#178 - Buyer Spotlight: Sean Goldsmith, The Zero Proof (DTC Non-Alc Retail)
The Startup CPG Podcast
Startup CPG
4.9 • 642 Ratings
🗓️ 14 January 2025
⏱️ 38 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, Daniel Scharff sits down with Sean Goldsmith, co-founder of The Zero Proof, the largest online direct-to-consumer retailer of adult non-alcoholic beverages. Sean shares insights into the booming non-alcoholic beverage market, exploring trends like Dry January, the rise of wellness-driven consumer habits, and the intersection of non-alcoholic options with broader societal shifts such as Ozempic's impact on cravings.
They discuss the key demographics driving growth in the space, the unique appeal of non-alcoholic beers, wines, and spirits, and the occasions that make these drinks a special choice. Sean also dives into The Zero Proof’s journey, from its humble beginnings as a blog to becoming a dominant platform in the industry, and how the company collaborates with brands to bring exceptional products to consumers.
Tune in to hear Sean’s bold predictions for the future of non-alcoholic beverages, practical advice for brands looking to partner with The Zero Proof, and his personal vision for making non-alcoholic options a staple in every consumer’s life!
STARTUPCPG15 for 15% off at thezeroproof.com
Listen in as they share about:
- The Zero Proof Business Model
- Working with Zero Proof
- Dry January and Market Trends
- Consumer Behavior
- Business Trends and Growth
- Cultural Observations
- Consumer Motivations
- Event Participation and Industry Presence
- Future Predictions
Episode Links:
Website: https://thezeroproof.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-goldsmith-480b184/
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
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- Episode music by Super Fantastics
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Beep! Did you know that the beep of a barcode scan is heard at the point of sale more than 10 billion times a day worldwide? |
| 0:10.3 | Make sure your product is ready to go beep in the store or when you're selling online with a barcode from GS1US. |
| 0:18.5 | It's trusted by trading partners across the world. |
| 0:21.9 | GS1US is a not-for-profit standards organization that helps you meet retailer requirements, |
| 0:27.6 | enhance customer satisfaction, and streamline your operations. |
| 0:31.7 | GS1US offers flexible pricing options to fit the needs of your business and product line. |
| 0:36.5 | To estimate how many barcodes you need and to learn more about how to set up your supply chain |
| 0:41.2 | for success, go to gs1.us.org today. |
| 0:47.1 | That's gs1us.org. |
| 0:53.6 | Music org. |
| 1:12.6 | Throughout history, people have gathered together and shared moments with a special beverage. And it goes back a long, long time. |
| 1:14.6 | So I think that it's just deeply grained in us as humans to want to kind of mark occasions, |
| 1:21.6 | mark times of day with a beverage. |
| 1:24.6 | And I think a very common one is the happy hour drink. You know, you get off work and you want to |
| 1:30.3 | blow off some steam and if you don't want to have alcohol, what is it? You still want something a little bit more special, a little bit more elevated. |
| 1:37.3 | But if you look at the stats, it's over 90% of the people that are buying these drinks are alcohol drinkers. |
| 1:45.7 | And they're still drinking alcohol. |
| 1:47.6 | They're just drinking less alcohol and wanting to replace that occasion with something. |
| 1:53.5 | Hey, listeners, you must be hearing all about Dry January, and you're about to hear a bunch more |
| 1:57.9 | because we've got Sean Goldsmith, the co-founder and CEO of |
| 2:01.5 | The Zero Proof. It's the largest online retailer for the adult non-alc category. They've got a huge assortment of alcohol alternatives on their site, including so many brands from this community, like Aplos, Parch, and lots more who all say what a great partner, The Zero Proof, has been. So today with Sean on the episode, we're going to talk about dry January. |
| 2:20.0 | What's behind it? |
... |
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