The non-alcoholic beverage industry is being revitalized and transformed by women of color. Over the last few years, multiple new Black-owned, woman-owned brands have emerged. One company is using travel to reshape how consumers enjoy non-alcoholic beverages at home and on vacation.
Corporate finance professional and entrepreneur Pauline Idogho created the Mocktail Club after seeking out alcohol alternatives during pregnancy. Once her baby was born, Idogho and her husband still wanted to reduce their alcohol intake. Not seeing many sophisticated options on the market, Idogho’s company was born.
“That’s why I started Mocktail Cub to recreate the complexity and nuance of a great cocktail without the alcohol and just to have better options,” Idogho said.
Inspired by her travels to different destinations around the world, the Mocktail Club is teleporting consumers to destinations around the world with just one sip. By infusing flavors and spices from international places, Idogho is changing the way non-alcoholic beverages are perceived and enjoyed.
A Tastebud Travel Experience
For a long time, there weren’t many options available for mocktail drinkers. However, Idogho believes that COVID-19 inspired many consumers to seek out healthier alternatives when it came to what they were consuming. People realized the importance of taking care of themselves and cutting back on alcohol became a major lifestyle change for some Americans.
“This led to a demand for non-alcoholic beverages,” she said. “At the same time, there were people like me who felt like there had to be better solutions.”
The Mocktail Club is helping to meet the demand for more non-alcoholic products in a fun and creative way. Inspired by her travels, Idogho describes the beverages as a sensory experience that teleports consumers through their tastebuds. Flavors like Manhattan Berry, Capri Spritz, and Havana Twist invite consumers to taste the authentic flavors associated with each destination.
“It’s a full experience from mindset to taste to smell,” she said.
Having traveled to over 30 countries for work and leisure, Idogho crafted each flavor around destinations she’d visited. Some of her favorite travel memories were the catalyst for the Mocktail Club’s beverage collection. Now, she’s able to share these experiences with consumers through the non-alcoholic beverage.
“A lot of the flavors, whether it is cardamom and clove to chili peppers, a lot of fun unique experiences I had in my travels went into the flavors and people were really excited about each one,” she said.
Another Beverage Option
The Mocktail Club is making sure women of color have ownership in the non-alcoholic beverage industry. Idogho says the space is exciting because it is a relatively new market. This creates a space where anyone can come in and set new standards for what’s to come in the future.
“It’s nascent,” she said. “It hasn’t been there for hundreds of years like the alcohol world so it’s great for us to step in and help shape this world and this new industry.”
Idogho currently serves as a founding member and head of the finance committee of the Adult Non-Alcoholic Beverage Association. She believes it’s important that women of color are represented in all facets of the industry. It’s their unique experiences that make them even greater advocates of change.
“Our experiences are part of the edge,” she said. “Being Nigerian, not afraid of flavor, and having traveled, that’s a lens that I bring in and I think that it’s helped me experiment as far as the flavor profiles.”
With new flavors coming soon from the Mocktail Club, Idogho hopes her brand gives consumers different options. Whether they’re leaning into alcohol moderation or abstinence, the Mocktail Club ensures people of color are represented in the non-alcoholic beverage movement.
