Non-alcoholic shop opens downtown Barrie

A new non-alcoholic retailer, Sober Sips, has officially opened its doors on Dunlop Street West in downtown Barrie.

Co-owners Jeff and Shannon Cunningham say it all began as a weight-loss journey.

"I had a lot of weight to lose in 2022, and I had to make some tough personal decisions," said Jeff Cunningham. "Did I want to eat the calories or drink the calories?"

After choosing to eat the calories and stop drinking the calories, Jeff identified a gap in the local beverage market.

"I started stumbling across more and more non-alcoholic drinks," he added. "But there was nothing interesting, in my opinion, available within about a 100-kilometre radius of Barrie."

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Starting as an online retailer in 2023, Sober Sips shipped non-alcoholic beers, wines, spirits, and more nationwide. 

During the grand opening, the Cunningham's say they saw hundreds of customers right off the bat.

"Saturday was incredible," said Shannon Cunningham. "So many people telling us they're excited to see this here in Barrie. So tremendous support from the community."

According to NielsenIQ, the non-alcoholic market grew by more than 35 per cent worldwide in 2023 and 120 per cent over the past three years.

Similar trends are being noticed in Barrie and Simcoe County.

"I think there's a huge market for this," said Paul Markle, Executive Director of the Barrie Chamber of Commerce. "The number of people trying to chase sobriety -- I think this gives them lots of different options."

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) voiced their support for Sober Sips.

"People could still go out and have a good time and not have to potentially be impaired," said Andrew McLean, MADD's director for Simcoe County. "If you can promote not drinking and driving or anything like that or even drinking and boating, I think this is a good idea."

Mexhico, right next door to Sober Sips, is their first and only Simcoe County-based business customer. It offers a full menu of non-alcoholic beverages. 

Sober Sips hopes to supply additional businesses in Barrie and Simcoe County.