Dry January started as a public health initiative in the U.K. in 2013. Participants were encouraged to abstain from alcohol for one month to reset habits, improve sleep, and reevaluate their relationship with drinking.

More than a decade later, it’s become a predictable, repeatable consumer behavior shift, and one of the most important seasonal moments in modern CPG.

DRY JANUARY BY THE NUMBERS

Tens of millions of consumers participate globally each year
Roughly 25–30% of adults say they drink less alcohol in January, even if they don’t fully abstain
January is the highest trial month for non-alcoholic beverages across multiple subcategories

This isn’t niche behavior anymore. It’s mainstream purchasing power.

WHY NON-ALCOHOLIC BRANDS WIN IN JANUARY

Dry January removes friction from the buying decision. Consumers are:

Actively seeking alternatives
Willing to experiment
Less price-sensitive than usual
More open to premium positioning

That’s why zero-proof spirits (think Three Spirit), functional beverages such as Leisure Hydration and hiyo, N/A beer and wine like Proxies, and elevated sodas consistently outperform expectations during Q1.

*INDUSTRY NOTE: Non-alcoholic beverages are among the fastest-growing beverage categories overall, with sustained growth well beyond January³

WHOLESALE PLATFORMS: THE FAIRE & AIRGOODS ADVANTAGE

Non-alcoholic beverages perform especially well on Faire and Airgoods, and not by accident.

Because these products don’t contain alcohol:

Brands can ship direct to retailers
No alcohol compliance hurdles
No distributor dependency
Faster setup and faster scaling

Retail buyers love N/A because it allows them to:

Respond quickly to consumer trends
Test new brands without regulatory risk
Refresh shelves seasonally without long-term lock-in

As a result, non-alcoholic beverages have become core discovery categories on both platforms, especially during Dry January.

WHAT MIDDLEMAN SEES ACROSS B2B AND DTC

At middleman, non-alcoholic beverages make up one of our largest and most successful categories.

Across clients, we consistently see:

Strong January wholesale momentum
High-quality DTC acquisition during Dry January
Email driving repeat purchases well into spring

The brands that perform best:

Treat wholesale as brand marketing, not just order flow
Use DTC channels to educate and reinforce habit
Extend the Dry January narrative into “better everyday drinking”

When Faire and Airgoods discovery is paired with intentional DTC strategy, Dry January becomes a customer acquisition engine, not a seasonal spike.

THE BIG PICTURE

Dry January may last 31 days.

The shift toward moderation and wellness does not.

Non-alcoholic brands aren’t replacing alcohol, they’re expanding the category.

And for brands built to scale across wholesale and DTC, January isn’t a slowdown.

It’s the strongest starting line of the year.

-NATALIE YOUNG, FOUNDER & CEO

FOOTNOTES (EDITOR APPROVED)

³ Source: beverage analysts, trend decks, and anyone who’s tried to buy shelf space lately.

⁴ “Fast-growing” defined as “everyone suddenly cares.”

⁵ January confidence fueled by resolutions and a clean inbox.

DRY JANUARY ISN’T A TREND, IT’S A GROWTH ENGINE FOR NON-ALCOHOLIC BRANDS