Erika Ollén - GNISTA

#33 GNISTA's 'not' spirits & 'not' red wines with Erika Ollén

Play Time:

48 Minutes

Silver ice bucket on a wooden table with cans and bottles of the GNISTA range of non-alcoholic spirits and red wines

Listen/Watch on all major platforms (and most of the little ones too)

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Quick quotes:

“I don't really care that wine is normally made from grapes or that a gin is made from, you know, distillates of xyz herbs.”

“Do I think it's impossible? No, I don't think it's impossible, I think it takes time.”

The conversation:

Bringing you more international insight from Low No Nation, in this week’s conversation, I’m chatting with GNISTA founder Erika Ollén about her unique range of ‘not’ wines and ‘not’ spirits.

I love Erika’s story and how her goal was always to make the best liquid by travelling the world to ask the drink makers what they wanted from a non-alcoholic liquid to make the best cocktails.

After years of research GNISTA launched in 2019 to an international market of bartenders and drinks enthusiasts who just happen to prefer their drinks alcohol-free at times.

Erika shares her experiences of creating her Frenh & Italian style ‘not’ wines and we discuss the challenges of getting the same buy-in from sommeliers as she did from the bartenders she spoke to.

Non-alcoholic GNISTA is available in 10 markets around the world, but Brexit has impacted the way the business runs from the UK. We also talk about the pros & cons of ‘big alcohol’ and the buying power of millennials in the low/no-&-light alcohol space.

Despite a technical glitch that nearly set my camera on fire, this is a great conversation full of insight and new perspective.