Jamie Wild Feragaia, Season 2 Ep. 20

Guest Jamie Wild bring us his original free spirit, Feragaia! After years of working in the alcohol industry Jamie found his daily norm quickly became a life that revolved around drinking alcohol. As he found himself searching for more meaning, Jamie and his friend Bill started on their journey to cultivate a more inclusive alcohol free drinking experience. Both from the UK, they decided to utilize the beautiful land around them to produce a very unique distilled 0% alcohol beverage called Feragia. The name derived from ancient Latin and Greek meaning Wild Earth, Feragaia is crafted from 14 land & sea botanicals that were carefully identified for their flavour profiles and natural properties. Jamie and Bill are carving out a  category of their own as Feragaia is the moment you step off the path. It has a complexity that invites you to pause, to reconnect with yourself. To appreciate the people around you and the ground beneath your feet. Distilled to be different. Here’s to your original free spirit!

For more info check out their website: https://feragaia.com/
Or follow Feragaia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/feragaia/?next=%2F
To purchase Feragaia and have it delivered anywhere go to: https://proofnomore.com/

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Transcript

Kelly: 0:02

Welcome to the LAF life podcast, a lifestyle podcast based on living alcohol free and a booze soaked world. My name is Kelly Evans and together with my friends, Tracey Djordjevic, Mike Sutton and Lindsay Harik. We share uncensored. Unscripted real conversations about what our lives have been like since we ditched alcohol and how we got here by sharing our individual stories. We'll show you that there isn't just one way to do this, no matter where you are on your journey from sober, curious to years in recovery and everyone in between, you are welcome here, no judgment and a ton of support.

Tracey: 0:42

Hello everyone and welcome back to the LAF Life podcast. Today we have a very unique guest joining us, and we are very excited to introduce you to Jamie Wilde. Jamie is the founder of a company called Feragaia. Feragaia is a free spirit that is alcohol free. We are excited to learn about Jamie and his company. He's coming to us all the way from the UK so we are doing a special recording today to accommodate everybody's time here. So I thank everybody for accommodating our regular recording schedule to make this happen. Very unique to us. He is the first guest we are having that is from a non alcohol company, so we're very excited to learn more about him. Jamie, why don't you start by telling us a little bit about your history or relationship with alcohol and how that kind of brought you to starting your business.

Jamie: 1:41

Great. Firstly, it's it's great to be here with you guys and talking from the other side. Of the Atlantic and great to see how much, how far this alcohol free movement is rolling and the pace at which, it's been embraced. It's it's really encouraging and positive. It started for me, I come from quite a traditional British drinking background. And think one of the things that I always remember, I'm not entirely sure why I think someone was talking about alcoholic companies and how they were good to invest in because. People drink whether they're happy, sad, or just feeling normal. And I think that's probably quite a good basis on which my relationship with alcohol was founded. I think there was al it's always a drinking moment when the family come together or oh, what are we having? What are we drinking? It's so much of a focus of that alcoholic moment that I've grown up in I think that's quite typical for a lot of people in our culture and in the UK. That took me through to university and again, great drinking culture in university in the UK like the run the rest of the world. And after that, I went into, A great sort of small startup gin company. And after that I went to one of the world's biggest drinks companies working in spirits, champagnes, beers, whiskeys, everything. So I found myself at the age of 25, 26, actually, like reflecting back. And right now, Monday to Friday at work, I'm just exposed to alcohol the whole time. And then you go on to the weekends, you go home, you see your friends, you're with your family. It's the same thing. It's like it's day in, day out. There is very little relief and it's quite hard. It's to be able to find your own confidence and actually standing up for what you want, taking better control for your own life and what's important to you in these environments where there are a lot of people that are very used to that social sort of, Routine and social system of having alcohol and drinking alcohol. And if you're not drinking alcohol, then it's somehow negative to that environment and that atmosphere that you're trying to create. That's really my background and the sort of the inception point of making this shift, in my life from a career point of view and a bit of a journey from my point of view in terms of how I can. Better improve my relationship with alcohol. That's really where it all came from. And took me to the point in sort of 2018, I think it was January, 2018, where Bill and I, my co-founder, sat down and started to develop this idea that's now I'm really delighted to say, spreading around the world and it's, it stands for a really exciting new category. In drinking. That's far more inclusive and positive.

Tracey: 4:31

Did you find that when you were working in the alcohol industry, like you were saying, obviously a lot of your life then revolved around alcohol and drinking. I have two questions actually. Did you find that was affecting your life? I also wanna get your idea around, cuz I know people that have lived in the UK and I know that the mentality there is a very drinking mentality. And don't get me wrong, it's that way around the world, but I think the UK is more known for it almost, it seems then anywhere. It's yeah, you get off work and you go to the pub. And then I've even heard stories about how at 11 o'clock, like the streets are a nightmare because they let everybody out of the pub and they're all drunk, right? Yeah. By then.

