Following the success of its iconic “NON” beer, Migros is set to expand the brand further. The supermarket announced that alongside more alcohol-free beers, people across the cantons will be able to pop bottles of “NON”-alcoholic sparkling wine.
In this case, our story starts on June 16, 2022, when members of the Migros cooperative voted against allowing alcohol to be sold in its large stores. Though not selling tobacco and alcoholic drinks was part of the company’s original Fifteen Theses, created by founder Gottlieb Duttweiler, Migros management had hoped to offer beer and wine on the shelves.
To crystallise the moment, the company agreed that if members voted yes, they would release their own brand of Swiss beer called “OUI”, and if not, they would sell a non-alcoholic version called “NON". With no being the response of 73,4 percent of cooperative members, the alcohol-free beer was launched.
Now, following its success, Migros has confirmed that the “NON” range will be expanded in future. This will start with two new “NON” alcohol-free sparkling wines. These are made in Canton Schaffhausen by well-known brands Rimuss & Strada Wein in Hallau, and will be available in all large stores.
What’s more, further “NON” beer flavours will be gradually introduced from April onwards. The move is part of a dramatic expansion at Migros, which now sports 140 different types of alcohol-free drinks.
Though Switzerland is far behind its European counterparts, recent years have seen a boom in the popularity of alcohol-free beers. According to data from Feldschlösschen, non-alcoholic beers made up 6,1 percent of its sales in 2023, more than double the amount compared to 2017.
This push is being spearheaded by middle-aged people. According to Feldschlösschen, 78 percent of alcohol-free beers were sold to people born between 1965 and 1994.