Saskatchewan’s first fully non-alcoholic beverage store opens in Saskatoon

A new business in Saskatoon is catering to the sober-curious. Hallee Mandryk has the story.

After a combined 35 years in the service industry, James Kramer and Harrison Hall noticed that more and more patrons of bars and restaurants were drinking less and less.

So, the duo decided to open Saskatchewan’s first fully non-alcoholic beverage store.

“A lot of people are starting to move away from the typical way that they go out and celebrate or interact with each other, and that is away from alcohol,” Hall said.

Dry Supply on Broadway Avenue is something new for the province. Kramer shared that the store is a passion project. With a background as a Sommelier, a lot of thought and care has gone into the selection that’s available on the store’s shelves.

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“We noticed that there was a gap in the market that people were looking for variety, and they were looking for high quality product. So we got together and started looking at supply chains and found out that Saskatoon was in need of a fully non-alc retail store,” Kramer said.

After opening the doors on July 1, the reception was much better than Kramer and Hall anticipated.

“It has been such an incredible reception to us. We have flown through stock. We’ve gone through emergency supply drops already. I just drove in this morning with a new stock in the back of my truck. It was completely, out of the boxes to what we were thinking was going to happen, which is such an incredible thing,” Kramer said.

The co-owners shared that while many liquor stores do sell non-alcoholic options, many appreciate a store that exclusively sells alternatives.

“This is a great alternative, because I think it’s really sets the pace for people to come in and approach us however they want in whatever walk of life that they’re currently in. The entire store is non-alc, so they’re not having to worry about sifting through product to see if there is like four per cent here, three per cent here, ten per cent here. We offer products with clear visibility of 0.0%, as well as less than 0.5,” Kramer said.

Being the first of its kind is a point of pride for the business partners, but they were quick to point out that it was only a matter of time before a store like this one came to fruition.

“There was nothing in the province. There’s some great places around Canada doing it, but nothing here. So it just kind of, snowballed from there....if we weren’t the first, somebody would have been. And we knew that we needed to just get this out to the community because it’s important to us, and I think it’s important to them,” Hall said.

The shelves of Dry Supply are lined with a unique variety of products, which are predominately from Canadian producers. Similar to a liquor store, there’s beer, wine, and spirits. The difference is in the percentages on the bottles and cans, which all fall at 0.5 per cent or lower.

“Legally, up to 0.5 per cent is considered non-alcoholic. It’d be the same thing as going to the store and grabbing a kombucha. It’s the same kind of percentage that’s going to be in your kimchi. The fermentation process does take place, but not that in a way that’s going to affect you biologically,” Kramer said.

While the store is certainly beneficial for those who have completely removed alcohol from their lives, Kramer shared that patrons have shared a wide variety of reasons for opting towards non-alcoholic options. From medical reasons, to being the designated driver, everyone’s choice to go the non-alcoholic route is a little different.

“I think people are valuing their times the next day. Their value is the way that they want to spend their times with their loved ones and with their friends. And I think that culture is slightly changing. We’re certainly seeing a shift in the younger generation, but it has been absolutely incredible to see the diversity of people that come in that are utilizing the products,” Kramer said.

Hall added that the past week has been a rewarding one, thanks to the appreciation of those who come through the doors.

“I’ve been hearing a lot of thank yous for opening, because there’s not a lot of options, and there’s not a lot of places to get those good options,” Hall said.

Adding that as fewer people are ordering and buying alcoholic beverages in recent years, Hall doesn’t anticipate that this increased demand for their wares will dry up anytime soon.

“I don’t think that this is a trend, this is more of a revolution. This is going to keep going this way. It’s been steadily climbing. I mean, the alcohol, the non-alc industry has grown 30 per cent year over year since COVID. Just constantly growing, constantly growing, constantly growing. And now everyone’s kind of helping each other out. There’s more availability. I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere, because I think that people are going to start feeling better about themselves,” Hall said.