Atlanta-based nonalcoholic firm attracts big investment

The Zero Proof raises seven figures from venture group.

What started as a blog by local nonalcoholic drink enthusiasts has now turned into one of the leading U.S. sellers of alcohol-free bev- erages, attracting multimil- lion-dollar investments.

The Zero Proof, an Atlan- ta-based online retailer of nonalcoholic beverages, announced this week it has raised a seven-figure invest- ment led by Asahi Group Beverages and Innovation, the U.S.-based venture capi- tal arm ofthe multinational Japanese alcohol, food and beverage company Asahi Group Holdings.

The company did not release the amount of the investment, but said it was a Series A funding round, which is typically the first investment capital a com- pany raises after seed and angel investing. The Zero Proof raised $2 million in seed funding in 2022, just a couple years after becoming an online retailer.

Sean Goldsmith and Trevor Wolfe first started the company as a blog with product reviews, interviews and booze-free city guides. Now, it imports and sells nonalcoholic wines, spirits, cocktails and more directly to consumers through its web- site as well as to wholesal- ers across the country. The Zero Proof also owns non- alcoholic wine brand Saint Viviana and Lapo’s, a line of Italian aperitifs and digestifs.

The company plans to use its new investment to hire salespeople, expand its nationwide distribution network and increase its base of retail accounts and wholesale portfolio.

“It’ s an exciting time for the adult, non-alc cat- egory, and this new fund- ing enables us to acceler- ate our already phenome- nal growth by building out our omnichannel distribution and broadening our suite of high-quality, deli- cious NA beverages,” com- pany CEO Goldsmith said in a statement.

The Zero Proof’ s announcement came during Dry January, when some people give up drinking for a month. A Gallup poll from August suggests a growing number of Americans think that even moderate drinking — one or two drinks a day — is bad for your health.

And Atlanta is also starting to see a growing scene of low- and nonalcoholic bars, stores and pop-ups alongside The Zero Proof, like the Sober Social.

This investment is also not the first time an alcohol brand has invested in a local beverage company. In 2021, Diageo North America, the parent company of brands such asJohnnie Walker,Guinness and Smirnoff, announced a 10-year investment to build Pronghorn, an Alpharetta-based company thatfunds Black-owned spirits brands, mentors them and helps facilitate internships and jobs in the industry for Black candidates.

COURTESY OF AJA WOLFE Atlanta is part of a growing scene of low- and nonalcoholic bars, stores and pop-ups alongside The Zero Proof, like the Sober Social (above).