Alcohol sales in the U.S. have seen a continued decline driven by a trend in economic pressure, shifting consumer behaviors, and broader cultural changes. However, on the opposite end of that spectrum, non-alcoholic beverage sales have surged 67% since 2022, capturing consumers seeking taste and social experiences without the negative health effects or hangover.
Once a niche corner of mixology, the zero-proof space has exploded as consumers crave sophisticated, mindful alternatives. Enter Chris Abbott, co-founder of The Pathfinder, a Seattle-based brand shaking up the scene with its Hemp and Root Elixir and bold ready-to-drink cocktails like the non-carbonated Negroni. With a background in founding Mr. Moxey’s cannabis edibles and a partnership with spirits legend Steven Grasse, Abbott is driving The Pathfinder’s 181% sales surge and expansion into 41 states. In this exclusive for The Manual, we explore the inspirations behind the brand’s botanical-driven flavors and how Abbott is crafting the future of non-alcoholic drinking.
Interview with The Pathfinder’s Chris Abbott
The Manual: The Pathfinder’s Hemp and Root has been praised for its complex flavor profile. How do you communicate its unique qualities to consumers who may be new to non-alcoholic spirits?
Chris Abbott: We describe our liquid as bitter, sweet, and complex. It’s nice to have a concise explanation, but honestly, to taste is everything. We’re big on sampling and trial, and we’ve seen that once people taste The Pathfinder, they get it. Many of the most successful retailers that specialize in non alcoholic spirits like Minus Moonshine and Cheeky and Dry are big into sampling. The non alcoholic space is a relatively new and undefined world, so tasting is really important to communicate quality to consumers in our minds.
The Manual: What inspired The Pathfinder to use fermented and distilled hemp as the base for Hemp and Root, and how does this choice influence the spirit’s distinctive flavor and aroma?
Chris Abbott: From the beginning we we were dead set on creating a liquid that was new to the world, not something that was meant to imitate. We had a firm belief that over time, cannabis spirits would make it onto the back bar, and to create a cannabis spirit, you needed to start with the cannabis plant itself. And fermentation is where complex flavor begins. So we fermented hemp seeds (hemp seeds are the only part of the cannabis plant that is generally recognized as safe by the FDA) to create the first cannabis derived spirit. After fermentation, we distilled the liquid to refine the flavor and aroma profile and create what we call our base liquid. To that, we added 20 different botanicals to create something truly unique and category-defining.
The Manual: The Pathfinder’s new offerings, like the non-carbonated Negroni and the Spritz, have unique flavor profiles. Can you walk us through the development process for these cocktails and how you ensured they captured the essence of their alcoholic counterparts?
Chris Abbott: We kept hearing from bartenders that The Pathfinder is infinitely versatile. We believe the Negroni and Spritz help to bring that message home in a convenient package that is ready to drink for the consumer. For the Negroni, we had to start the development by creating our own NA gin and NA red bitter to create a proper non-carbonated NA Negroni with The Pathfinder. This was the most difficult part of the process as we wanted to absolutely match the mouthfeel, taste, and complexity of the alcoholic counterpart with a Pathfinder twist. The Spritz was pretty straightforward, as it has been our signature serve from the get-go. The recipe is listed on our bottle and is super easy to make at home by taking 2 oz The Pathfinder, 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice, and topping with seltzer. It’s even easier now in the can.
The Manual: The upcoming coffee-based ready-to-drink expression is an exciting addition. What inspired the choice of a coffee flavor profile, and how does it complement The Pathfinder’s existing botanical-driven offerings?
Chris Abbott: Here again, we have been listening intently to bartenders. When you hand a bartender a bottle of The Pathfinder for the first time, 6 times out of 10, they make a cocktail with coffee. It’s just a classic pairing, and the tricky part for us was to find a way to bring true espresso flavor to the can. That’s where Caffe Vita came in with their novel technology to make espresso at scale.
The Manual: The Pathfinder has seen an 82% increase in velocity and 181% growth in total sales dollars in the last quarter. What marketing strategies have been most effective in driving this growth, and how do you plan to sustain this momentum?
Chris Abbott: We’ve been very focused on winning placements at bars and restaurants. That really is our marketing strategy; having a strong presence in bars and restaurants is so important in the world of non-alcoholic spirits from our perspective. It’s a lot to pay $40 for a bottle of anything. But if you’ve seen that bottle on the back bar and on the menu at the restaurant down the street, you’ve had a chance to try it there, and the people behind the bar believe in it, well, then, when you see that bottle on the shelf at Total Wine, we believe you have a totally different mindset around purchase. We are just now launching our first national cocktail contest called “Death of the Mocktail,” and we’ll be flying out regional winners to Seattle for the finals next spring. This is the kind of program that keeps us close to our roots of being on-premise focused, but at a national scale to keep that momentum going forward.
