ENTREPRENEURS: Johannes le Roux and Inus Smuts — hangover-free G&T
An alcohol-free gin and tonic — developed by two local entrepreneurs — sounds like the ideal accompaniment to a business lunch
South Africans may be very fond of alcohol, but this hasn’t stopped entrepreneurs from looking for alternatives. Enter The Duchess, a brand that is described as the world’s first nonalcoholic and sugar-free gin and tonic (G&T). The SA-crafted drink has sold 500,000 bottles in the less than two years since it was created. Distilled by Johannes le Roux and Inus Smuts, the beverage is produced in Cape Town and is available in stores such as Makro, Spar and Pick n Pay. But it was online retailer Yuppiechef that gave The Duchess its first retail platform, in late 2016. According to Le Roux, he had the idea after his visit to Amsterdam during the summer of 2016, when he noticed the popularity of gin all over the city. "I also noticed that globally people are more health-conscious (specifically the war on sugar) which made me ask: can I create a beverage that speaks to both these challenges and opportunities?" By crafting a nonalcoholic G&T, he was able to reach gin connoisseurs, while als...
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