San Drinks set to open first Westfield store

Sans Drinks is an extension of a lifestyle and beauty brand. It's definitely not a liquor industry product. This is the opposite of liquor.

Irene Falcone, CEO & Founder

When I sold Nourished Life, I sold my purpose. I could buy a yacht and enjoy life, or I could throw all that money into a new business. I chose the latter. I thought, what industry can I disrupt next? No one's selling non-alcoholic drinks. There are a few, but no one's doing it well. I started a website, did some socials, started finding great products. I thought, I’m going to build it and they will come. I did it again from scratch, from nothing, with no customers.

My business is very specific. I only sell drinks that directly replicate alcoholic versions. I don’t sell energy drinks or health drinks.

My store sells ten times the regular revenue in the abstaining months of Feb Fast, Dry July and Ocsober. On the last day of the month sales go back to normal.

I don’t agree with promoting well-known alcoholic brands in a supermarket environment where kids go and need to be able to go and buy Coke or cordial. They're sold in self-serve and there's no one on the floor to help them or educate them. I think that the supermarket environment is extremely problematic. Are you really promoting a gateway here to buy Heineken Zero and then move them up to Heineken?

Whilst the liquor stores are a better environment because a minor can't go there but if you are trying not to drink, you don't go into a liquor shop to buy non-alcoholic drinks. One is problematic for minors, the other for adults.

Market

My customers for Sans Drinks are women aged 35 plus. Whether that’s women thinking about getting pregnant or who are pregnant, who have had children and are menopausal, who have been told they can’t drink by the doctor because of the link to breast cancer. I acquired Craft Zero because of its male customer base. Craft Zero were a really big competitor from a business perspective. When I had the opportunity to buy them, I was really thrilled. I really have the whole market now.

Retail plan

My five-year business plan is to open a new bricks and mortar store every year in a Westfield. The first will open in Warringah Mall in March next year. It’s a cross between a Mecca and Gelatissimo. It will be funky and a big departure from where I am now.

The plan is to be a chain of stores. When I spoke to the team at Westfield, I was blown away learning about their centres. I'm trying to do something different at Westfield. I have to keep changing.

When you are an innovator, you need to move very quickly because when you turn around and look behind you, there are ten other people doing the same thing.

My first store in Freshwater was really innovative. That was a year ago. I had all the television news channels out there. It was the coolest thing. Now there's little popups here and there. Even Dan’s did a pop up.

Ranging

I have around 600 SKUs. If it’s non-alcoholic, I stock it. There's really only one wine brand that's nailing the taste and that's Next Destination.  I also have my own range of spirits and mocktails as well. Mine are health-based, so no or low sugar, low calorie, vegan, no artificial colours. Product development's always been a passion. I did that at Nourish Life as well.

We turned over just under AUD$10 million last year. Now with Craft Zero I predict to do $15m this financial year.  

People think that this was a hard thing to do because we love alcohol, but actually, we love drinking and I'm selling drinks. It's not the alcohol that we're obsessed with, it's the drinking.

I'm still selling drinks and that’s the key.