The Next Round: What happens after you change your drinking?
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The Next Round: What happens after you change your drinking?
Abdoulaye is the founder of No Low Drinks & Food – Nimbah, a French company dedicated to premium alcohol-free beverages, with a strong focus on alcohol-free spirits and gastronomic botanical drinks. His background has been shaped at the crossroads of several worlds: 👉 wine and spirits, 👉 gastronomy, 👉 product innovation and market development.
Today, he works closely with: wine merchants, bartenders, restaurateurs, and hoteliers, specialist retailers and selected grocery chains, hospitality schools and training centers, to support the understanding, selection, and valorization of premium alcohol-free beverages. Through No Low Drinks & Food – Nimbah, he positions himself both as a brand curator and a market builder, with a long-term, international, and quality-driven vision.
Alex is the founder of Weintertainment, a platform dedicated to making wine more engaging, accessible and culturally relevant. With a background spanning media, events and storytelling, he brings fresh energy to the wine world, connecting new audiences with producers through creative formats, experiences and digital innovation.
Shaped by fine dining since a very early age, Alice Brissaud has worked in different countries over the years including The Watermill Lodge (best restaurant from N. Ireland in 2017). She developed an enthusiasm in working in high end gastronomy which has led her to work the last few years at the prestigious restaurant De Lindenhof ** in Netherland.
Passionate about food and beverages and specialized in cheese, she is committed to giving her guest an unforgettable dining experience in many ways
After and inspirational trip to Jörg Geiger Manufaktur in Schlat, Germany she found an interest in shaping a new culture of alcohol-free enjoyment at the table.
Founder of The Blue Dolphin Store, alcohol-free drinks retailer & distributor based in Barcelona, Spain.
Anna Fellenius is Category Manager at Systembolaget, Sweden’s state-owned alcohol retail monopoly, responsible for the alcohol-free category. She works at the intersection of consumer insight, drinks innovation and changing social norms around alcohol. With experience across both alcoholic and alcohol-free beverages, Anna focuses on translating shifting consumer behaviors into relevant, high-quality alcohol-free assortments at scale. Operating within a public health mandate, she aims to make mindful choices attractive, without compromising on taste, experience or credibility.
In January 2019, Avnish founded the Savyll Beverage Company. Savyll’s mission is to provide exceptional quality alcohol free drinks to discerning consumers who are seeking to either cut out or cut back on their alcohol consumption. In September 2019, Savyll launched a range of six ready-to-drink, alcohol-free cocktails that faithfully recreate the familiarity, complexity and sense of occasion of the world’s most popular cocktails; including a Gin and Tonic, Bellini, Mojito, Moscow Mule, Spiced Rum and Cola, and an Old Cuban. Prior to founding the Savyll Beverage Company, Avnish worked as a management consultant for 13 years within the financial services industry.
Sourcing and Partnership Manager, Bier&cO/ Swinkels Family Brewers
Bier&cO is known as the well respected importer/distibutor of craft beverages since the mid ’80’s.
Founder of Sober Spirits, the world’s first non-alcoholic spirits brand to be made from REAL spirits. Made entirely in France at our 150 years old distillery, we are creating the future of non-alcoholic drinks by putting innovation for taste at the heart of our R&D. Our non-alcoholic alternatives to rum, gin, whisky bourbon, amaretto, bitter, spritz… 0.0% alcohol & 0 sugar and just perfect to create stunning cocktails experiences.
Camille is the founder of La Maison Wellness, a globally recognised bartender and drinks expert turned mindfulness, Yoga and Meditation teacher. A true pioneer, also known as Mindfully Cami, she is on a mission to inspire the world to bring mindfulness into the glass.
Carl Héline is a luxury brand strategist and beverage executive with 20 years of leadership experience within LVMH, where he held senior roles across Champagne, Cognac and digital business in both Europe and the United States.
Over two decades, he led brand turnarounds, built international distribution strategies and developed high-performance commercial organizations in some of the world’s most demanding markets.