Jamie: 5:17

Firstly, I think the British drinking culture is no secret, and I do think that there are lots of countries around the world that are known for. Having quite extreme drinking habits. And I'd say that it's fair to say that the UK is definitely one of those. There's a long way to go and I think there's no surprises that the UK is one of the most developed alcohol free markets. Now it's one of the most competitive, if not the most competitive in the world. because I think that there is this mass consciousness and realization of like how we got to this stage of. Alcohol being infused and laced into every single interaction that we are having. So I think that sort of really shows in the way that people are shifting and changing and actually moving to to it and that so consciousness is happening in different places around the world for obvious reasons, given we're talking now, but my own experience, it's, we all know what happens when you drink too much and but I think the biggest frustration for me is that, I've never particularly, picked up things too quickly. I've always had to like really work quite hard at things to be able to, whether it's understand things and learn at the rate that I want to learn. I'm curious, but it's I need to concentrate and I need my attention and energy to be able to do it. And I think the thing that I lacked the most when I had that sort of routine weekend week out, weekend week Just back to back was that I really lost that sense of control about who I am and the independence and what I was passionate about in my life. you can talk about the health and the headaches and lots of different elements of that productivity, but for me it was that loss of control of who I was and the person that I wanted to become. I found it quite a sad. Realization for me, and that's what I've based my whole sort of shift in change on. And it's very common, we've all experienced that. That's a huge reason why all of us gave up alcohol. For me, it just completely killed my motivation. So it was like a drive killer, and I've always been a very motivated, driven person, so there was a key indicator for me that it wasn't serving me well. It's a numbing agent, right? So it's gonna numb the good, the bad, the ugly, it just numbs every sensation. Yeah. It's a tough image for many people to imagine themselves in a situation where they're not drinking and they don't have alcohol by their side to, to guide them. But in my experience, and we've done different retreats or different likes of weeks away with different people from hospitality, from journalism influencers who come together and I sense the nervousness when they know they're coming for a Feragaia sort of experience. They're worried about the fact that there isn't any alcohol there. And we're with these people that we dunno and it's all quite intimidating and strange you can see that need people have for alcohol. But I see this sort of once, and you obviously know this but you break through that barrier of realizing that you don't need it. And out the other side of it, think you get this. You're drunken in the sense of you are happy with the fact that you're putting yourself out there in a very true and authentic way, and that's being received by the people around you. And it's such a liberating and exciting thing. So in these experiences that I've had, it goes from this nervous sense of I'm not sure how I'm gonna act in this situation to actually almost like a. If you walk into a room, you really wouldn't have any idea that there is no alcohol being drunk in this room. So everyone is being themselves, being happy, putting themselves out there and being seen and interacting on a real level rather than this sort of drunken or alcohol haze or character or personality that comes out of that drinking culture.

Tracey: 9:06

It's almost empowering, you're empowering those people to realize they don't need to be dependent on it. Yeah. And then you're absolutely getting a more authentic version of them. It's so empowering knowing that everyone's got everything that they need. They don't need to have alcohol. They certainly don't need to change their character to be able to fit in. Then you look at the knock on effects of that and mental health and I think anyone who can get a greater understanding of who they are, and I think that probably takes a lifetime. No one really gets the sense of that true self. But if you're working on that and. Leaning into that and being more confident. I think, such a great message. So positive, inclusive. Yeah. Absolutely.

Lindsey: 9:44

I remember feeling that way, going to events and when I was drinking and if there wasn't alcohol or I couldn't have wine, I was like, what the hell? I'd get mad. Yeah. And it's holy cow. This is a poisonous substance that I'm mad about not being able to consume Yeah. Crazy. And then when you're consuming it, it's oh I'm relaxing and I deserve this. And it's a reward and but you're borrowing from tomorrow. Because you're gonna feel like crap the next day, so you're borrowing from tomorrow to relax today. Now that I'm out of it, cuz before, I didn't think, oh, I'm never gonna drink again. I was like, I need to alter my relationship with alcohol because of all of the negative impacts it's having on my life, my relationships, everything. And now that I'm almost four years into this life, it's like I'll never go back. Yeah. I just know too much. I know too much about the new research. It's sad looking back at that version of myself, or I would be upset when there wasn't alcohol at an event. That's crazy to me. That'd be like, oh, there's no cocaine here. I'm not going oh my God. Yeah. So yeah, to have an environment where, you're celebrating or drinking something that is an alcohol free alternative, it's an option and just making it normal.

