Dry January has long served as a cultural reset for drinking. For Ghia founder Melanie Masarin, that framing is starting to feel misaligned with how consumers actually behave.
In this conversation, Masarin explains why Ghia leaned out of Dry January messaging this year and what that shift signals for the broader non-alcoholic category. She discusses moderation over abstinence, the move from discovery to habit, and what brands need to get right as non-alc becomes part of everyday life.
Dry Atlas: Ghia has declared that “Dry January is cancelled.” What led you to lean out from Dry January messaging this year?
Melanie Masarin: “Lean out” is the right phrase. Dry January has absolutely served a purpose, especially as a social shield for people who felt pressure to drink and needed a clear, time-bound reason not to. But what we’re seeing now is a shift. In our most recent customer survey, 92% of our customers identified as alcohol drinkers, not abstainers. They’re looking to moderate in a way that feels sustainable and not quit.
So rather than centering the conversation on cessation, we’re trying to support long-term routines that feel caring instead of restrictive. For us, that means reframing non-alcoholic drinking as something you add to your life, not something you endure for a month, at best, and abandon. The goal is presence and pleasure, not punishment.
DA: What do you think non-alc brands get wrong about how consumers actually use non-alcoholic spirits?
MM: A lot of the category still defines itself by what’s missing: no alcohol. And while it of course matters, that framing can feel restrictive and joyless. Candidly, as someone who doesn’t drink myself, that messaging has never made me want to reach for a bottle.
Ghia is designed as an invitation to participate. People use non-alcoholic drinks the same way they use alcoholic ones: to mark a moment, to slow down, to feel included. When the focus is only on absence, you lose the emotional reason people actually drink something in the first place.
DA: What consumer behavior signal from the last 12 months has most directly shaped how you’re thinking about Ghia’s next phase of growth?
MM: The clearest signal is that non-alcoholic drinks are no longer just for a downtown, wellness-adjacent niche. They’re becoming part of everyday life, across regions and generations. That means the category is moving from discovery to habit, and that changes how we think about scale.
As a result, availability and clarity matter more than ever. A big focus for us right now is making our partnership with Whole Foods successful—not just being present on shelf, but communicating clearly from the aisle what Ghia is, how it’s used, and why it belongs in someone’s routine.
DA: Which growth channel do you believe is becoming less effective for non-alc brands? Which remains underexploited?
MM: Catering exclusively to people who don’t drink at all is limiting. That audience is important, but it’s not where the category grows long term. Most people engaging with non-alcoholic drinks today still drink alcohol, in a more selective way. Fewer but better, usually.
At the same time, Gen Z is drinking less from the outset, which makes them less focused on “alternatives” altogether. I don’t think anyone in our peer set has fully cracked how to speak to them yet. And that’s an open question for the entire category.
DA: As the category becomes more crowded, what strategic advantage will matter most for brands that want to sustain growth beyond early adoption?
MM: Liquid quality will win. Taste, texture, and balance are what bring people back. Branding can open the door, but if the drink doesn’t hold up over time—on ice, with food, in social settings—it won’t earn a permanent place in someone’s life.
DA: If you were launching Ghia today, what would you prioritize differently from an execution standpoint?
MM: We launched in the depths of Covid, which meant starting digitally and going broad before we went deep—essentially the opposite of how beverage brands traditionally build. In hindsight, I would have prioritized physical presence in one region earlier. We couldn’t do any sampling for almost a year.
That said, the constraints shaped who we are. No regrets there!
