The Zero Proof Journey
Sean Goldsmith shares the story behind his brand’s success and his vision for the future of the rapidly evolving NA market.
Sipland sat down with Sean Goldsmith, Co-founder & CEO of The Zero Proof, to talk about how the company got its start, the creation of their in-house brands like Lapos and Saint Viviana, and his thoughts on the future of non-alcoholic drinks. From a blog to a leader in both retail and product innovation, The Zero Proof is shaking up the drinking world, one top-notch NA bev at a time.
So first things first, how did Zero Proof come to be?
I was living in New York City and working in finance when I decided to quit my job without any clear plans for what was next. During that time, I was on a wellness kick, surfing and enjoying life in New York. I also decided to take a break from drinking. For me, it was as simple as waking up one day and thinking, “I don't really feel like drinking today.” One day turned into two, which turned into a week, and now it’s been six years. It was very organic. I felt amazing. Anyone who takes a break from alcohol can relate—better sleep, weight loss, less stress. I experienced all of that. Around the same time, my best friend from high school, Trevor Wolfe, also took a break from drinking. We started having conversations about why we weren’t drinking, what we would drink instead, and discovered the adult non-alcoholic category, which was much smaller back then. That’s when we decided to start a blog.
I love that. I didn’t know it started as a blog. When did the blog turn into a business?
Trevor is great with websites, and I know how to write, so we started the blog to learn more about the non-alc category. As people began reading it, we thought, “Why not try selling something?” We bought some products, set up a small web store, and made our first sale. From there, it just kept growing. Now, The Zero Proof is the largest online retailer for non-alcoholic beverages, and we’ve even developed our own brands.
Amazing! Tell us more about your in-house brand, Lapos, and its backstory.
Lapos is an Italian-inspired line of aperitivos and canned cocktails. Right now, we have two offerings: a large bottle of aperitivo (similar to Campari or Aperol) and a canned cocktail version. In my previous job, I spent summers in Florence, Italy, and often went to Harry’s Bar, an old, beautiful spot by the water where I’d sip negronis and occasionally enjoy a nice Cuban cigar. I became friends with a young bartender named Lapo, and we kept in touch for years.
Given my love for bitter drinks and negronis, we knew that’s what we wanted to develop. Bitter drinks work really well in the non-alcoholic space. I reached out to Lapo, who loved the idea. We went back and forth on designs, mostly during Covid, and by March 2024, we launched. It’s been incredibly successful—the aperitivo and the canned Negroni are both doing really well. Our products have significantly less sugar than similar non-alc drinks, and we use super high-quality ingredients, with whole plant extracts instead of just natural flavors. The branding is beautiful, and people are responding positively. In fact, Lapo’s NA Negroni was recently named Best New Product of 2024 by BevNet.
How about Saint Viviana? What’s the process of making non-alcoholic wine like?
We decided to create our own wine label and thought, who better to name it after than Saint Viviana, the patron saint of hangovers? She’s known as the goddess of restraint and prudence. There’s a story that people visit her grave outside of Rome to eat certain plants believed to have mystical healing properties, especially for hangovers. We thought it was a cheeky nod to wine drinkers everywhere.
Creating non-alcoholic wine, though, is tricky. Alcohol adds perceived sweetness, body, and balance, so when you remove it, you’re left with a product that’s unbalanced. For Saint Viviana, we spent a lot of time finding the best winemakers and growers. Our Cabernet comes from California, just north of Napa, and our Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from Washington state. And so starting with a really high quality wine is important, and having a good relationship with the growers and the wine makers on those teams is also very important. The dealcoholization process we use is vacuum distillation, where the wine is gently heated in a low-pressure environment to remove the alcohol. The removed alcohol is then recondensed and can be sold as a byproduct. The challenge is that once alcohol is taken out, the wine becomes unbalanced, so we go through a second winemaking process to restore complexity. We focus on using traditional winemaking ingredients and avoid adding artificial flavors like grapefruit or cherry. The goal is to create a product that’s as close to traditional wine as possible—just without the alcohol.
Where have you seen the non-alc market change? What do you see in terms of non-alc drinks and culture going from here?
I believe this is a long-term trend that’s only going to grow. People aren’t necessarily anti-alcohol, but they’re drinking less, and the conversation around alcohol’s health risks is picking up, especially with the Surgeon General’s comments on cancer warnings. You can already see the impact on alcohol companies’ stock prices. So, we’re riding some strong tailwinds. In terms of growth, we’re still in the early stages. It’s like we’re in the second inning. There are early adopters, but when I meet people who still don’t know about brands like Athletic Brewing, that shows how far we have to go. It’s just going to take time and education. Distributors and retailers need to get comfortable with non-alc, learn how to sell it, and understand that the demand is there. As technology improves and more people experiment, things will only get better.
How do you think about Zero Proof as a distribution engine? What’s the opportunity or growth strategy there?
Our website is a big part of our success. We’ve built the largest online store for non-alcoholic beverages, which allows us to grow and spread the word in a cost-effective way. We’re currently growing by over 50% month over month. The two sides of our business—online retail and wholesale distribution—are different but complementary. Our online store gives us a great platform to talk about our brands and others, and it provides valuable insights into consumer behavior. This helps us be better wholesalers and partners with distributors. We know what people are buying and where they are, which makes us more effective in both channels.
Any advice for bars and restaurants hesitant to add NA options?
There’s real money to be made with these drinks. The margins on high-end NA cocktails are often better than regular ones, and in places like the UK, about one in three customers aren’t drinking alcohol. The choice is simple: would you rather serve that person water or soda for a few bucks, or a high-end NA cocktail for $12 and make $8 off that customer? Economically, it makes sense. Plus, if you’re in the service industry, a growing segment of your customers wants these products. If you’re not offering them, you’re missing out.
What no or low alcoholic drink do you make or serve on repeat at your house?
Obviously, I do drink Saint Vivianna and Lapos and I drink a lot of Athletic Brewing, they’re doing a great job. My wife and I also drink a lot of Odd Bird Blanc de Blanc and Ish Rosé. Those are our two others that we always have in the fridge.
Where's your favorite spot to go out in Atlanta?
Staplehouse. They have a great selection of NA drinks, including Lapos, Ghia, Odd Bird, and Athletic Brewery, all in a cool grab-and-go cooler.
What's the one snack food you can't live without?
Ice cream. I’ve always loved it. Some people ask if I got into sweets after quitting drinking, but I’ve always had a sweet tooth—I just eat more of it now!
A big thank you to Sean for answering all our burning questions! We highly recommend checking out The Zero Proof for yourselves—our team loves how easy and convenient it makes shopping for NA drinks, especially if you don’t have local NA shops or a great selection nearby. Last plug: we can’t wait to try the new Lapos Citrus Spritz! Cheers :)