Seedlip Founder Ben Branson on the Budding NoLo drinks Landscape

Seedlip is a pioneer of the burgeoning NoLo category — the zero- and low-alcohol drinks movement that’s steadily carving out its place alongside the traditional spirits industry. A response to shifting consumer behaviours, and fuelled in part by the rise of the ‘sober curious’ (a term introduced by Ruby Warrington in her 2018 book), the movement champions mindful drinking and occasional abstention as intentional lifestyle choices rather than prescriptive mandates. Today the No/Lo category is in a dynamic period of evolution. Since 2020, more than 1,000 new brands have launched globally, and the market is forecast to grow/

But when Seedlip entered the scene in 2015, the landscape was largely uncharted. Founded by Ben Branson — a budding botanist with a background in drinks branding — the brand stood out early for its sophisticated flavour profiles and interesting design. Its core range (Garden 108, Grove 42 and Spice 94) set a benchmark for high-end, alcohol-free alternatives. Acquired by drinks giant Diageo in 2019 and supported by an expanded portfolio, Seedlip continues to be a significant player in the NoLo conversation. ​That year Seedlip introduced Æcorn Aperitifs. The range debuted with three bottlings crafted from English-grown grapes and aromatised with herbs, roots,and bitter botanicals.

We spoke with Branson to explore the category’s growth, its creative possibilities, and what lies ahead.

There seems to be a growing NoLo scene around the world. Having been a pioneer in this area, what can you tell us about changing consumer behaviours?

It is still a small industry, but there is a definite awareness of alcohol consumption and a growing appetite for non-alcoholic drinks as well as those with lower alcohol content. Health and fitness are driving the over-30s who are generally shifting their behaviour and moderating their alcohol intake. Younger generation have made it their priority to live a no-and low-alcohol lifestyle. They are concerned with how things are made, want to know about the ingredients involved and what happens at every stage. This consumer is generally really brand aware and expects a certain degree of transparency from us.

You caught the zeitgeist when you started Seedlip. What made you want to begin a brand focused on distilled non-alcoholic drinks?

When the idea started around 2015, there were so few choices for non-alcoholic adult drinks in pubs and bars other than cordials and sweet mixes. And since I don’t drink alcohol, it always felt like a compromise. So, I started off casually experimenting with my small still, distilling anything from grass to chilies. Then I decided to give Seedlip a go.

Strong branding has been intrumental to your on-going success, the visual language and the messaging evoking the spirit of high-end alcoholic products. Was re-creating the glamour, the sense of occasion, the theatre of drinking an essential component to the brand?

Yes, much of drinking is about the psychological aspect. It is about walking into a bar and ordering a cocktail, seeing the bottle design and the graphics, watching the bartender at work, the equipment and glass-wear. Every style item is important, and we don’t want to offer anything less.

Your products have complex botanicals compositions and mature flavours, which magically come alive with tonic water and the right garnish. How challenging was refining the production process?

We knew from the start that the spirit needed to be a distilled non-alcoholic beverage, which is tricky in that you don’t have the alcohol or the sugar to help with preservation. We don’t add any after-flavours either, so we get the most out of every ingredient we use by individually macerating and distilling in each stage. The problem is that sugar and alcohol are the best carriers of flavour. So either you add syrup and balance that with acidity, or you add bubbles and the carbonation brings through the aromas. This is why the tonic wakes up the Seedlip flavour profile and brings the aromas alive.

Why make Æcorn a separate brand to Seedlip and with such a different visual identity?

The two are very different. Æcorn is an aperitif brand and the idea from the start was around making an English vermouth. We still need to educate people on non-alcoholic drinks and it makes sense to keep the two apart.

One of your early coups was the ready-made NOgroni (made with Seedlip Spice 94 with Æcorn Bitter and Æcorn Aromatic), which has the flavours and romance of the icon cocktail without the alcohol content. Having published The Life Negroni, the drink’s allure lies so much in the wider narrative, the history and style…

I completely agree, it goes back to that sense of occasion we discussed. The NOgroni idea came about in 2017 when we got invited to the bar of the year awards and were given a cocktail booth and needed to make more drinks to show the potential of Seedlip. So, we started experimenting with making a no-alcohol Negroni and it was a hit with bartenders, which is why we then created this ready-made NOgroni cocktail. It is a real hero for us.

Seedlip caused a buzz from the start. Famously your first batch sold out in Selfridges in just three weeks, a third of which vanished from the shelves in the first 30 minutes. How do you see the company evolving from here?

Today, Seedlip and Æcorn sell in over 25 countries. But on a more general level, it would be good to educate people on non-alcoholic drinks. If you take a look at our bottles, we don’t lead with the words ‘no-alcohol’ on the label – that comes second in our branding. This should not be the sole reason you would buy Seedlip. I would really like to see ‘no-drinking’ becoming normal, rather than something you necessarily need to talk about.