Jamie: 11:07

It becomes more about the experience and less about the fact that, I was a good friend of mine who still loves to go out and it's very sociable. When they meet drink friends that used to drink with, it's explaining it in the fact that, when you're going for a drink, the focus is all on, all you're having a couple of pints and you're literally focusing, sitting in between each other with two pints of alcohol. And that's a great sort of illustration I think of how it is. Alcohol is this sort of blocker. Between the two of you and he says this look like when he explains it to his friends, you do still have that traditional relationship with alcohol. Let's just put the drink to one side here and let's just focus about what this really is about. It's about the two people sitting in front of each other and it's about that connection. And I always think it's funny like people are dating, and I'm definitely guilty at this. You go on your first date and you get absolutely wasted by just drinking. Five or six cocktails and you're going on a date to meet someone who can understand you or see you as who you are. But the irony of it is that you're drinking and moving further and further away. It's the same thing let's be honest with what this is about. It's about, humans need connection to other humans and this has shared experience and let's not let alcohol get in the way of that.

Lindsey: 12:20

I just experienced a date like that. Somebody who's dating I went on a date with a guy, he had seven whiskeys. I had to drive his vehicle home and drop his friend off. And I'm like, so that's when you meet somebody for the first time or you're going out like. That's the best version of you that you're gonna show me. That's what you choose to show me about yourself. Yeah. It was obvious that it wasn't about getting to know me. It was about having the good time. And I'm like, yeah, okay.

Jamie: 12:46

I think that's all the insecurity of actually people they're wanting to put their real self out there, but they're feeling like, okay, for me to get that acceptance, I need to be. This legend that drinks seven whiskeys and does some crazy stuff that everyone will talk about the next day. But I think it's so widespread and I was hugely guilty of doing that. But I always find it really funny. So human situation that is just very commonplace and accepted. And it just illustrates for me.

Tracey: 13:13

Mike, you're a legend, aren't you? Your own right.

Mike: 13:18

Was

Lindsey: 13:18

Mike's like what

Tracey: 13:22

was for sure. It's like you're not getting to know the person. If you're meeting them for the first time and they're wasted, it's like that's not really who you are. Like you're showing me an altered version of you. And you're right. Maybe there is some self-confidence issues, or the person is just really nervous, or they're scared to be vulnerable and be themselves. So they're relying on this substance to open them up, right? Yeah. Okay. Yes. Yeah.

Mike: 13:51

All of it. All of them, all it. Good points, Jamie. Really good points. So that kind of led you into taking a thought about, where your life was going, and then ultimately coming up with a plan to start a new business.

Jamie: 14:05

Yes. Yeah. I think that was the point of you feel the resistance, but you, I felt like wholly. Ill equipped to be able to take on this like actually just claim back the control myself. And actually a great way to claim back a little bit of control and have people look at you and actually say, oh, he is taking that seriously, is to actually build a business around it.

Mike: 14:26

Did you have an aha moment type of thing to get you down that road? Or did you wake up one day and go, what the hell? You just tied one on for two days with the boys. Yeah. And it was just like, I can't do it anymore. I think there was a, there wasn't the aha moment of I woken up. It's like that is it. It's a series of events that occurred. Whether it's drinking with the lads or family events or just working spending a week, you go to a music class when you go back to work and you end up going to five different cocktail bars in an evening, you just come back and you feel pickled. And so after all of these interactions, I think I was. Consciously trying to get out of these situations of I'm saying no to Gin and Tonic now when I get home because I don't really want it. But then I think the combination of all those different experiences led me to a point of this is actually I want, it's a selfish endeavor. I've gotta find this and Bill shared in that. The moment that the idea of Feragaia came about was this. For me, it was all about this sort of the confidence of how an alcohol free drink is put in front of you. And it's that whole thing of that alcohol free, it's like you we're still defining this drink by what it isn't. And so for us, it was I want originality and I want confidence. And so building it off the framework of this spirit, this liquid, we can't touch alcohol. And it also, Cannot replicate a gin, a whiskey or tequila ram. It has to be this new territory, new vision of how you can look at the strengths, like a new era of drinking. And from Bill's point of view, he's Scottish from a beautiful county called Fife just outside of Edinburgh. And like many Scotts he's very proud of where he is come from. But as we know, Scotland's world renowned for scotch, single malts, the great premium distilleries of the world. The, I think most people would probably say Scotland in the top, probably top one, top two, top three places in the world of premium distilled products. So that heritage. And the sort of idea of innovation and pioneering this new category in this place, which is literally almost defined by an alcoholic spirit. It's quite an interesting concept of combining this real confidence and originality and alcohol free with this rich heritage of this very famous and beautiful place in Scotland. The combination of those two elements and Bill and myself. That was the moment that, we really felt that this is the concept that we wanna hit go on, and we wanna build Feragaia around.

