ANA Insider

Insights, news, events, and jobs for the adult non-alcoholic beverage industry

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Sometimes The Best Competitor Is One Willing to Teach You What They Know

Most founders enter a new category braced for competition. I get it. I've coached enough founders to know that instinct doesn't go away easily.

But ANA wine is showing something different. The category is still small enough that producers helping each other often does more for everyone's growth than guarding territory ever could. That's not a hopeful theory. It's how a lot of the category actually operates day to day.

​Tracy Sweeney, Co-Founder of Tomorrow Cellars, came into ANA wine after decades in traditional wine - she'd spent her career around some of Napa's biggest names before deciding to build something of her own in this category. What stood out to me talking with her wasn't just the wine. It was how deliberately she's treated collaboration as a strategy rather than a courtesy. When she and her team set out to build their red wine, they didn't just develop it in isolation. They went and found people who'd already done hard, specific work in this category - a winemaker who'd helped pioneer non-alcoholic wine decades ago, a fellow producer with deep expertise in botanicals - and asked for help.

"It's better for all of us if we're all successful," Tracy told me. That's not a platitude from someone in this category. It's closer to a survival strategy. The biggest thing standing between ANA wine and its next stage of growth isn't competition. It's awareness - most people still don't know what's available to them. Every producer who shares knowledge, builds a real partnership, or shows up alongside another brand is closing that gap a little faster than they could on their own.

I sat down with Tracy to learn how she's built that kind of collaboration into the way Tomorrow Cellars operates - from the winemaking itself to how she shows up at events. Read how a mentorship from one of the category's earliest producers shaped her winemaking process, what a partnership with another ANA producer added to her red wine, and how she's using consumer events to introduce people to a category they didn't know existed.

​Marcos Salazar​
CEO, Adult Non-Alcoholic Beverage Association (ANBA)

Member News:

• Blind Tiger has introduced a limited-edition Classic Spirit-Free Manhattan, expanding its lineup of premium ready-to-drink non-alcoholic cocktails. (Trend Hunter)​
• Just Enough Wines showcased its alcohol-free wine collection at the 2026 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, introducing more consumers to premium non-alcoholic wine during one of the industry's premier culinary events. (LinkedIn)​
• Three Spirit brought its functional non-alcoholic beverages to the Westchester Magazine Food & Wine Festival, continuing to build awareness of alcohol-free alternatives at major consumer events. (LinkedIn)​
• Boston Brewing has launched Tropical IPA and its non-alcoholic counterpart, Little Wren Tropical IPA Non-Alcoholic, brewed from the same recipe to deliver a consistent craft beer experience with or without alcohol. (Crafty Pint)​
• Sylva has expanded its UK hospitality presence by securing trade distribution through Master of Malt, making Sylva Orchard more accessible to bars, restaurants, and hospitality venues. (LinkedIn)​
• The Zero Proof has acquired The New Bar, combining two leading alcohol-free platforms to expand nationwide access to non-alcoholic beverages through e-commerce, hospitality, and events. (LinkedIn)​

ANA Industry News:

• New research shows that 94% of alcohol-free beer drinkers also consume alcoholic beverages, reinforcing that non-alcoholic beer is increasingly being embraced as part of a moderation lifestyle rather than as a replacement for alcohol. (The Drinks Business)​
• Non-alcoholic beverage buyers remain active in alcohol category, Inmar finds. (Mass Market Retailers)
• Despite growing demand for alcohol-free beer, Belgium's overall beer consumption continues to decline, with non-alcoholic brews not yet offsetting the drop in traditional beer sales. (The Brussels Times)​
• More Americans are replacing alcoholic drinks with mocktails as wellness, moderation, and changing social habits fuel rapid growth in the non-alcoholic beverage industry. (WMUR)​
• Hopsters is bringing consumers together with a dedicated non-alcoholic beer tasting event on Friday, July 3rd, showcasing the growing demand for alcohol-free craft beer experiences. (Crafty Pint)​
• Boulder's sober-curious movement continues to gain momentum as more consumers embrace alcohol-free lifestyles and seek out non-alcoholic beverage options for social occasions. (About Boulder)​
• Wine producers are investing in dealcoholization technologies as rising consumer demand fuels growth in low- and no-alcohol wine. (Vinetur)​
• Consumer demand for no- and low-alcohol wine continues to grow, particularly among Gen Z and Millennials, although pricing and taste expectations remain key challenges for the category. (IWSR)​
• Global beverage alcohol volumes declined for a third consecutive year in 2025, while no- and low-alcohol drinks remained one of the industry's strongest-performing segments. (IWSR)​

ANBA Member Jobs:

Featured: Associate Counsel ​(On-site, Milford, CT)

Athletic Brewing is seeking an experienced in-house attorney to join its legal team, leading a broad portfolio that spans commercial contracts, regulatory compliance, intellectual property, employment law, and corporate transactions. Based in Milford, CT, this high-impact role offers the opportunity to help shape the legal strategy of one of the fastest-growing non-alcoholic beer brands while partnering closely with teams across the business to support continued growth and innovation.

• ​​Athletic Brewing Co. - Compliance Manager (On-site, Milford, CT​)
• ​Athletic Brewing Co.​ - Associate Counsel (On-site, Milford, CT)​
• ​Athletic Brewing Co.​ - Production Brewer (On-site, San Diego, CA)
• ​​Athletic Brewing Co. - Financial Analyst (On-site, Milford, CT)

The Adult Non-Alcoholic Beverage Association (ANBA) is a global trade organization dedicated to promoting, protecting, and accelerating the growth of the adult non-alcoholic beverage industry. We connect producers and industry partners with the insights, resources, and community they need to thrive in this rapidly expanding category.