As consumers continue to cut their alcohol intake and embrace zero proof alternatives, startup retailer Sèchey is working to ensure that shoppers looking for non-alc beer, wine and spirits don’t get hung out to dry.
Founded in 2021 by CEO Emily Heintz, Sèchey (French for ‘dry’ or ‘dryish’) is a South Carolina-based retailer specializing in non-alcoholic beverage alternatives. The company launched its ecommerce platform last September and quickly thereafter opened its first brick-and-mortar pop-up store in Charleston. Now, as Sèchey’s awareness grows, it has opened a second brick-and-mortar retail location in New York City at 632 Hudson Street while it also works to open a permanent store in South Carolina.
“The core value of the company is really about mental health and overall physical wellness, but we exist to help increase the availability, convenience, and education around the [non-alcoholic alternative] category in general, regardless of your relationship with alcohol,” Heintz said.
Sèchey is the second entrepreneurial venture for Heintz, a retail and ecommerce industry veteran who had previously founded online fashion boutique Label Los Angeles in 2004. She most recently served as director of enterprise sales, retail for retail and warehouse management software company Matterport. According to Heintz, the idea for Sèchey came from her own shift away from alcohol during the early pandemic lockdowns, when she began trying more non-alc alternatives at home.
“I figured if I wanted to drink less, a lot of other people probably did, too,” she said.
Heintz said she bootstrapped the company to start but closed an angel investor-backed round in July and is currently raising a Series A seed round. Outside of part-time store staff Sèchey now has three full-time employees and is looking to hire more to support a larger expansion. The company, she said, aims to open five new permanent stores in 2023 around the country and is also exploring opening “shop-in-shop” partnerships where Sèchey will curate non-alcoholic beverage sets in other retailers.
Prior to opening the first pop-up location, Heintz said she had difficulty finding retail space as most landlords didn’t believe a non-alcoholic liquor boutique could be a viable business – particularly in a “drinking town” like Charleston. However, the South Carolina store has achieved a 24% customer repeat rate, with top customers returning between 10 and 15 times since February. She added that growth has relied on word of mouth and Sèchey has not placed any paid ads.
Sèchey’s expansion comes as the non-alcoholic alternatives category is experiencing rapid growth. IRI reported last month that low and no-alc drinks have grown points of distribution by 6% in the 52-weeks ending June 12 and Drizly announced that sales of non-alcoholic wine and beer on its platform were up 20% over Labor Day weekend while non-alc spirits grew sales by 50%, compared to the holiday weekend in 2021.
While similar ecommerce platforms have launched since Heintz first had the idea of a one stop shop for zero proof brands, including CraftZero and Boisson – the latter raised $12 million earlier this year – and trendsetting retail chains like Town & Country and Erewhon have built out their own sets for the non-alc adult beverage category, Sèchey has quickly worked to set itself apart through its brick-and-mortar boutique experience.
Both its stores have tasting counters with “expert-guided” sampling experiences, including free tastings and $10-per-person flights. The shops are also equipped with outdoor seating for on-premise consumption, and also provide consumers with more than just the bottles by selling barware, candles, artwork, cocktail books, gift bags and more.
But for the main inventory, Sèchey stocks over 75 non-alcoholic brands, most of which have emerged in recent years, including Noughty, Ghia, Spiritless, Lyre’s and Mingle Mocktails. The stores also carry CBD-infused drinks like Recess, cocktail mixer brands such as AVEC and Betty Buzz, and functional drinks including Droplet and Kin Euphorics. The Charleston store also has a grab-and-go cooler for certain products and consumers can also make their own mix-and-match multipacks of single-serve products.
“We try to build relationships with every brand personally. We will do tastings, we discuss opportunities to highlight the brand in the store,” Heintz said. “With [the New York] store the brands will have an opportunity to do custom shelf toppers so they can have their own space within the store, so it’s a chance for them to get to know the customer through us…. So we look to each other as partners – I can’t exist without the brands and the brands need me to reach new customers.”