As more people become health-conscious and aware of the negative effects of alcohol, alcohol consumption is declining in Canada and around the world. For people who want to enjoy classic cocktails or drink socially without alcohol, flavoured waters and other alternatives simply don’t cut it.

Not being able to find what he wanted, he decided to make it instead. Growing up on a farm near Stratford, Ont., and spending many years in Toronto working in the food and beverage industry, Bob drew on his experience and began the journey to create Sobrii 0-Gin, Canada’s first distilled non-alcoholic gin.

The Sobrii products are unique as they use quality natural ingredients, including Canadian Ginseng from Ontario, and no artificial flavours, sugars, artificial sweeteners or calories. Plus, considering the current state of the business world, having a made and developed-in-Canada product, that is backed by the No. 1 research college in Canada, is something that is a differentiator in the marketplace.

Since 2018, Bob has trusted Niagara College’s Food and Beverage Innovation Centre (FBIC) with developing the Søbrii 0-Gin and 0-Tequila products which are sold successfully as premium non-alcoholic spirits consumed primarily in cocktails. ​

Most recently, with funding support for applied research and development through the Government of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program to help offset some of the R&D costs, FBIC conducted product development, optimization and scale-up of the new Søbrii Zero Gin & Tonic beverage and Søbrii Zero Tequila Paloma Ready-to-Drink (RTD) products for DistillX. ​Optimization at the HACCP-certified (HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) pilot plant of the RTD beverages is important to improve processing parameters and reduce cost, enabling financial feasibility for scale up and business growth.

The team conducted product development and optimization to meet the organoleptic expectations (employing one’s senses), but also the desired cost targets to achieve desired margins needed to make the jump to a major retail listing.​ Customers can now find the new Zero Tequila Paloma in over 36 Longo’s grocery stores across Ontario. They’ve been running demos of the products for customers to rave reviews.

When Bob started the company, he knew he wanted to run an asset light company. “I didn’t want to build a business empire but rather keep things light to allow me to more quickly in the marketplace without putting too much capital in.” By doing that, he knew he was going to need to find a reliable external research and development team to help him perfect his product.

The expertise of FBIC’s Ana Cristina Vega-Lugo, PhD, Scientific Manager, was a stand-out for Bob and a big part of the reason he wanted to keep working with the team. “The capabilities and experience that Ana have are outstanding. Her ability to manage a team and bring together technical experts, students and key staff are key to the project’s success as well,” said Bob.

He likened his professional relationship with Ana to that of a singer and a songwriter. “Just like a singer and songwriter duo, over the years, Ana and I have developed a bit of a dance where I can describe flavours and tastes I’m looking for, and she can make it happen. She knows how to interpret my flavour expectations and that’s why I keep coming back to work with FBIC,” said Bob.

Another important part of the process for Bob is giving back to the students and getting them involved in real-world industry projects. “These students get excited about going through a food program and applying their education to a real-world project, and that’s something that is unique to the College and I’m happy to be a part of their experience,” added Bob.

What Ana stressed was the importance of teamwork. “Outstanding research outcomes are the product of the creativity, professionalism and teamwork that our incredible students, research associates and core staff bring to the project, which enables commercialization,” she said.

The future of this partnership is bright as FBIC is currently developing new non-alcoholic products, non-alcoholic whiskey and rum, as well as new RTDs with DistillX.

Project intake is ongoing for our FBIC team. If you have an innovation challenge, we’ve got the solution. Start the conversation with us today. For research and development partnership opportunities, contact David DiPietro, Manager, Business Development, at [email protected].