October | Meet the Makers | Ellie Webb & Caleño Drinks
Vamos De Fiesta!
Discover the joy of not drinking with Ellie Webb, founder of exotic and vibrant non-alcoholic spirit, Caleño. About 6 years ago, Ellie dis-proved the notion that alcohol is needed to have fun. Her brand was a front-runner in the non-alcoholic movement, and she worked hard for Caleño to stand out as an exceptional and unique alternative spirit. Not only was Caleño one of the first, but she was one of the first solo female founders in the N/A space at the time. Woo! Let’s get to know the beautiful Ellie Webb!
How Caleño Drinks Got Started
Several years ago, Ellie, a British citizen with Colombian descent, was working towards a healthier lifestyle and decided to cut back on her alcohol intake. She had been working in the alcohol industry and felt a lot of pressure around drinking, and within the heavy drinking culture. She started off the new year with a dry January and the perspective of "a new year, a new me."
All the Taste - None of the Alcohol
Ellie saw a gap in the market for non-alcoholic spirits that not only tasted good, but were enjoyable to look at amongst restaurant barware and store shelves in the markets. She was drawn to fruity cocktails that weren’t terrible for you, and this is how the idea of Caleño sparked. Ellie wanted a delicious alternative to sweet, overly sugary mocktails, without sacrificing the flavorful taste of a true cocktail. Not only did she want this, but her friends and family did as well, so she intuitively felt that others also wanted a new beginning in the alcohol free space. At the time, there were only two N/A alternative spirits in the market, so she dabbled with the idea of creating her own brand.
Colorful Tropical Alcohol Free Cocktails
A couple months later she visited family in Colombia, South America, where she was blessed with the divine inspiration she needed to officially create Caleño. In Colombia, she also felt the stigma around not drinking and, amidst the salsa dancing and the fantastic South American flavors, realized she wanted to make an N/A product that would "give the category some fun." She felt drawn to transform the stigma around needing alcohol in order to socialize and enjoy oneself.
What Sets Caleño Alternative Drinks Apart From the Rest
This trip was a whole “treasure tray of inspiration” for founder Ellie Webb. She was immediately inspired by the bright colors and vibrancy of the country. The myriad of fascinating colors really brought something to life within her, and she wanted to incorporate this into Caleño.
Ellie grew up visiting her Grandma in Colombia, enjoying fresh, colorful juices made with unique fruits that most people have never even heard of! The unusually interesting flavors of Colombian food, culture, and architecture was a must along her journey of creating Caleño. Ellie’s always been drawn to the sweeter things in life - and in cocktails! Her go to’s are mojitos and passionfruit martinis, and her favorite Caleño cocktail is her tasty passion fruit martini.
Caleño Non Alcoholic Spirits & How to Enjoy
- Dark & Spicy - This award-winning spirit is a distilled golden and spicy blend, packed with dark pineapple tropical notes, ginger & kola nut spices. A rich blend of pineapple, coconut, ginger, black cardamom, vanilla, kola nut & lime
- Light & Zesty - A lively blend of Inca berry, pineapple, papaya, coriander, juniper berry, green cardamom & lemon peel, Caleños Light and Zesty is perfect all your white rum or gin recipes.
- Or get the sampler back of them both, here.
