Mindful Drinking Fest – The Largest Low- and No-Alcohol Festival

Mindful Drinking Fest – The Largest Low- and No-Alcohol Festival

By: Paul Edelen, Co-Founder

I had the pleasure of attending Mindful Drinking Fest last month and it turned out to be one of the best events I have attended to-date. In a little hall in Washington, DC with over 20 brands, from names like Jas and Parch to behemoths like Heineken and Athletic Brewing Co., it seems that the non-alcoholic beverage and supplement industry will continue to see high growth over the coming years.

I finally had a chance to meet some of the biggest social personalities in the non-alcoholic space, including Laura Silverman of Zero Proof Nation and Rachel Hechtman of Sober in Central Park. While I spent most of my time behind the Bennu booth, I was able to sneak away for a bit and catch Sarah Pretorius and Kayla Mason of SipSteady speaking about marketing for mindful creators.

Having previously been a salesperson in an industry in the mature phase of its life cycle, it is incredibly exciting to be a part of an industry in its growth phase, or arguably its introduction phase, with many businesses still learning about the functionalities offered by Bennu and other brands. The real-time feedback and reactions from interested consumers and small business owners were very valuable; it is one thing to have people tell you what their favorite (or not so favorite) flavor is through online reviews, but to go back-and-forth with the customers and even discuss new ideas was irreplaceable.

As an occasional beer drinker, I was happy to talk with a representative from Heineken who visited the Bennu booth. While she was sampling Bennu, I mentioned that Heineken® 0.0 is my favorite non-alcoholic beer and was my “go-to beer” during Dry January. My co-founders ran the Bennu booth the following day, but the Heineken representative came over the next day and dropped off a few samples since they knew I enjoyed it so much. Cheers!

The event was a great experience and one that the Bennu Team plans to attend going forward. Some of my quick takeaways from behind the booth at MDF 2024 are:

• The non-alcoholic space has all types of players that are involved, from small and emerging brands to the largest manufacturers that are traditionally known for selling alcoholic beverages
• The most influential voices seem to be from the smaller- to medium-sized brands and many are also customers; they are low- and no-alcohol consumers
• The non-alcoholic movement is growing in all parts of the USA; customers and business owners hailed from all parts of the country including Tennessee, Georgia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Montana (just to name a few)
• Customers still need to be educated about functional beverages and functional ready-to-drink supplements, but are very interested in learning about products that provide relaxation without the booze
• Everyone at the event was so inclusive and supportive; there was a real sense of community which made the festival such a pleasant experience.

MDF 2024 was a great time and I’d like to extend a special thanks to Jamie Sabat of Distill + Express for putting this on Bennu’s radar, as well as Derek Brown and Maria Bastasch, the co-founders of Mindful Drinking Fest, for hosting!

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