Tracey: 17:05

I wanna mention, Jamie, that I absolutely love your guys' marketing because I know your tagline is distilled to be different, your original free spirit. Yeah. And I love that. I think that speaks volumes.

Jamie: 17:18

Let's just grab the I've got the bottle here. There's a paragraph on the front. Which before we talked all about the botanicals and distillation and all that, but actually I think we've come to learn that the experience of Feragaia is really what we need to communicate. And so we put on the front Feragaia is the moment you step off the path, a balanced blend of wild flavors, a complexity that invites you to pause, to reconnect, to appreciate the people around you and the ground beneath your feet distilled to be different. Here's your original free spirit, that whole, you're going through a bit of a journey you're cutting your own path. It's the sort of wild flavors. It's this sort of slowing down and then actually connecting, but in a way in which you're putting your own free spirit in front and exploring that, which talks into that whole empowerment message, a very pure moment of connection.

Tracey: 18:12

I love that messaging. I absolutely love it. And correct me if I'm wrong, but also Fera, Gaia coming from Latin and Greek meaning wild earth.

Jamie: 18:22

Yes, correct. Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, combination. Two ancient languages and. Feragaia is all about that sense of that feeling that you get, you have it, you're spoiled with it. In Canada, when you step outside and you look up at the mountains, it can be anywhere. It could just be if you've got a walking through a park or you've got a small sort of flower a few house plants. But equally, the bigger bits of inspiration is, windswept, coast lines, walking up in the mountains, being deep in the forests. These senses where you feel the might of nature and natural wild around you, almost a bit of an insignificance, which to me is always quite comforting. But that sense of reconnection, that being grounded to wild earth is, the foundation of this drink and the experience that we want to give people. So that's everything that instructs, the marketing and the visuals, the aesthetics, the partnerships, and everything that we do is. Really to reinforce what this experience is about. because I mean it's such a, an in incredible force. We're all very lucky to be to be in, to be living in

Tracey: 19:25

well, and that's what a lot of people that go alcohol free and start that journey of discovering themselves. That's something that a lot of people rediscover. We all talk about it connecting with nature, yeah. It's a huge part of our journey to connect with ourselves. Just to have the sunshine on your face, the fresh air, yeah. There's something to be said about being amongst, the grass, the trees

Jamie: 19:50

Yeah. Like it's nothing new. I think it's the simplicity of appreciating. What there is around us. What we can get. We're talking about one, the self and nurturing our own identities and bringing confidence to the self. And then we're also talking about the natural world, which, we're a part of whether we like it or not we just are. And so we are really just call it back to a really simple point of, We're not trying to harness we're so insignificant compared to nature and wild earth. We just want to point people in the direction and be a part of helping people see just that simplicity of these little changes that you can make in your life that you can find some real satisfaction and really real fulfillment out of. Yeah, I think that's great.

Lindsey: 20:36

So I question about the product. What's in it and for me, being alcohol free Yeah. I'm really into nourishing my body and I love, exploring greens powders and other supplements and stuff like that. So are there any benefits to the ingredients in the product?

