The True Post (Web News) The popularity of non-alcoholic beverages is growing rapidly in Canada.
But surprisingly, their prices are the same as alcoholic beverages. According to experts, the reasons for this include the complex production process, limited production, and marketing costs.
Ottawa resident Sofia Marko says that she no longer drinks alcohol, but when she orders a ‘mocktail’, it costs about $ 14 to $ 15 per glass, which is not less than alcoholic drinks. According to her, “I thought alcohol was expensive, but now it seems like everything has become expensive.”
Experts say that the production of non-alcoholic beverages is not simple but more technical. According to Matthew Gannon, co-founder of the Montreal company **Sober Carpenter**, non-alcoholic beer is made using the same ingredients as regular beer, but the fermentation process is stopped at a certain stage so that the alcohol does not increase beyond 0.5 percent. The process requires extreme precision and skill, which increases the cost.
Similarly, Rudy Aldana, co-founder of non-alcoholic cocktail company **Parch**, says that since alcohol plays a key role in taste and sustainability, natural ingredients and botanical extracts have to be used to replace it, which increases the price.
Production costs are also higher for small companies, because they produce drinks in limited quantities, while unlike large companies, they have to pay a higher cost per unit. According to **David Soberman**, a marketing professor at the University of Toronto, the psychological aspect also plays an important role in pricing. If non-alcoholic drinks are cheap, consumers may consider them to be ‘low quality’, so companies keep the price close so that the brand image is not affected.
Experts believe that over time, as competition in this industry increases, prices may decrease slightly, but these drinks will always remain in the ‘premium’ category. According to her, the goal of companies is not to compete on price, but on taste and quality. Although these drinks are heavy on the pocket for consumers, for them they have become part of the ‘experience’ and social interaction. Sofia Marko says: “I don’t want to feel isolated while sitting with friends. Sometimes it is also necessary to please myself with a special drink.”
