“Alcohol without alcohol is a completely absurd idea. he said smiling, and yet, it is one of the rare markets where demand is greater than supply. While consumption of alcoholic beverages has halved worldwide over the past 50 years, the alcohol-free market is a rapidly growing niche market.
gull“To make a bottle of Botaniets, it takes 7 days; to make a traditional gin, it takes 4 hours.”
And here is Alexandre Hauben who immerses himself in the work of his great-great-grandfather, a certain Georges Niets, relating to botany and distillation. “One hundred and twenty years later, we were inspired by the work of Georges and we worked for a year and a half with distillers to arrive at Botaniets, a triple distilled gin which has 0.0% alcohol and is sold at 35 euros a bottle.” “For us, the first ingredient is not water but dealcoholized gin”indicates the CEO, who adds: “To make a bottle of Botaniets, it takes 7 days; to make a traditional gin, it takes 4 hours.”
Passing by the leaders
At the end of 2019, Alexandre Hauben offered his first 100 bottles of Botaniets to chefs. “At the end of the week, I had used up everything. The bosses wanted to put it on their menu.” He founded NietsCo at the beginning of 2020 and therefore launched his 0.0% gin made in the Netherlands, dealcoholized in Belgium, bottled in Ghent and stored in Nivelles and Houdeng-Goegnies in Hainaut, while the company is based in Brussels. Havaniets arrives in 2022, a “Dominican rum dealcoholized and aged for 5 months in oak barrels, once again at 35 euros. The first 1000 bottles were gone in 20 minutes…”. NietsCo also distributes French Bloom, an alcohol-free French sparkling wine, Bacanha, an organic syrup brand, and Acala, a fermented sparkling tea.
“Alcohol consumption is normalized, sometimes even in the workplace”
Alexandre Hauben started with his own funds. A first fundraising of 350,000 euros takes place in 2021. A second, for 1.5 million, follows at the end of 2022 and a third fundraising of 1.8 million has just been completed with a capital increase at the key, enough to give society the means to continue to develop. Alexandre Hauben remains the majority shareholder. He is surrounded by a Luxembourg investment fund, finance&invest.brussels (4%) “and family and friends who believed in it.”
Fifteen additional countries
In 2024, the company, which employs 5 people, has sold 200,000 bottles, has “reaches the break-even point” and a turnover of 2 million euros. According to forecasts, this figure should double this year and in the years to come, says the boss. The products are available in Belgium in 1000 horeca points of sale, “quality hotels, restaurants and bars”with Delitraiteur for 3 years and with Delhaize for 6 months. The brands are also found in Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France and, more recently, the United States, Florida and New York, “a major step for us”. With the aim of reaching 6 states in the near future. “When we go to a country, it is with the ambition of being the benchmark for premium alcohol-free spirits.”
-gullTo grow from 10-15 countries to 50, this will require an alliance with an industrialist.”
Belgium still accounts for 85% of turnover. It should represent 50% of the figure from mid-2026. The share of Internet sales should remain around 5%. Also knowing that sales during Dry January and the Mineral Tour in February skyrocket.
From Jupiler to Cara: alcohol-free beers are gaining ground
“At the BCB Show in Berlin in October, we received requests to open in 15 additional countries”rejoices the CEO who is currently in discussions with the Arab Emirates. “To grow from 10-15 countries to 50, this will require an alliance with an industrialist”points out this passionate boss again. Who also dreams of opening one day “the first alcohol-free distillery in Europe, in Brussels where I grew up”.
In the meantime, Alexandre Hauben will launch Apériniets in February“a spritz of great quality produced in Italy” and, at the end of 2025, a Glenniets, “a non-alcoholic whiskey made in Scotland”.
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