An adaptogen is not something many of us have heard of, even though the word, referring to special types of plants that help reduce stress, anxiety and fatigue has been around since the 1940s.

Many adaptogen supplements like L-Theanine, Maca and Ginseng, are more likely to be hiding in our pantry than in a cocktail. But Paul Duncan, a 36-year-old former mechanical engineer knew they’d be the perfect addition to his non-alcoholic cocktail range, Elta Ego, which he launched in 2022.

Not only are adaptogens reported to help create a sense of wellbeing, but it’s also believed they can help deliver mood-lifting properties, something Paul says differs from other non-alcoholic drinks.

“Like many Kiwis, I would sometimes drink more alcohol than I should when out socialising and would wake up feeling groggy and with no motivation to do the things I enjoy, such as exercising or doing something creative,” he says.

“I wanted to make a change and began going alcohol-free, I found that many products on the market were high in sugar, or not very flavourful.

“The biggest downside though, was that my mood and energy levels to socialise would always start to wane as social events progressed, while my alcohol-drinking friends would feel the opposite and I would feel a little disconnected from the group.”

The idea to add adaptogens into a cocktail mix to help deliver a better baseline mood without the hangover was the spark of a good idea for Paul.

The next phase was where the hard work really began, seeing Paul spend hundreds of hours working with food scientists to develop the right combination of bioactive adaptogens and flavours to create his non-alcoholic cocktail range.

Paul’s background in mechanical engineering had no relationship to beverages, he’s worked on yachts and for large manufacturing companies. He says even though he didn’t know much before he started out, his background in engineering gave him other helpful skills.

“Understanding project management as well as how to design and create a product have been really crucial,” he says.

“I knew early on that what I needed to do was make sure that the product filled a gap and addressed alcohol-free consumers’ needs that were not being met by other products on the market.”

Paul funded himself into his business alongside the backing of family and friends. He started out selling the Elta Ego non-alcoholic cocktail range at farmers markets over Auckland, where he found it was a great way to get instant feedback and learn more about customer preferences.

“To help work out what health-conscious consumers wanted in a non-alcoholic cocktail, I also headed down to Auckland’s Viaduct over several weekends to talk to patrons on a night out, asking them what they were drinking and what flavours they liked, what they wanted out of a non-alcoholic drink,” he says.

“What I wanted to achieve was creating a drink that tasted, looked and felt like customers were drinking a classy cocktail but that didn't have the same downsides that can come with drinking alcohol.”

A big turning point for Paul was connecting with Foodstuffs North Island Emerging Supplier Manager Rachel Prenty, where through their Foodstuffs Emerge programme, he learnt the fundamentals of selling at the supermarket and was supported to launch Elta Ego in initially around 11 New World stores in the North Island.

“That was a game-changer for us, and from there we were able to ramp up production and expand into other Foodstuffs stores like PAK’nSAVE and Four Square and we’re now in over 35 Foodstuffs supermarkets and grocery stores throughout the North Island.”

According to Rachel, Paul understands the importance of relationships which is why the partnership with Elta Ego has been such a success.

“Paul is incredibly visible, he’s often in store talking with customers, giving tastings and listening to feedback. He’s also got a solid marketing campaign that drives customers to our stores,” she says.

“There’s not just one route to getting a product to market you need the whole marketing mix. Whether that’s at the supermarket, in traditional media or through social media.

“Just being present in lots of different spaces means that customers have multiple touchpoints with your brand, even before they come across you on supermarket shelves, which is one of the reasons he’s done so well in such a short space of time.”

Elta Ego currently has four flavours of non-alcoholic cocktails, Passionfruit Margarita, Mojito, Negroni and a Raspberry and Yuzu infused Gin and Tonic, with plans to expand the range to include three new flavours in 2024.

Paul has also partnered with Massey University MBA programme Free Brains, who have helped him research which market Elta Ego should expand to next.