A Barrie couple is providing non-alcoholic drinks for those locally, provincially, and even nationally, through their company, Sober Sips.
Co-owners Jeff and Shannon Cunningham created the business in May 2023, offering a variety of non-alcoholic spirits, wine, beer, and mocktails.
"It started when I was roughly just shy of 300 pounds ... and everywhere I went, I was out of breath and didn't feel good, so, I had to make some choices," said Jeff. "I had to find other calories to give up. That's where giving up alcohol came in."
He says it started with low-calorie options and then they found the growing trend of others looking for non-alcoholic drinks. The two thought it would be a good service to bring to Barrie and Simcoe County.
"The more we started getting into it, the more we started meeting people on different journeys for different reasons," Jeff said. "The amount of people we meet that say, 'Hey, I was just diagnosed with cancer and with the medication I'm on, I can't drink,' or, I've been in recovery for 20 years and this stuff helps keep me on track.'"
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Shannon says she has never been a big drinker, just a glass of wine once in a while.
"But, certainly when you're at a party or you're at some sort of a social event, it's either being forced on you that, 'Oh, come on, just have a drink,' or, you just kind of feel left out," Shannon said. "We came up with our slogan - join the party and raise a glass with sober sips - because that was really it, you want to feel like you're part of the party and join in."
As their selection grew, so did the clientele. Soon they had orders from Collingwood, Newmarket, North Bay, and even an order from British Columbia.
The company also offers event catering, with Jeff and Shannon saying they recently supplied the Atlantic home builders association in New Brunswick.
"They wanted the attendees to have a clear mind going into some seminars, so they served our drinks first," said Jeff.
Sober Sips will be at Kempenfest this summer, and the couple says for those wanting to learn more about the products, engaging face-to-face is the "magic sauce."
"People want to ask questions," said Jeff. "They want to know, 'Why is it so expensive? How is it made? Where does it come from?'
"We love to meet people and hear their stories, whether it be, 'I'm fully sober, I'm just newly pregnant, I'm just starting to mindful drink,' or, 'I'm just starting to learn now," said Jeff. "Because this is a premium product, we find the best way to connect with people and help them is to get the product in their hand and talk about it."
Click here for more information about Sober Sips.