Jamie: 20:57

Yes. Okay. I'll start with the. And section of your question, and that was around the functionality of it. We've got the basic stuff of it just being alcohol-free, sugar-free, gluten, vegan naturally are very low calorie. We have these wild earth properties. We distill, we pick a lot of the botanicals that are native to Scotland Chamonmile black, current leaf, bay leaf wow. Yeah, bay black currant leaf, sorry, lemon, beana and Chamonmile. And then we also have a seaweed, which is from the wild West coast of Scotland on a peninsula called Den American. And, those native botanicals alone. You look at the properties and what we do is we extract all these essences in the, these oils which is forms the base of. What we then distill in a pot still with Feragaia. But when you look at the health properties of, Chamonmile is an obvious one. That's soothing, calm. You've got beana great for immunity. It's very strong on antioxidants. Sugar kelp has a lot of interesting sort of vitamins and nutrition in it. And so whilst the product isn't a functional product. We don't say it's something that's gonna make you feel this way. However, we use five times more. Botanical mass in our distillation runs and gin would, because we don't have alcohol to break down the botanicals. We need to supercharge this still with as much botanical matter in essence, to be able to get the character depth that we achieve with Feragaia. And we have all of these alls and essences that makeup, the taste and make. There are some really interesting wild earth properties we'd like to say, for us, that whole drinking experience, it's all about that reconnection piece to Feragaia to wild earth. And so this sort of immunity sense of being like restored but then also feeling more grounded and connected. So that's the soothing elements of, the Chamonmile et cetera gives, I think a really nice idea of what this fair guide drink is really set out to do, to talk about. We've got 14 land sea botanicals. Five of them are native to Scotland. That, we've gotta grow our botanicals on a small farm just down the road from the distillery. That's something that we're very proud of. We're very proud of our local supply chain and the transparency. We just opened Scotland's first Alcohol free distillery which you know, is a very. It's a big landmark, from a land that's known for so many alcoholic distilleries. And so we're really excited to be opening that up for people to come and see learn and just appreciate the craft that goes into it. Cause it takes two months to make bottle. Whoa. We, and it's the same care and attention that goes into a bottle of gin or whiskey. Absolutely. Goes into a bottle of Feragaia and I think it's an important thing, like you look at an alcohol free drink or juice when you in a bar versus a great beer or wine and just on the basis of how much time it is taken to make this alcoholic drink versus alcohol free drink. This imbalance creates like it is formed in your mind. And that craft and that effort that goes into Feragaia is obviously it's a premium product and priced as such. You can care as much about our alcohol free products as you can and our quality. I think that's an important point. The stages of distillation that we go through. Where the botanicals come from, how we macerate, how we distill how we then blend it together, use of Scottish water. We age it for a bit and then we bottle it and then it's out there. And then you've got this, the flavor of it is all. So we talk about layers and complexity and this depth of flavor. It's like having length and depth is what slows you down. So you take your time. When you're drinking Feragaia, that's what makes it different from a tea, a soft drink juice that you might have during the day. And it makes it more of a drink that you can take your time over and have that, those pure moments of connection with yourself and those people around you. That's really how we set out to create the flavor and the character of this drink. But not having a benchmark of saying it has to be like a gin or whiskey or tequila or rum.

Lindsey: 25:03

I love hearing all that because I feel if I got my hands on it, I would feel good about drinking it. It's good for your mental health too, Yeah, there's something about taking a supplement that's really pure from the land. It's processed really well. I'm all about that. I wanna know how it's made, where it comes from. Is it organic? Is there crap in it? Are there fillers in it? Yeah. I really wanna know all that. So how would somebody drink this then?

Jamie: 25:29

Yeah, so the perfect serve is Feragaia and Gingerale. Oh, sweet. It's a slightly different I talk about the length and the depth of Feragaia. We've noticed as we've spent more time in America in the last six months, that there's, that the approach to Feragaia is very different in America to, in the UK. You've got a lot of Gin and tonic drinkers in the UK. I would say that I probably drink it more with tonic than I do with gingerale a but the gingerale matches really nicely with the Feragaia because it gives a little bit of a sweet note which, even though people don't like sugar, they still appreciate a little bit of sweetness. Generally my experience. And they've got this really nice dry habitous depth and make that, makes it into a really well-rounded drink that is refreshing. It's got that refreshing depth of flavor, so perfect. Serve, Feragaia gingerale slice of lime. It's fantastic versatile product and whether it's you wanna sipe neat which, we found there's a lot more appreciation for it's flavor profile and I think it matches a slightly different way of drinking that you have over in American Canada. But it's great with tonic. And also if you step up into some of the great restaurants and bars they've been creating amazing cocktails, I think one of my favorites is a sour sort of spice pair sour, but you can create whether it's using apple or various other ingredients to create like the velvete sort of weight of the sour drink is just, it's a really just fantastic drink with Feragaia Paloma Bramble got some great old fashions out there, and I think it's a really great thing. You can have it simple mix with Gingerale. But actually once you get into it, Let's explore it and let's find, what you want to use that sort of refreshing depth with. And people, whether they like tequila or they like Bram or they just wanna explore something, it's a different flavor profile or pair something with food. I think it's exciting that you can at some stage hand it over to the drinker and actually say, this is how we drink it now, we're inviting you to explore it and here are some ideas and here's how other people are using it. I think the versatility of it is key, but Feragaia Gingerale great service.

Tracey: 27:35

I have a little card here, Jamie, with a bunch of different cocktails on it that I got Yes. From Amanda. So I'll share that on our social media.

Jamie: 27:44

Brilliant. Yeah. We've got plenty more on that, where that came from

Tracey: 27:47

yeah. I know you have some on your website too, so that's awesome because I haven't tried any yet, but I'm looking forward to doing so. Yeah. We'll

Jamie: 27:55

to, we'll be sorting that out very soon.