Five years ago, Carl moved into the adult non-alcoholic category. As shareholder and executive leader of French Bloom, he built and led the brand’s US expansion from the ground up. In less than two years, the United States became French Bloom’s number one global market — establishing a benchmark for premium alcohol-free positioning and distribution. This strategic acceleration contributed to Moët Hennessy (LVMH) acquiring a minority stake of approximately 30% in the company.Today, Carl advises European non-alcoholic brands on defining strong brand architecture, premium positioning and profitable go-to-market strategies — with a particular focus on entering and scaling successfully in the US market.
His expertise spans pricing strategy, distribution structuring, retail and on-trade activation, and building the operational foundations required for sustainable growth.His approach combines luxury discipline with entrepreneurial agility — helping founders transform vision into structured, scalable success.
Chief Sales Officer at Kolonne Null GmbH. Highly driven and hands-on International Sales Executive in the Fashion and FMCG industry with a strong strategic approach and proven track record of achieving highly profitable results.
A pioneer in the non-alcoholic space, Claire co-founded Æcorn in 2018 alongside Ben Branson, leading to its acquisition by Diageo in 2020. Now Head of Luxury Advocacy at Diageo, Claire is a speaker, mentor, and industry advocate, serving on the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation board and chairing the IWSC Alternative Drinks Awards.
Christof Tremp is the co-founder and CEO of Rebels 0.0%, a startup crafting alcohol-free spirits. With an MA in Business Administration from HSG and experience at Kraft Foods, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, and Lindt & Sprüngli. Through their “Cheers Revolution”, Rebels 0.0% is challenging social drinking norms by offering sophisticated alternatives to gin, rum, whiskey, and aperitifs. Rebels 0.0% taps into the growing trend of reduced alcohol consumption, especially among younger generations, while positioning itself as a choice rather than an anti-alcohol stance.
Their spirits, produced in Switzerland using double distillation and organic botanicals, closely mimic traditional flavors. Committed to sustainability and ethical standards, Rebels 0.0% maintains a complex production process, resulting in a premium product.
Claudia Geyer is CTO of Solos and co-inventor of its patented Aroma Recovery System. With deep expertise in aroma science and product development, she leads innovation in no- and low-alcohol beverages, supporting brands and private label partners in creating high-quality, scalable products that preserve flavor, complexity, and distinctive character and identity.
Dan Gasper, Managing Partner of Nex Drinks Partners and Co-Founder of Distill Ventures
Daniel Stiller is the Chief Executive Officer of Better Rhodes, a company focused on mindful drinking and non-alcoholic beverage innovation. He leads strategy, operations, and growth with a goal of expanding choice and sparking new thinking in the consumer market.
He began his career in automotive. He held leadership roles at Ford, Hyundai, and Honda. He later became Director of North American Sales at ZENN Motor Company, where he led expansion of emerging technologies in new markets.
He has also shared his experience in academia as a professor at Concordia University Chicago, teaching leadership, strategy, and business practice. In the classroom, he connects real-world challenges with academic frameworks to prepare future leaders.
Hockey player, golfer and skier. Outside work, Daniel plays when he can and uses sports to stay grounded to his Canadian roots.
Dimitri Oosterlynck is the Belgian founder of Gimber, the ginger-based alcohol-free drink brand he launched in 2017 after developing the recipe in his own kitchen. What began as a personal search for a bold, flavourful alternative to alcohol has grown into a fast-expanding business available across multiple European markets. Gimber has attracted significant backing, raising around €10 million in funding with investors including Welvaartsfonds, Square One Foods and DLF Venture alongside the founders, to support its international expansion and product development.
Brandplant is the Benelux distributor of functional drinks and functional food. We deliver in retail to Albert Heijn, Jumbo, PLUS, Dekamarkt, Holland & Barrett, BOON, Carrefour, Intermarche and Delhaize. We deliver to wholesalers Sligro, BIDFOOD, Makro. We deliver in foodservice to Vermaat, Sodexo, Compass, Stach, La Place and a lot more chains and individual customers. Our current portfolio of functional drinks is PerfectTed, HIP POP, ACTIPH, ACTIVIT and Punchy.
