CleanCo goes alcohol-free
The US' leading independent non-alcoholic 'spirit' brand, CleanCo, has been given a redesign and new recipe to bring it down to 0.0% ABV.
Formerly known as the Clean Liquor Company, Spencer Matthews (of Made in Chelsea fame) launched the brand in 2019 to tap into a gap in the market for non-alcoholic alternatives to spirits. The line was initially launched in the UK with an ABV of 1.2% and was brought down to 0.4% several years later. The brand is now officially alcohol-free after transitioning to 0.0%, at the same time as unveiling a new lighter bottle that uses 50% less glass. The CleanCo collection includes alternatives for gin, rum, whiskey, vodka and Tequila. The move to zero-ABV was to ensure the range was “as inclusive as possible” and to avoid confusion for consumers, Matthews explained. Matthews noted that while the range at 0.4% ABV was “essentially the same amount of naturally occurring alcohol you’d find in a banana”, it was found to be confusing for consumers after “extensive testing”. He called the new recipes a “natural evolution for the brand and the category”. Produced in the UK, the new liquids continue to be sugar free, contain 10 calories per double measure, and are made using all-natural flavourings. The new design was created in partnership with brand design agency Duzi. The brand has retained its hexagonal shape but the glass bottle is now significantly lighter, requiring half the energy it previously used. More bottles of CleanCo can now fit into each shipping container and each truck, which equates to two fewer trips across the Atlantic and 40 fewer trucks on the road each year, reducing the brand's carbon footprint by more than 12,000 miles. “We’re looking to be on a more sustainable path,” Matthews said of the new design. “We were the second ever non-alcoholic ‘spirit’ brand to hit the market, after Seedlip. And so there wasn't really the necessity for competitive shelf standout. We're constantly growing and developing the brand, but we just wanted to make it beautiful, available, and accessible to everyone.” Matthews recently achieved a Guinness World Record after completing 30 marathons in 30 days through the Jordanian desert. "We'd like to grow our clean running community," said Matthews, who is planning a CleanCo half-marathon in October, where participants will be encouraged to enjoy alcohol-free serves in pubs along the way. "From a personal perspective, I've been very unhealthy and very healthy, and having a much better relationship with alcohol has been, for me, the biggest changing factor in my life and it's allowed me to do all kinds of things, like really push to try and achieve my full potential on a personal level and and actually feel proud of myself." Matthews hopes that the products will help to change lives and encourage drinkers to moderate their alcohol consumption. Leading US brand According to Nielsen data for the year ending 20 July 2024, CleanCo was the number-one independent non-alcoholic 'spirit' brand in the US, and the country's second fastest-growing brand in the category. The company teamed up with Jim Clerkin’s brand-building firm, Demeter & Co, to launch in the States in October 2021. Through a partnership with the nation’s leading distributor, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, CleanCo has been available in more than 5,300 distribution points across 40 states since August 2024. In 2023 alone, CleanCo claims to have sold a Clean cocktail every eight seconds through its global network of retailers, bars and restaurants. The company states that its growth rate is now double that of the category. CleanCo previously secured a £7 million (US$8.9m) investment in 2020 to help it become the number-one brand in the low- and no-alcohol category. The newly designed range will be available from supermarkets and online from the brand’s website from 1 October 2024, with a price-tag of £16 (US$21) in the UK. The products have a shelf life of two years.
