0% of alcohol. 100% of taste – Kompania Piwowarska publishes Poland’s first report on non-alcoholic beers

It is already consumed by nearly 60% of adult Poles, who this year alone have spent 800m zloty on it. Its market share keeps registering a double-digit growth, even during the pandemic. It supports healthy, active lifestyle and responsible decisions. Non-alcoholic beer – because that is what we are talking about – is currently the most important and most interesting trend in the world of beer. It is discussed in detail in the publication titled “0% of alcohol. 100% of taste. Kompania Piwowarska’s Report on Non-Alcoholic Beers in Poland in 2020”.

Just a few years ago, non-alcoholic beer had not been enjoying great popularity due to the lack of knowledge about it, relatively poor offer from producers, and limited accessibility. However, the last few years have brought a great change in terms of the product itself as well as its perception: technological development contributed to the improvement and expansion of the offer of flavoured variants, while consumers became more and more eager to choose alcohol-free beer as part of a well-balanced, more conscious lifestyle. As a result, it was promoted from being “a beer for drivers” to a generally recognized beverage that offers a richness of flavours and can be enjoyed in many different situations. The topic is presented from a wider perspective in “0% of alcohol. 100% of taste. Kompania Piwowarska’s Report on Non-Alcoholic Beers in Poland in 2020”.  

– I believe that we have particular reasons to analyse and comment on this phenomenon, since we are not only a participant of it, but also a creator – says Iwona Jacaszek-Pruś, Corporate Affairs Director at Kompania Piwowarska. – Our Lech Free was the pioneer of this category – it was launched almost 15 years ago, and today it includes a whole family of non-alcoholic beers. Moreover, from spring 2020, we have been offering an alcohol-free version of our other major brand – Tyskie 0.0%.

Dynamically developing segment

As the report indicates, non-alcoholic beer currently constitutes 5.9% of the beer market in Poland in terms of value and 4.9% in terms of volume. It might not seem like a lot, but this segment has been recording a dynamic double-digit growth for a while now – over 60%1 in 2019, and 20,5%2 in 2020 – where the decrease was caused by the pandemic. Over the first three quarters of this year, the expenditure on alcohol-free beer amounted to 823m zloty (acc. Nielsen). The bigger the consumption, the bigger the group of consumers of non-alcoholic beverages (NBAs): in 2019 nearly 57% of adult Poles purchased them (in 2018 – 47%), 46% of beer lovers drank them at least once a month (in 2018 – 38%), and only 24% never (in 2018 – 33%). The group of people consuming alcohol-free beer is dominated by men (60%), however not as much as in case of alcoholic beers (65%). On top of that, NABs are more popular among younger consumers – they are chosen by 51% of people below 35 years of age (in comparison – alcoholic beer is drank by 41%). At the same time, store shelves with alcohol-free beers become more and more extensive and diverse. Today, consumers can choose from non-alcoholic substitutes of lagers, flavoured beers and specialities, which constitute 64%, 34% and 2% of the segment (2020) respectively.            

0.0% beer consumer profile

Besides data regarding the product itself, the report provides interesting information about the users of 0.0% beers, their attitude and motivation as well as consumption occasions. It turns out that NABs can satisfy the need to belong or have a moment to yourself – which are considered attributes of traditional beer. They perfectly fit in situations, at least a part of which can be called “typically beer-related”: BBQ, picnic (acc. 66% of respondents), calm relaxation (63%), outdoors, e.g. at the beach (62%) or party (60%).

What is also worth mentioning is the fact that the number of men drinking 0.0% beer is quite significant, while a few years ago it was mostly associated with women and considered “unmanly”. Out of all the people consuming alcohol-free beers, we can distinguish a group of consumers who are adult and mature – those who know well what they want from life, make responsible decisions, stand up to peer pressure; active, fast-living, whom non-alcoholic beer helps to combine many roles and needs and “keep up” with their life; responsible and committed to their job, especially when it requires focus and precision, entails a lot of responsibility; and finally physically active, who give up alcohol because they work out or are on a diet. The respondents declared that they choose non-alcoholic beers for pleasure (73%), out of necessity – because they cannot consume alcohol (55%), and because they constitute the healthier choice (56%). These statistics reflect the changes that took place in terms of consumer attitudes over the last years. Beer lovers’ motivation for drinking beer is shifting from “I must” towards “I want”; from unwillingly accepting what is necessary to making a satisfying decision.       

– The fact that the non-alcoholic beer segment keeps growing despite the unfavourable market situation is a proof of its great strength and appeal to consumers, who have discovered that non-alcoholic beers perfectly meet different needs and it is worth choosing them in various occasions, not only when they have to give up alcohol. Such an attitude makes us extremely glad, because it is in line with the responsible approach to drinking beer, which we have been promoting – not “more”, but “better”. It also fits in our strategy, within which we commit ourselves to responsible approach to promotion and consumption of our products and aim to achieve a 20% share of non-alcoholic products in our portfolio – sums up Iwona Jacaszek-Pruś.    

“0% of alcohol. 100% of taste. Kompania Piwowarska’s Report on Non-Alcoholic Beers in Poland in 2020” was published in November 2020. It is based on national and international research and reports, prepared by Mintel, Nielsen, IQS, Ipsos and Kantar. 

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¹ January-Septemeber 2020 vs January-Septemeber 2018, source; Nielsen
² January-Septemeber 2020 vs January-Septemeber 2019, source; Nielsen