The Manual: The non-alcoholic spirits category is rapidly growing. How does The Pathfinder differentiate itself from competitors in terms of branding and positioning, and what role do you play in shaping that narrative?
Chris Abbott: The Pathfinder is a high-energy brand. Shots on a Friday night at the bar. We’re positioned to be fun, the destroyer of bad vibes. Many of our competitors are positioned as health and wellness or better for you, as compared to alcohol, and to be enjoyed on a weekday night instead of alcohol. When we launched, all our competitors had clear liquid packaged in clear bottles. We led with a dark liquid in a dark bottle. Our branding makes our bottle look like it’s been around for 100 years, and yet it is something new that you’ve never seen before. I’d say most of our competition has branding that leans more towards modern, sleek, and more minimalist. So in general, I’d say we’ve taken quite a different path than most of the competition, and all with the idea that the bottle will look distinctive on the back bar and yet fit right in all the same.
The Manual: Your recent announcement mentions a shift toward off-premise growth, particularly outside the Pacific Northwest and New York. What specific sales and marketing tactics are you implementing to drive retail success in these new regions?
Chris Abbott: Jill Sites, our head of sales and marketing, has devised a holistic plan to drive account acquisition and support velocity. It starts with working closely with our lead investor, Stoli, and their distribution partners to map out joint business plans to support account growth. We then overlay content pillars and power periods supported by Quaker City Mercantile, our brand agency, to drive velocity in those accounts. We are endeavoring to make it such that all our marketing efforts point back to our brand promise: The Destroyer of Bad Vibes. In addition, we’ll be focusing heavily on displays in stores to make sure The Pathfinder stands out when you walk down the aisle and sampling initiatives to spark trial.
The Manual: The Pathfinder has a strong presence in top-tier bars like Death & Co. and The Aviary. How do you balance maintaining this premium on-premise reputation while scaling to a broader retail audience?
Chris Abbott: I’d like to turn that question around if I could. We believe that having a strong presence in top-tier bars like Death & Co. and The Aviary is what helps us build a broader retail audience. These amazing bars validate the category leaders that will then go on to do well in retail. We believe it’s important to be discovered by people at the right place at the right time in our lifecycle, and if you do that well, when you do go broader, you have the support of this essential and important base that helps you scale. When I first tried Hendricks Gin, it was because one of my friends told me it was the best, and I had to try it. I was not in the bar world; I knew nothing of the brand. But my friend did, and his validation was everything. My friend found Hendricks at a top-tier bar. At the time, I tried Hendricks at a dive bar and went on to buy bottles at retail.
The Manual: The upcoming coffee-based expression sounds intriguing. Can you share more about how this product aligns with The Pathfinder’s brand identity and your marketing plans for its launch?
Chris Abbott: We’ve worked closely with Caffe Vita here in Seattle to develop our upcoming Espresso Tonic. Caffe Vita was one of our original launch partners in the fall of 2021. They sold bottles in their cafes and devised a non-alcoholic drink called the Pathfinder Cola made with Caffe Vita’s single-origin cold brew, a secret cola concentrate, lime, and topped with sparkling water. Being showcased at Caffe Vita locations was incredibly powerful for us, as Caffe Vita was born in the PNW, still independent since 1995, and is a powerful member of the coffee scene in Seattle. So Caffe Vita has been central to The Pathfinder story right from the beginning. Plans are coming together now on that campaign for launch, and all I can say is, please stay tuned.
The Manual: As consumer interest in zero-proof options grows, what trends are you seeing in the non-alcoholic beverage space, and how is The Pathfinder positioning itself to lead this category?
Chris Abbott: There is a liquor store in Portland, Oregon, called Hollywood Beverage that carries The Pathfinder. When I went in to talk to the buyer, I asked him why they had chosen to stock the Pathfinder. He told me, one of his important customers loved to make black manhattans with The Pathfinder and Bourbon. What we’re finding is many of our consumers are looking to moderate their alcohol intake, not necessarily give it up altogether. But this idea of moderation has been translated across into a very black and white world of alcohol and no alcohol when it comes to cocktails. They have separate places on the menu and are distinct. We are now seeing bars, restaurants, and consumers that are blurring the lines and making delicious, elaborate drinks that are low alcohol. We believe this trend will continue. Our liquid is bold and complex with a new-to-the-world taste profile that allows for unique cocktails that are both with and without alcohol. From the start, we’ve offered recipes for cocktails that are both non alcoholic and mixed with alcohol to create a low alcohol option, which all plays into the overall trend of moderation.