Mike: 28:00

I got a question for you. Yeah. Excuse me. Have you ever done any type of blind taste testing with people who drink alcohol on a regular basis to say, give our drink a try without telling them or disclosing them what they're drinking and what the responses were like?

Jamie: 28:14

This reminds me of an advert that I've seen, which I really love. And it's just seeing those raw responses to it. The answer is that I haven't conducted a formal version of that test. I would love to do that. I think what I could say to that is that over the last three and a half years, the team Bill and I have been at so many different events and meeting so many different people who have a different relationship with alcohol and some people that, I have I had the discussion of, if a taste is too complex or too like alcohol, certain people that don't drink don't want it to be too similar to that sort of alcoholic taste that they remember. You can never please everyone, and especially when you're trying to do something that is a bit braver, a bit more creative in like we are establishing this original free spirit category. It's a futile endeavor to think that you can keep everyone happy. Of course, I sometimes do those tastings with people that don't drink and for them, the complexity and the length of depth of Feragaia gives it too much of a sort of a steer towards something that represents something that's alcoholic for them which, I respect that position and, everyone has their own personal reasons about drinking, but in my own eyes, it's if I've challenged someone's palette with Feragaia enough to make them think that actually, there is something more to this than just a juice or a soft drinker tea, et cetera, then that's what we're trying to do here. We're trying to create this sort of category of a sophisticated drinker. You can take your time over. And it slows you down and it challenges your palette just enough so that you have that moment of reconnection, cuz we'll live fast lives so I think a lot faster than like generations before did. We do need to slow down. We do need to have some head space for ourselves to connect with people around us. There's been some pretty hilarious responses to the taste of fairer that. Some good, some bad, but generally, obviously there's a real appreciation for what we are trying to achieve with that drinking experience. That we're investing behind as the whole premise of this idea is the value and the interest and the potential is all. And the fact that we are creating this new category free spirit. It's this new sort of drinking new way to look at alcohol-free drinks should really shift the the balance.

Mike: 30:33

I got a buddy that drinks old fashions.

Jamie: 30:36

Yes.

Mike: 30:37

Religiously. Not religiously, sorry. But if I ever go out with them, he'll get an old fashioned, I see it all the time. The reason my question I thought of him as I was saying, I wonder if I could say, Hey, I'm gonna make you an old fashioned my way and see what his response was.

Jamie: 30:55

Obviously when I come out to Canada, when Feragaia is doing great things over there, which I'm sure it'll be soon we can go out for a drink with your buddy and I can make my famous smokey old fashioned, which a little bit tea and know. We'll see. We'll see how we get on. Good stuff, coach. Spin to it.

Mike: 31:12

Okay. Good stuff.

Tracey: 31:14

I love how, oh, sorry Tracy. You guys are, yeah, no problem. I just wanted to say I love how you guys are bridging that gap because there is that gap and that kind of gray area of people, like you said, wanting to drink less and transitioning and alcohol free beverages are a great way to transition. I know when I first gave up alcohol, I drank a lot more kind of alcohol free things. Yeah. I'm at a place now where I've been alcohol free almost three years, so I don't so much anymore. I don't gravitate towards that stuff. I've just gone, yeah. Straight old, like soda with lemon and lime.

Jamie: 31:52

Is that your go-to.

Tracey: 31:53

Yeah, that is my go-to. So if I'm out in social situations, like we've talked about I bring my own soda if I'm going to a friend's place and Yeah. Yeah. Or tea, like I drink a lot of tea at night when I'm at home where I used to have wine. And I'm huge advocate of Chamonmile. That's my favorite. Yes. Made many jokes about that on this podcast. So yeah and absolutely it's got that calming effect. It's good for anxiety and for, a lot of us, we experience anxiety and I was experiencing a lot more when I was drinking. That's been my go-to. But I think it's a great transition. Like I said, when I was, nervous about those social situations, it was easy to go to an alcohol free beverage, at a restaurant, have an alcohol free beer or whatever, and you feel more like you're participating. And it's like that gradual move away from the alcohol

Jamie: 32:47

yeah. What I find interesting is that how participating things, like you're still having to participate in this alcoholic thing when actually I think, the access has been shifted to when you've got someone who's drinking a really great looking drink, great tasting alcohol, free drink, that's then the people that you know are doing what everyone's always been doing. Drinking alcohol and doing that same olds of merry-go-round of social interaction. I start to see more of an interest in that sort of alcohol free drink from the group just generalizing than there's ever been before. And I think that's really encouraging because if there's that talkability, that curiosity about Oh yeah I think it shows that the appetite that exists. In those moderators, the people got the confident people like yourself. You found that, your method of doing it and leaning into it and owning it, I think the majority of people are still in that moderation space. Yeah. And they need to have that confidence And I think that it just shows that, we can see all the stats of how drinking habits are changing. I think that's always the thing that I look at the most when I'm just speaking to my friends or in a different event and you can see their appetite and their interest. Not the level of engagement that you wanna see yet. I think it's still moving. But the interest is certainly there.