Dennis is Trade Marketing Manager at LFE. He has 8 years at LFE in the wine business, ex Heineken, ex Red Bull, Trade Marketing, Category Management, Insights, Marketing.
The Founder of Drink Dry, the GCC’s first and only premium non-alcoholic drinks marketplace, Erika is a well-known and revered figure in the beverage industry.
Eva is a consumer researcher with a keen interest in innovative research methods, choice architecture, and personality psychology. She completed a Master of Science in Psychological Research at Lund University, where she wrote her thesis on social (media) influence on young adults’ food choices.
Eva has been part of the Future of Food Institute team as a researcher and online community manager since November 2020.
Frédéric is the founder of Zenotheque, a specialist in production and sales of low and no-alcohol wines. Zenotheque partners with winemakers across Europe, and offers both retail sales and commercial services.
Frederik is the founder of Lowlander, the pioneering brewery crafting no & low-alcohol beers infused with botanicals. With a passion for flavor and innovation, he has redefined beer by blending brewing traditions with natural ingredients. Frederik leads Lowlander in shaping the future of mindful drinking with bold, botanical brews.
Jenny is the CEO and founder of Free Spirit, the first Nordic premium alcohol-free drinks importer and retailer. Free Spirit have just opened their second retail location in Helsinki.
Jeroen is Buying Manager – Retail at LFE. He is an experienced Business Development Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the wine and spirits industry. Skilled in Food & Beverage, Beverage Industry, Retail, Alcoholic Beverages, and Sales Management.
Laura is the founder of Club Soda. Since 2015 she has been driving the mindful drinking movement, first in the UK, now across Europe. She is the leading voice for low, no and mid-strength drinks in the UK.
Lloyd is the Creative Director at PB Creative, leading the agency’s creative output across global drinks, beauty and FMCG brands. With many years of experience in branding and design, he has worked at some of the industry’s most respected agencies including JKR before joining PB Creative where he progressed to Creative Director.
Across his career Lloyd has delivered standout creative for some of the world’s most recognised consumer brands, building distinctive brand worlds that combine strategic thinking with exceptional craft. Today at PB Creative he leads multidisciplinary teams to create brands that cut through culturally and commercially.
Louise Fitzpatrick is Strategic Growth Manager for HEINEKEN Globally, with a focus on growth opportunities in LoNo and Beyond Beer. She has worked for HEINEKEN for over 12 years, across various roles and functions, in both Dublin and Amsterdam. In previous roles, she was responsible for fuelling consumer centricity by adopting future proof tools and capabilities. She also led the roll out of the organisation’s Global Demand Space framework, and was a key instigator of the company’s expansion into Low and No Alcohol beverages. Prior to HEINEKEN, Louise held a number of roles in innovation and media agencies, as well as a stint as Insights Manager for Tourism Ireland. Louise is passionate about the Low and No alochol beer and how the category is meeting the evolving needs of consumers.
Mariëlle is the founder of Amavin, Dutch online alcohol-free retailer.
Amavine is the ultimate non-alcoholic boutique, the charming online shop with a unique, specially curated assortment, where you can browse through the tastiest non-alcoholic drinks and indulge in the latest non-alcoholic trends.
COO of Oddbird International
Misha is a Client Director at PB Creative with 15 years of experience in design and branding, specialising in the drinks category. Before joining PB she worked at drinks focused agencies Claessens and Bloom, both renowned for their luxury and premium portfolio work. Her category experience includes close partnerships with Diageo across Luxury Malts and beer, as well as Campari, AB InBev with a focus on Corona, and Britvic. Today at PB Creative Misha builds long term client relationships and leads collaborative partnerships that translate bold creative thinking into commercially successful brand outcomes.
