One

It all begins with some-one believing in you. Just one. After that, it all comes together.

-Welcome to my blog. I am not sure I will keep this on here. Blogs don’t really seem to be “a thing” for most distribution companies and no matter how much I want to make sure we stand out and not be like other companies, I do understand the importance of professionalism. But for now, here we go.

When I started The Roaring Social in January 2023, I had zero plan. No clue what I was doing. Charlotte did not have an option for the non-alcoholic social scene, and I wanted to be the first (for once in my life) to make that happen. So, I learned as I grew and I leaned on those who let me. With the help from brands like Noughty, Three Spirts, Prima Pave, Spiritless and Ritual Zero Proof, I was able to grow using donated products, revenue from events and the support of my other business, Casey’s Homemade Goods. (Yes, I own a bakery as well….don’t ask. lol) I didn’t just have one person supporting me, I had a team. Every single one of them are to thank for where I am at today. Charlotte has every single one of them to thank as well.

Speaking of Charlotte…

The non-alcoholic drink menu options in Charlotte are lacking, to put it gently. Yeah, you see some Lyre’s here and there, but is that really surprising considering the parent company? The bars and restaurants that have the products don’t seem to put it on the menu. Juice and bubble blends do seem to make the menus, however. And those drinks aren’t really being ordered. Why? Well, it’s a sugar bomb. A $13 one at that. What happens next?…. The bar owner or manager looks at the sales and sees that they are either, non-exsistant or very low. Then these statistics are being used to determine if ramping up their NA menu is worth their time. Looking at the sales…it’s not. I have heard a lot of, “there really aren’t that many people looking for these options”. My sales numbers tell a different story.

Statistics show that 94% of those who order a non-alcoholic drink are also ordering an alcoholic one. NINETY-FOUR. So, 94 out of 100 people that walk into your business this weekend would have ordered a non-alcoholic drink if there was one available. Merchant and Trade purchased product from Charlotte Beverage Distribution, promoted the NA options for their Eclipse event on Monday and I saw a lot of them in the hands of their patrons. “If you build it they will come”.

Having said all this, I do not blame the bar owner, bar manager or anyone that is making the decision on the menus. I have been in the restaurant industry 90% of my working life. Running a restaurant is non-stop work that is taxing on your mental health and is likely that your coworkers see you more than anyone. The non-alcoholic world is a lot to take in. There are so many products and trying to sort through them all can leave you spinning.

Now the best part.

We have already sorted through them all FOR YOU! Yep! Free of charge! I have sipped, slurped, gagged, and savored over 150 brands. Charlotte Beverage Distribution houses some of the best options on the market. Being my size, I can only take on so much in our first year. So, I have kept it to the brands that I know, work closely with and whom employe a supportive team that are also pleasure to work with.

Where is this going?

I challenge you to try one. One brand. Give it a whirl. Add one brand to your lineup. Promote it, put it on your menu and see what happens. Keep in mind that taking Drømme and topping it with Coca-Cola isn’t what you should be doing. Top it with something healthy or low in sugar like Poppi. Remember, we are team low to no sugar since the non-alcoholic movement is also being coined a health movement.

Try just one. Do it for your revenue, do it so you can check it off your list, but also do it for the people that stand in front of me time after time and ask where they can go to get a quality non-alcoholic drink in Charlotte. Do it for the woman that was in actual tears when I told her that my mission was to get more NA options on the menus in Charlotte.

I will be there with you from step one to one hundred. This mission of mine is personal. I do not fail. Failure is not an option here. Your community needs you to support them and they are looking to me to make it happen. Just try one. One.