Diferente Reinvents Sparkling Wine, Vodka and Gin with no Alcohol
Two years ago Manuela Zanin was working for the consulting company PlaTeam. An Arab client asked her to recommend him a producer of dealcoholized wine. "I realized that the products on the market weren't going to satisfy a demanding consumer who wants to have a non-alcoholic drink with his meal". That's when she came with the idea of Diferente, a brand of non-alcoholic drinks offering the same flavor and aroma experiences of real wines and liquors. The potential target is vast: 40% of the world population don't drink alcohol because of religion, health, and social reasons, or simply because they're on a diet or cannot drink at work.
Manuela Zanin's marketing experience at Mionetto Spumanti was complementary to that of his cousin Filippo Zanin. He worked for five years in the semifinished products for the ice cream industry and for ten years as the Head of the Mionetto purchasing department.
They have sought an alternative to the process of removing alcohol from wine that is currently used to produce dealcoholized drinks. Diferente worked with a trusted laboratory to reverse the process. "We analyzed wine's structure and we artificially reconstructed it using only natural products". The result, they say, "has the same taste and flavor of wines. Even the aromatic persistence and the warmth provoked by the alcoholic fermentation are there". They won't say anything else: a lawyer in Rome, the start-up partner Francesco Elia, is working on patent protection.
Diferente entered the Speed MI Up program and is now looking for sales partners in the international markets, especially in the Arab, Jewish and Anglo-Saxon worlds, where there's a solid market for dealcoholized wines. "We want our drinks to be kosher and halal certified". Diferente targets a premium segment. "It's a product designed to meet the tastes of refined consumers. Our first three drinks are the most popular premium products in the world: sparkling wine, vodka, and gin". In late March Diferente has participated in Seeds & Chips, the international exhibition sponsored by EXPO 2015 dedicated to startups that are innovating the food and wine chain. Dubai, New York and Sydney are the next stages of a tour that will bring Diferente products around the world in 2015.