festival went after the fact, and I will be doing some live in pro at least Instagram things from the festival.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:47:50]:
So stay tuned for that. And ladies, I I always ask this question, and it it I asked you this last year, but I'm gonna ask you again this year. A year later, what does the safe, sustainable and we talked about a little bit, but safe, sustainable, and inclusive mean to you, wrapping up all these service compelling reasons?

Jen Veralla [00:48:09]:
Yeah. I'll just start with the idea that we're making tangible change, right, in providing these non alcoholic products that are available into the spaces, but long term, I believe that our social spaces need to change, and our events need to recognize that by not centralizing alcohol, there it opens up a whole new area of wellness and a different social experience. So I'm excited to see that because that feels really safe, and I've been able to model that in some ways here, and I wanna see that continue.

Cate Faulkner [00:48:41]:
Awesome. Yeah. And I love the that's how the ABCs really came about after you asked that question the first time, But I really believe that if people open themselves up to these products, use them, and really in let the guests be engaged in them, you won't believe how much they appreciate it. And you won't believe when you give someone a gift, how great it feels.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:49:08]:
Mhmm. Yes.

Cate Faulkner [00:49:09]:
It's better than receiving, so much of the time. Maybe as a kid you enjoyed receiving, but when you give something, this is like this can also be life changing business. Let's be honest. This is a talk about safety. This is a very big topic, and it is. It's life changing work, and we hear it, we see it, people are appreciative. But if you want to experience that feeling as well, just create some NA options and get them out there. Love it.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:49:36]:
Awesome. Well and, everybody, how can I just posted the link to the to join me and Kate in DC and Laura in DC for the Mindful Drink Fest so you can buy tickets? But how can everybody join the nonalcoholic movement with 0 Proof Collective?

Cate Faulkner [00:49:52]:
Oh, they can go on our website. Thank you for mentioning it. We do have a very extensive website, 0 proofcollective.com.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:49:59]:
Mhmm.

Cate Faulkner [00:50:00]:
We it's everything we've done well, not everything, but some of the big things we've done are written about the good, the bad, and the ugly. Some of the obstacles we've run into are also we talk about that. But it's joined the NA movement right there, and we don't do a lot of mass emails. In fact, we hardly do and, but we do a pertinent one as in and like to keep everybody updated. And then one of the bigger things we do on a regular basis, we forgot to mention this, we bring business leaders together, and we do that on a regular basis. So we'll get 20 to 30 people to come to a meetings, and our next one is coming up on February 8th and at the 6 Smith restaurant. She's allowing us to use that space. And we get together now in this one, we'll talk about Twin Cities NA Day.

Cate Faulkner [00:50:42]:
We'll talk about recap that. I'll recap Mindful Drinking Fest in Washington, and we'll talk about some of the things after dry January that we're moving forward and things we're facing in the industry. So Awesome. Great way to get close.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:50:56]:
Yeah. Thank you, Grace. You're welcome. Thank you for showing these and compelling reasons because there are 7 compelling reasons, and there's more than 7. I'm sure. And and I really appreciate you putting that to that list together to to help elevate this movement. And to me, this opportunity for meeting planners to meet the food and beverage minimums at events and hotels to make more money. Right.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:51:20]:
There it is. Comfort centers. So I

Jen Veralla [00:51:22]:
needs a subset called drinking at a meeting. Exactly. Yes. Not hey. It's like almost noon, and here we go.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:51:31]:
Right. And you why not and you just got my regular water, but yeah. When you have the drink

Cate Faulkner [00:51:37]:
on the bottle. That's what we called the yogurt.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:51:39]:
I did. Daytooting. Exactly. Alright. Well, everybody's I appreciate you listening in here on Instagram, on LinkedIn. Laura, thank you for being very active on our conversation today, and then everybody who joined in on Instagram as well. Eating at a meeting is a live video broadcast every single Wednesday, and I talk about everything that's eating at a meeting and drinking at a meeting. Next week, I'm gonna talk about vegan area with the hotel chef and what that means in incorporating vegan into your hotel needs.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:52:08]:
And then again, the last month the last day of the month, I will be with I'll talk about nonalcoholic. And, Laurie, you're welcome. I really appreciate you doing what you're doing. So, ladies, how you say eat well, drink well, and have a great day. Go make yourself a drink. Appreciate it. Everybody. Bye.

Tracy Stuckrath [00:52:23]:
See you next week. Bye. Thanks for listening to the catering at a meeting podcast where every meal matters. I'm Tracy Strachart, your food and beverage inclusion expert. Call me, and let's get started right now on creating safe and inclusive food and beverage experiences for your customers, your employees, and your communities. Share the podcast with your friends and colleagues at our eating at a meeting Facebook page and on all podcast platforms. To learn more about me and receive valuable information, go to tracystuckcraft.com. And if you'd like more information on how to feed engagement, nourish inclusion, and bolster your bottom line, then visit eating at a meeting.com.