We were lucky to catch up with Alex Zweber recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alex, appreciate you joining us today. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?

One of the biggest trends we are seeing in our industry is a push towards non alcoholic and low ABV drinks. COVID really accelerated what was becoming a trend in not only bars and restaurants, but also liquor stores. People’s decisions for abstaining vary, but one of the main reasons we’ve seen is people just want something delicious to sip on and instead of focusing on the spirit they focus on the flavors and what they bring to the occasion. This is very apparent in the abundance of ethnic restaurants around the state.
In addition, the market has exploded for N/A and low ABV products creating more readily available choices for consumers beyond the traditional sodas and juices.
We don’t see this trend going anywhere but up as people get more creative with they bring to the market.

Alex, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Sharab Shrubs began in 2014 by Alex Zweber as an idea to create a more fruit forward and balanced shrub for bars, restaurants, and the home. After trying what was available to the market, Zweber was challenged by a colleague to create a better product, a challenge he accepted. And after 2 years of perfecting recipes, Sharab Shrubs launched in late 2016 with their 3 flagship flavors. Apple Rosemary, Asian Pear Ginger Cinnamon and Strawberry. One by one, local craft liquor stores and bars began stocking their shelves with the fruit, sugar, and vinegar based product. Which due to the latter component of the shrub can make for some polarizing opinions on it’s perceived flavor. But with a fruit heavy build, and Zweber’s background in bartending they soon found their way into many drinks around the Twin Cities area.

After taking on the cocktail side of shrubs, Zweber soon found many uses for the shrubs in the kitchen as marinades, vinaigrettes, and pan sauces. With the increased uses came an increase in business, and many new collaborations. In 2020, Sharab Shrubs partnered with local distillery Tattersall to produce 2 flavors based on cocktails from their Northeast Minneapolis cocktail room. And in 2022, Sharab Shrubs partnered with The Wine Company as their main distributor for the state of Minnesota.

With each year comes more growth, and that’s not to say it’s without challenges. Navigating a pandemic for 2 years has made us really focus on who we are and what we’re doing. Looking into the future, there are more flavors and collaborations on the horizon as well as a growth to become more of a national presence in the non-alcoholic beverage market.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

We think the best and most effective strategy for growth is showing your passion and being transparent. People really respond to authenticity, and can tell when you are passionate about your product.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Resources can be hard as so many of them are specific to type and/or size of business. Connecting with other small businesses has been one of our biggest assets as each business bring a piece of knowledge to the table. We can’t recommend enough to get out there and network with other local small businesses. Another resource that has been of much help is AURI, they are a state funded organization that provides a lot of different services for small businesses. We used them to create our nutritional facts and label layo.ut

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sharabshrubs.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/sharabshrubs
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/sharabshrubs

Image Credits
Chris Spah