Estonia: Non-alcoholic beer market booming in Estonia

The market for non-alcoholic beer and beverages is booming in Estonia, with sales at major breweries soaring, News ERR reported on August 26.

"The Estonian market for non-alcoholic drinks has changed beyond recognition in recent years," Saku Brewery board member Jaan Härms told ERR.

One of the biggest shifts has been that people are increasingly opting for non-alcoholic beverages over alcoholic ones.

Compared to 2017, sales of non-alcoholic beer at Saku Brewery have tripled, while overall sales of non-alcoholic beverages — including beer, cider and long drinks — have nearly quadrupled.

"At Saku Brewery, we're seeing growing demand for non-alcoholic beverages, so we've expanded our lineup," Härms said.

In 2017, the Estonian brewery, still based in its namesake town of Saku, offered just seven non-alcoholic beverages — six beers and one cider. By last year, that number had more than tripled.

"In 2024, Saku's lineup included 23 non-alcoholic items: 16 beers, five ciders, and two long drinks," the board member noted.

He added that nonalcoholic beverages accounted for 4 percent of the company's domestic retail sales last year.

Jaanus Vihand, CEO of the Tartu-based A. Le Coq, also told ERR that consumption of nonalcoholic beverages is growing.

Beer remains the country's top nonalcoholic choice, with 41 percent of respondents to last year's Estonian Institute of Economic Research (EKI) survey reporting they drank it at least once last year — up from 38 percent in 2023.

"Our strategy is to increase the share of nonalcoholic products both within the alcohol category and across our full portfolio," Vihand said. "For each new product, we follow a simple principle: less alcohol, smaller servings, fewer additives."

He added that EKI's 2024 survey shows 66 percent of respondents drank some type of nonalcoholic beverage last year, up from 61 percent in 2023 and slightly above the five-year average of 64 percent.

Among A. Le Coq products, Estonians favor the nonalcoholic Premium or A. Le Coq 0.0 lager, though nonalcoholic beer-based beverages are also popular.

For Saku Brewery, classic domestic lagers remain the most popular nonalcoholic options. Its top-selling nonalcoholic beer is Saku Rock Zero.