Yesterday was the grand re-opening of The Bloom 'n Bean in downtown Dauphin. But this time, there's a new shop within the shop: they've opened up a Sobr Market, a place where you can buy all sort of non-alcoholic beers, wines, and spirits.
Valerie McInnes, Sobr Market Franchise Owner, has been planning it for a while now, but decided to open the market sooner than she originally thought.
"I was thinking about doing this and didn't maybe think I was gonna do it until the fall, maybe after the summer, but then realized we're getting into the season where this type of beverage is more readily wanted, because of it being cottage country time, so here we are," said McInnes.
The company was started by a Winnipeg couple who saw a need for non-alcoholic spirits, and filled that need with a marketplace. McInnes originally found out about the company through her daughter, who works at one of their Winnipeg locations, and thought there was a need for it in the Parkland as well.
In recent years, there's been a big shift in how non-alcoholic beer, wine, and spirits are viewed. As McInnes explains it, they allow for anyone who can't or doesn't drink to still feel included in a society that pressures them to drink.
"Alcohol creates a culture and creates a community, and people who don't drink don't necessarily feel part of that community all the time. But this allows them to bring a can or a bottle with them that looks exactly like something you would get at the liquor store...I have a lot of expectant moms and nursing moms that come to see me that just want to enjoy their time with family, and as well, a large portion of my clientelle right now are individuals who for medical reasons can't drink alcohol," said McInnes.
If you're a little on the fence about non-alcoholic drinks that traditionally have alcohol, good news: Sobr Market allows taste testing for most of their bottled spirits. They'd rather you try it in-store and don't like it, than buy it and don't like it at home.
"At any time, most of our bottled spirits are open for people to come and taste test before they spend money on it. Our price points are very similar to what you would spend at the liquor store, but the quality of the product is there for the price point. But I don't want somebody buying a bottle of New Spirits Gin, and going home and going, oh, this isn't what I thought it was," said McInnes.
Looking at the future of Sobr Market in Dauphin, they'll be having non-alcoholic wine tasting nights, and will soon be starting wholesale distribution to restaurants in the area.