Tracey: 34:09

I love that you were doing those experiments, as you were saying, with people and pushing them outside their comfort zone to be in those scenarios without the alcohol. Yeah. And I just wanted to say or ask how do you entertain these conversations with people

Jamie: 34:27

So I'm talking mainly about an experience that we had in Scotland. We took a group of people out to this beautiful place in the Highlands. And I think that's, really enough when it comes to. Having that sort of, that shift of that departure from a usual life into a new realm. But actually in terms of the social interactions, I dunno if you've ever come across they're called, connection cards. It's there's a couple of different ones. It's called the Skin Beat. It's called the, we're not really strangers.

Tracey: 34:54

These the like question cards., I use the table talk ones. Yes, table talk ones too.

Jamie: 35:02

They're such a simple but clever things, well posed question, let's put our phones down and let's have these talks. That's been one thing that I've really enjoyed. But then I think you look at all of the great things about humanity and the way that humans interact with each other and through the creative realms of whether it's music or poetry or storytelling. Then activity and, we talk a lot about whether it's outdoors or walking cold water, swimming we love less the stuff that's powered by, it's a man-made engine. And more of the generative stuff of slowing down, you seeing, appreciating exactly what's there around you. Those are some different ways in which we've found this. Excitement for this different experience of when you're not drinking, but you're still having a really great time connecting with people.

Lindsey: 35:49

I was gonna say get it now, like the classification as a free spirit instead of alcohol free. I really love that. And just talking about, Consuming alcohol-free beverages when we're out and people are consuming alcohol, why are we trying to participate? Yeah. That just made me think why am I trying so hard to still participate in this culture, but doing it with an alcohol-free substance, maybe a product like this where you're creating your own category, free spirit and we just do our thing. With everybody else. This is what I'm drinking. I'm not trying to participate in your alcohol. Drinking is gonna spark them to wanna participate in what we're doing.

Jamie: 36:35

A hundred percent. That's great. That's it. Nailed that, Lindsay. Yeah. 10 outta 10.

Lindsey: 36:39

I get it now. I'm like, ok, I like this. I like that. We're doing a different category. It's not alcohol free. We're free spirit and yeah. Everyone's welcome to participate in it.

Jamie: 36:48

That is the empowerment and it's it's just doing you. It's the whole thing about putting other people's needs in front of yours. And certainly you're not gonna go and make someone love feeling comfortable and awkward, but why can't you lean into what you want in that moment and not just persuaded by public opinion or what other people's insecurities are fueling.

Tracey: 37:08

Yeah. Being in your own unique category. Really

Lindsey: 37:11

love that. That's what I'm getting. Yeah. Like you said, that's gonna just trigger people to be more curious. Too about what you're doing.

Jamie: 37:19

Yeah. Yeah. It's a harder way to get to do it. I've seen what alcohol free gins have done, or alcohol-free Apple spritzes have done it's a simple replication of something that's alcoholic so people can join in on. It's that confidence as this category rolls on the culture around not drinking changes. There's gonna be a time where I might actually hang on that. Why the hell are we just we're trying to participate in what's already been is that we should be departing from this to something new, something that's related. It's just the irony of alcohol-free drinking now is that it's defined by alcohol and most of that. Then you look at the biggest drinks companies now who sell the most booze in the world. They now have all the alcohol free, the biggest alcohol free market out there. There's a lot of sort of mixed messages of you have a alcoholic bottle of gin alcohol free bottle of gin

Lindsey: 38:15

Because it's a business, right? Yeah. This is where we have to be careful. We have alcohol companies now capitalizing on the fact that alcohol free is now becoming a thing because people are waking up to the fact that alcohol is poison what it does to the body, how it alters the brain. Yeah. And it's oh, this is a place where we can make money now. They don't really care about the people.

Jamie: 38:37

But also it's like the messaging. So hang on. What are you saying? Saying something here? You're saying something here. It's the same brand and doesn't match what Doesn't match. Doesn't match. Yeah. It's out of alignment. Yeah. But the fi the funny thing is the market at the moment, it works. But this is where, we're trying to strive and set out a new set of rules for what, a free spirit category should be. I'm obviously in this sort of day in, day out, 24 hours a day. I live and breathe it, but to me, it's like the simplest thing of why does alcohol define alcohol free habits? And so I never thought of that before. Let's let's change the game. Let's create something that can really inspire a different way of drinking and socializing in a. More empowerment in the self, who you are and ultimately, like that's gonna lead to better existence. It's a big statement. I'm not saying Feragaia gonna save your life sort of thing, but it saved the world even. But I do think these small little choices that we can make that have a big positive knock on benefit, and you guys are, living proof of that.

