Lily Geiger combined an early entrepreneurial spirit with the isolating feeling of having an alcoholic parent to develop her brand of non-alcoholic beverages – Figlia.
The premium non-alcoholic space might be super new and incredibly niche, but it’s also trending up – particularly in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic.
“I don’t see this trend stopping,” says Lily, Figlia’s founder. “I only see it moving up and expanding and having the market consist of all these options for people who don’t drink, not just because they are an addict, but just because they just have chosen not to drink. And I think the health and wellness industry is bigger than life, and this also falls into that. So it’s pretty incredible.”
Drinking has become a bit of a litmus test when it comes to networking and company hours. Lily says that the reluctance to share a drink can look confusing to some people.
“There’s a lot of bonding that goes around drinking,” she says. “You’re sharing a drink, and if you don’t order something and the other person is, I think they start to feel guilty … I think it’s tricky, but I do see that changing.”
One way to change the situation is to offer a drink that looks good and tastes great, she says.
The COVID pandemic – and the binge drinking that happened during the shutdown – probably also got people to rethink their drinking habits.
“I think especially with drinking, it affects your mental state,” Lily says. “We have so much to rethink in this world with obviously COVID, but with the state of the world and everything going on, why not take a second? I think it’s imperative.”
In Part 1, Lily talks about:
* Gratitude for a teammate and friend who provides emotional and professional support.
* How she was inspired to create a brand in the non-alcoholic drink marketspace.
* Why the future of this drink market space looks bright.
* The stigma associated with not drinking during social occasions and how to overcome that.
* How drinking affects your mental state.
* How COVID impacted people’s drinking habits.
Join Ramon Vela and Lily Geiger as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.
For more on Figlia, visit: https://drinkfiglia.com/
This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.
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