Cheers to The Sobr Market

It all began about two years ago when Shane Halliburton decided to stop drinking alcohol. He was seeking good-tasting non-alcoholic options, but wasn’t finding anything to suit his taste.

“I was somebody who liked to make a nice complex cocktail with alcohol, and I still wanted to do that without alcohol,” he says.

“I found there were products in Europe or the States, but shipping them cost a lot of money.”

Together with his wife Jessie, they realized other people might also be interested in these same drink options. They decided to fill this niche by opening a business that sells beverages with no alcohol content.

In June 2022, the duo launched an online store and set up at markets each weekend. Then in February 2023, they had the chance to host a pop-up shop in the Exchange District. A month later, they opened their own store at 2-484 Academy Rd., followed by another store in Toronto.

“We have over 700 different products in the store, so no matter what your taste preference or profile is, you can usually find something you’ll enjoy,” Halliburton says.

“There’s a substitute for any alcoholic drink from beer to wine to ready-to-drink cocktails and even spirits. There are zero-proof whiskeys and tequilas. We also have various good-tasting drinks that don’t mimic alcohol.”