In the fall of 2017, Morten Sørensen, a Danish digital nomad, decided to embark on a journey, a 100-day alcohol-free journey. A few years later that journey had evolved into the mindful drinking company ISH, based in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Morten likes to challenge the norm and has done so continuously in his professional career that has evolved mostly around building multinational brands, before the path led him to building his own brand, ISH. Now exporting to over a 20 countries, ISH is on the mission to make mindful drinking easy – something Morten was missing as a mindful drinker.
Moritz Zyrewitz is an entrepreneur with over a decade of experience building purpose-driven companies. He founded an alcohol-free wine company in 2018 and a mid-strength wine company in 2021. Companies he founded raised more than €10 million in investment and he mastered scaling revenue from zero to €3 million. His expertise lies in sales, communication, pragmatic growth strategy, and stakeholder management. With a background in Political Science and years spent living in Bolivia, Canada, France, and Egypt, he brings an international perspective to business. Based at Lake Chiemsee with his family, he is currently exploring the intersection of food innovation, mental wellbeing, and culture — including alternative proteins in his free time.
Nadi is the Category Manager Drinks at Sligro. Sligro Food Group aims to be the undisputed market leader in foodservice and the benchmark for Good Food in the Benelux.
Founder of VASTNAY Global, an emerging discovery box and e-commerce platform showcasing zero-proof brands.
Nick Bodkins is the founder of A Route West and the former CEO of Boisson, a category-defining marketplace for non-alcoholic wines and spirits. At Boisson, Nick raised $22 million in venture funding and built a national footprint across New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, and e-commerce.
He led the brand through explosive growth—and a difficult restructuring—earning recognition in The New York Times, Forbes, Business Insider, and BevNet. These experiences, from scaling to course-correcting, now shape the work he does at A Route West: helping founders and operators grow smarter and adapt faster.
Before launching Boisson, Nick spent more than a decade in enterprise marketing and technology, leading digital strategy and GTM execution for both consumer brands and SaaS companies. His approach combines startup urgency with enterprise structure.
Nick is a two-time judge at the World Alcohol-Free Awards in London and was recently named a no/low alcohol judge for the IWSC.
Nikolas is co-owner of Roots Divino Non-Alcoholic Vermouth, one of the first non-alcoholic vermouths launched across Europe and the U.S. in 2021. Now distributed in 13 countries and 17 U.S. states, Roots Divino was named Best Non-Alcoholic Spirit at the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA Las Vegas) and has been featured in The New York Times, Food & Wine, and VinePair among others.
Crafted on the Greek island of Lesbos with wormwood and Mediterranean herbs, and inspired by the ancient absinthe wine of Hippocrates, Roots Divino reflects a 150-year family distilling heritage.
Nikolas holds a PhD and has been active in the spirits industry since 2013, when he co-founded Roots Spirits, a range of craft liqueurs.
Pepijn van der Heijden is a partner at Export Partner, where he advises food and beverage brands on international market entry, retail strategy, and sustainable growth across Europe, with a strong focus on organic and premium products. Export Partner works closely with producers to translate strategy into execution, focusing on distribution strategy, retail positioning, and building long-term partnerships in European markets.
Raissa is the co-founder, with her twin sister Joyce, of Double Dutch Drinks, a premium mixer company based in London. Double Dutch drinks are now available in over 45 countries around the world.
Raymond is National Account Manager at Bier&cO, Swinkels Family Brewers.
Richard Zijlstra is a leading figure in the Dutch hospitality and bartending scene, with a career spanning senior roles in premium drinks, brand development and on-trade strategy. Known for his focus on craftsmanship and professional standards, Richard has played a key role in strengthening the bartending community in the Netherlands. As President of the Dutch Bartenders Club, he leads the organisation in championing education, competition and international collaboration, helping raise the profile and professionalism of Dutch bartenders on the global stage.
Ruben is Buyer and Assortment Manager – Beer & Spirits at Sligro. Sligro Food Group aims to be the undisputed market leader in foodservice and the benchmark for Good Food in the Benelux.