Tracey: 39:41

I love how thoughtful you guys have been, Jamie, and the whole concept of this brand and that I really feel like you aligned it with what the ultimate goal is for most people that are going alcohol free. To rediscover themselves. To reconnect. Yeah. And that whole self-discovery, that whole free spirit, to free ourselves because being attached to alcohol is very restricting and it consumes a lot of us, and it, yeah, it does diminish our free spirits. Yeah.

Jamie: 40:17

Absolutely. Yeah. And I know I, yeah, and the education of saying that you're creating this new product and this new category and all this stuff it's the biggest challenge for us. It's, we need people like ourselves having, giving us a space to be able to ask us questions and be able to talk about it. But it just feels like the way it has to go. Cuz this sort of slightly sleepwalking phase of what we're in right now, to me is not the ultimate. If you look at any drinking category of people are always looking for something that is good Lindsay, you're talking about where things are from, like what goes into it, how things are made, who's behind it are they doing it the right way? Is there some purpose link to the brand that stands up to what I believe in? And, that's what we do. We support local challenge charities at the moment trying to rewire different parts of Scotland or, stand up for things that are very much integral to our brand. I think the brands that I really engage with, other brands that obviously do create a great product, have that transparency. Then also, An act of purpose that I believe in. So you're happy to pay more cause you know that this company is gonna be helping what you're passionate about as long as it that represents, a brand of what you're happy to put yourself your own identity too. Collectively, if you can get loads of businesses across all sectors who have that purposeful vision, then it's gonna be the quickest way for. Humanity to turn around a lot of the issues that, we currently face. I think that's, it's an exciting time. It's a challenging time to be in a business, but I think exciting in that respect.

Tracey: 41:50

I love your passion too. You can really feel that come through your passion for it and that's amazing.

Jamie: 41:58

Yeah. Thank you.

Tracey: 42:00

Do you guys have any more questions for Jamie? No, other than where can people find you?

Jamie: 42:05

Yeah. So if you give us a follow@feragaia on social media. We've got a stockish map on our website, but we're really, we've got a very exciting six, 12 month period now coming up. Last year we upgraded our branding. We opened up a distillery, we've expanded the team. We're learning more and more about who we are and where we sell well who our real consumers are. And so the next six to 12 months is all about a growth and expansion. And we are gonna be spending quite a lot of time over in the states, I think first of all at Bar Con Brooklyn in June, where we are launching our new packaging. And we've got some fantastic. Business like restaurants, some three michelan star restaurants in New York at the moment who are doing some fantastic things with Feragaia yeah, please, I would say get on social channels. There's gonna be a lot of information coming through about these different events, different tastings. And we are also available in across Canada and we've got great distribution in Ontario who We can definitely put you in touch with if there's any businesses that wanna try and experience. I know there's a great affinity between Canada and Scotland and so it seems somewhere that we need to be spending more time and putting more energy and effort in. I was gonna say most of our audience is in North America, so Yeah. Where is the best way for some to get information of where they could get your product in North America? Okay there's a website that we're list live on that can ship to all states called Proof No More. Oh, okay. Perfect. If you go onto the website, you'll get through from there. But I would encourage anyone who is interested to go via website to learn a little bit more about who we are, what the brand's about, where we can find it. Cuz it's, it is all there. And we are very happy to help. Ask us questions and we can point you in the right direction., we're good at getting a bottle of almost anywhere in the world now to anyone who wants to experience this, the refreshing depth of flavor and start to explore their own original free spirit.

Tracey: 44:06

Okay. That's amazing. We'll put all that in the show notes for you, Jamie. So we can direct people to where they can find you and find more information about Feragaia. We are fantastic. We are so excited that we got the opportunity to sit with you again. Thanks everybody for accommodating the schedule. For our listeners, you know where you can find us, you can find us on Instagram at LAF Life Podcast. You can find us on our community page on Facebook at LAF Life. And again, thank you so much. Until next time, keep laughing.

Kelly: 44:40

Thank you for listening. Please give us a five star rating like and subscribe, share on social media and tell your friends. We love getting your feedback and ideas of what you'd like to hear on upcoming episodes of the laugh life podcast. If you yourself are living alcohol free and want to share your story here, please reach out.