ATYPICAL VENTURE
Former Als standout Étienne Boulay retired from the CFL in 2013 and was able to get sober three years later. Now he's a business partner in Atypique, a popular alcohol-free drink that's low in sugar and carbohydrates. Herb Zurkowsky has details.
When their paths first crossed at a function more than a decade ago, Jonathan Robin was in the real-estate industry, while Étienne Boulay was at the height of his career with the Montreal Alouettes.
“And I wasn't sober,” Boulay admitted.
Robin eventually changed careers in 2018, producing low- or non-alcoholic beverages operating out of the Station Agro-biotech plant in St-hyacinthe. Boulay retired from the Canadian Football League in 2013, got sober three years later, kicked his cocaine habit and became a francophone television celebrity.
Last January, Boulay posted on Facebook his three-year sobriety anniversary. Robin, seeking to launch a new brand of alcohol-free, low-sugar beverage, contacted him.
“I was proud of his progress,” Robin said. “I thought there was something I could do. This is a guy that turned his life around, could support the venture and ideas through his own character and personal story.”
“He was the perfect candidate.” Today, the two are business partners in Atypique, an alcohol-free drink that's low in sugar and carbohydrates, and contains only natural products. Available in four flavours — spiced rum and cola; gin and tonic; spritz and mojito — each 355 ml can contains between 60 and 80 calories and boasts a sugar content 40 to 50 per cent lower than similar alcoholic products.
“A lot of people are trying to lower their alcohol consumption,” Boulay said. “This is a soda that tastes like alcohol. We feel like it's a great alternative. This keeps the good part of drinking alcohol while eliminating all the negative effects — the hangover the next day; the bad decisions you can take.
“It's a good alternative for people like me that stopped drinking, people who want to take care of their health, pregnant women, people sick or ill that can't drink alcohol.”
Launched in late October and sold exclusively under the Sobeys banner at the nearly 300 IGA outlets provincewide, among other supermarkets and dépanneurs, the demand and popularity has been extraordinary.
Within the first month, 250,000 cans were sold. That total has now increased to nearly 400,000. The company has 40 full-time employees and has added a second shift. Some 3,500 cans are produced each hour, 15 hours per day, five days per week. Also available in the Maritimes and parts of Ontario, Robin and Boulay have plans to go national while concocting more flavours.
“It's a beautiful time to be in business — and that category specifically,” said Jonathan Olszensky, Station Agro-biotech's business development manager. “We all know people who abused a little bit during the first (COVID-19) lockdown and gained a few pounds. Happy Hour started earlier and earlier. More people are taking themselves more seriously and taking charge of their health with these subsequent lockdowns.”
While IGA was aggressive in its promotion of Atypique, especially through its weekly flyers, Marc-étienne Boudreau, a merchandising director for Sobeys, said it's one of the best launches of a local product, without marketing support, he has seen in his three years with the company. Stores are calling him because of a lack of supply and increased demand.
“I'm not going to say I'm very surprised, but I can say I'm surprised,” Boudreau said. “Sales are doing great. The response from the consumer is what surprises me more. We pushed the product and the product's good, to be honest. The flavours aren't common. “It's a huge success for now.” Always popular in the province while he played football, Boulay's presence and image increased dramatically in retirement. Now the co-host of a morning radio show on WKND 99.5 FM, he boasts more than 50,000 Twitter followers and is active on social media.
If Robin's the brains behind the brand, Boulay's mandate is to build the product, driving as many people as possible into the stores. While he eventually wanted to launch his own product, Boulay's learning curve has been steep.
“We're pretty excited,” Boulay said. “We've set a standard of quality and we can't mess that up. We've been caught by surprise, to be honest with you, with the popularity level.”
It's a good alternative for people like me that stopped drinking, people who want to take care of their health.