Lidl has thrown down the gauntlet to the likes of Seedlip with its first ‘premium’ alcohol-free botanical craft spirit – which costs just £9.99 per bottle.
The 0% drink, named CeroCero, is billed as having a taste profile similar to gin, with notes of juniper, pine and citrus, hibiscus and loganberry.
It was developed using a series of cold-press techniques to “extract and suspend botanicals”, which negate the need for alcohol, said Lidl.
It will make its debut in 70cl bottles from 31 October.
The NPD is significantly cheaper than big-name rivals on the market. Seedlip’s 70cl Garden non-alcoholic spirit, for instance is currently on promotion at both Tesco and Waitrose for £22 (down from £26) and £22.50 (down from £26.50) respectively.
Lidl was “always responding to consumer trends”, said its head of buying Paul McQuade. “CeroCero is perfect for those who are big on trying something new this party season.”
The launch comes as Brits splashed out an extra £26m on low and non-alcoholic drinks this year – that’s approximately the equivalent of an additional 10 million litres [Kantar 52 w/e 14 July].
It’s the latest in a flurry of new entrants to the burgeoning non-alcoholic spirits sector – the likes of William Grant and Pernod Ricard, as well as a swathe of startups such as Sipling and Caleño, have all launched competitors over the past year.
Seedlip also launched a non-alcoholic ‘Nogroni’ cocktail in Selfridges this month (rsp: £10/20cl).
- Next year The Grocer’s publisher William Reed will host a new exhibition for the thriving low and non-alcoholic drinks sector. The event, called Low2NoBev, will take place at London’s Truman Brewery on 17-18 June 2020 and showcase new products and innovation from beers, wines, ciders and spirits to craft sodas, adult soft drinks and mixers.
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