Functional Beverage Market Expansion Drives Two-Day Festival The Daily Pour, founded by entrepreneur and TV personality Dan Abrams, has announced an expansion of its Drinks with Benefits (DWB) festival to a two-day event beginning September 16th in New York. The inaugural 2025 festival drew over 1,000 attendees and 70+ sponsors, prompting the organizers to scale the event as consumer interest in nonalcoholic and functional beverages continues to grow.
Summit Brings Together Functional Beverage Founders and Investors The expanded format includes the DWB Summit on September 16th—a select gathering for trade professionals, founders, and investors—followed by a full public festival on September 17th at the Altman Building. The Summit features panel discussions on entrepreneurship, capital raising, retail strategy, and the evolution of wine occasions, with confirmed speakers including Bill Shufelt of Athletic Beer, Laura Taylor of Mingle Mocktails, and Brian Rosen of Investbev.
Wellness Sanctuary and Functional Tasting Gallery Highlight Consumer Experience The September 17th consumer event includes a Tasting Gallery showcasing nonalcoholic brands such as Tom Holland's Bero, Oddbird, and Ayrloom; a curated culinary experience with plant-based dishes and cheese pairings; a wellness sanctuary with guided meditation; a mixology lab for zero-proof cocktail creation; a "sober rave" called Rhythms Lounge; and a contemporary art show.
Consumer Demand for Functional Alternatives Reaches Critical Mass The expansion comes as consumer attitudes toward alcohol shift measurably. According to data cited in the announcement, 1 in 3 adults now identify as mindful drinkers, 55% of Millennials and 63% of Gen Z actively moderate alcohol intake, and 47% of consumers are replacing alcohol with functional drinks on certain occasions.
"We're witnessing one of the biggest cultural shifts in how people drink," Dan Abrams said. "Consumers today want options that fit their lifestyle, whether that's a glass of wine or now more than ever, a high quality alcohol free drink. Drinks with Benefits was built to celebrate that shift and give people a place to explore it in a way that's fun, delicious and genuinely exciting."
Access for Functional Beverage Innovators and Wellness Professionals DWB Summit seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis to trade professionals and founders. Consumer tickets for the September 17th festival are available through the event website.
Functional Drinks as Wellness Category For manufacturers and formulators in the functional beverages space, DWB provides direct market access to consumers seeking wellness-oriented alternatives to traditional alcohol. The event's wellness sanctuary, plant-based culinary programming, and focus on mindful drinking align with broader trends in functional foods and nutraceutical innovation, offering opportunities for brands exploring functional ingredients, adaptogens, and gut-health formulations to reach engaged audiences.
For more insights and trends in the food and beverage sector, check out more articles in The Food & Beverage Magazine family of publications.
Written by FBM Publications Editors