Sam Bail is the founder of Bright Nights Social, an alcohol-free pop-up bar redefining nightlife and sober socializing in New York City. Since 2022, she has produced 100+ events and partnered with leading non-alcoholic brands. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, CBS News, and Time Out New York.
Sarah is the founder of Déjà Bu? – a wine cellar and bar in Paris, serving alcohol-free drinks. A unique concept where you can experience the world of alcohol-free beverages.
Sebastian is an entrepreneur with a proven track record in the beverage industry. He started his career at AB InBev and Swinkels Family Brewers, holding various roles in sales, marketing and strategy. Three years ago, he acquired Dorstlust and transformed it from a local hospitality wholesaler into an import and distribution company focused on No- and Low-alcohol beverages, now active across horeca, retail and foodservice.
At Dorstlust, Sebastian focuses on strategic development, portfolio building and key accounts in retail and foodservice. His ambition is to build Dorstlust into a leading No/Low distribution platform in the Benelux. He combines corporate experience with hands-on entrepreneurship and enjoys building strong brands and long-term partnerships in a rapidly evolving market.
Sébastien Thomas is co-founder and Managing Director of Moderato, a pioneering French “low-no” wine brand launched in 2020.) Drawing on a family heritage in Cognac and a background in marketing, strategy and brand building, he leads Moderato’s mission to bring premium, dealcoholised wines to wine lovers in a more responsible way.
Silvia received a degree in Agricultural engineering from the University of Zaragoza, Spain and a second degree from La Rioja University in Winemaking. She then traveled around the world learning various methods of international winemaking, including four years as Production Manager in a wine cooperative in D.O. Calatayud, working in Germany in the Mosel area, and working at About Wine and Style Consult in Neustadt Weinstrasse. Silvia has been apart of the BevZero team since 2015.
Theis is a Danish entrepreneur and technologist best known for co-founding Dry Boots – Find Any Non‑Alc Drink, a platform designed to help people discover, rate and enjoy alcohol-free and low-alcohol beverages from around the world. He previously co-founded Vivino, the world’s largest online wine marketplace and community, where he led product strategy and growth, helping transform how millions of users discover and choose drinks. With deep experience in building consumer tech and data-driven products, Theis has brought that expertise into the no- and low-alcohol space to make it easier for curious drinkers and brands alike to navigate and enjoy the category.
Tess is a multi-awarded bartender & bar owner based in Amsterdam.
Next to being the owner of bars Flying Dutchmen Cocktails and Dutch Courage, Tess is an in-demand hospitality consultant, a member of the Tales of the Cocktail board of directors, (co-)owner of Perfect Serve Barshow Amsterdam and Amsterdam Cocktail Week and The Collection by Tess Posthumus bar tools. She writes a monthly column for Drinks International magazine, is the author of ‘Cocktails met Tess’ and ‘Masterclass: Cocktails’, and is working on her new book ‘Dutch Courage’. This third book is all about the traditional spirit of the Netherlands: genever.
Tom is one of The Thinking Drinkers – two of the UK’s leading drinks writers, comedians, presenters and award-winning authors of several books on drink.
Their most recent book “The Thinking Drinkers Almanac”, was named one of the Sunday Times Food & Drinks Books of the Year.
The duo appear regularly on ITV’s This Morning as non-alcoholic drinks experts and each year since 2011, they have written and performed a new unique tasting comedy show which tours the UK and places drinks in the hands of around 12k consumers.
Tom was named “Spirits Communicator of the Year” by the IWSC (International Wine and Spirits Competition), is the former editor of the leading industry spirits and cocktail magazine CLASS and oversaw the launch of World’s 50 Best Bars and House Tonic, the cocktail magazine for the Soho House Group.
Wim is the founder of World of Nix, the Dutch omnichannel alcohol-free retail, e-commerce and B2B business. Wim is an entrepreneur and former investment banker with 15+ years in finance, investing and building businesses.
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