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NOCA Beverages Finds Clear Niche

Published Tuesday Feb 25, 2020

Author Matthew J. Mowry


From left: Alex Febonio, Richard Roy and Galen Hand. Photo by Matthew J. Mowry.


When college friends get together, they’ll often dream about doing something epic together, such as starting a business.

But that’s usually as far as the discussion goes. The sun comes up and graduation takes everyone in different directions.

Not so for three graduates of the University of NH’s Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics. While Alex Febonio, Galen Hand and Richard Roy did end up in different states working in finance jobs after graduation, they kept in touch, batting around ideas for their dream business.

“The three of us always had an itch for something more entrepreneurial,” Roy says. Then Hand proposed cashing in on the flavored water craze and the popularity of hard seltzers. He suggested introducing a non-carbonated water with alcohol. “Think spiked seltzer without the bubbles,” Roy says.

Within six months, all three had quit their finance jobs to launch NOCA Beverages in May 2019. The rollout of their 95-calorie, cold-brewed alcoholic beverage, included placement in about 600 stores in NH and Massachusetts. The beverage comes in three flavors, Watermelon Lime, Dragon Fruit Mango and Triple Berry. Flavors were developed with assistance from a beverage development firm. While the business is headquartered in NH, NOCA, which stands for No Carbonation, is packaged out of state.

Hand says the “beyond beer” category of beverages is skyrocketing and NOCA’s unique spin is winning shelf space. “This is a new product in a segment that is growing quickly,” he notes.

The company’s marketing focuses on the beverages as low calorie, without artificial ingredients. “We wanted a drink that was natural and organic,” Febonio says.

The trio credits their connections at their alma mater to successfully getting the company off the ground. “We have leveraged everything, from classes and groups at UNH helping us conduct market studies that better gauge the viability of the product to tapping into the alumni network where we have received a tremendous amount of support and strategic advice,” Roy says. Ninety percent of their startup funds stem from NH sources and about 30% are through the UNH
alumni network.

NOCA produced 4,000 cases in its first run and sold out within six weeks. The second production run was twice the size.

“We’d love to build a super-regional brand,” Galen says. Adds Roy, “This is our baby. We want to see it grow. We’re enjoying the momentum.”

For more information, visit drinknoca.com.

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