This week we caught up with Ellie Web, Founder of Caleño to talk about bringing joy to not drinking, how Caleño first came about and much more!

Can you tell us a little about Caleño and how it stands apart from other non-alcoholic brands?

Caleño is a range of non-alcoholic tropical spirits with a mission to “bring joy to not drinking.” The range comes in two delicious flavours; Light & Zesty, which is a great gin alternative, and Dark & Spicy, a delicious rum alternative, and is available in national retailers including Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, M&S and Ocado. We have also just launched a podcast – ‘The Joyful Drinker”, exploring the myths and stigma around our drinking habits. 

Where did the idea to create Caleño come from?

The idea came to me while I was out with friends during Dry Jan a few years ago and I wanted to have fun even though I wasn’t drinking alcohol, but I found the non-alcoholic options available to me that evening so uninspiring! I worked on my idea for two years alongside my day job, experimenting in my kitchen with different tropical botanicals and travelling to my mum’s homeland of Colombia for inspiration, before I decided to launch my brand. It was scary but also really exciting! I knew this was the right thing for me to do.  

We love how colourful and playful the brand is, where did this idea come from?

From the very beginning, I knew I wanted this drink to be different, but always fun, colourful and vibrant. I even sketched out a bottle once which was all of those things. I guess that was just my way of thinking, and then when I went back to Colombia, after having not visited for a while, I fell in love with the country again, and everything became so much clearer. I had to inject lots of colour and vibrancy into the bottle and I needed to find some unique tropical flavours to help make Caleño one of a kind. 

Is there anything exciting you are currently working on?

There is so much more I want to do. Further develop the Caleño brand of course and also become an advocate for balanced drinking, which is why I’m launching my “Joyful Drinker” podcast this March, where I’ll be interviewing various guests and experts to help and inspire people to take a balanced approach to drinking. I don’t advocate total sobriety, because I’m the first to enjoy a nice alcoholic cocktail while on a night out with friends, but I do believe there can be huge societal pressure to drink alcohol and for me it’s all about having choices and making the right decisions for you. So this is something I’m keen to focus on. 

Best piece of advice you have been given?

I have a mentor who gives me great advice, including ‘fail fast, learn from it quickly and move on’. I think it’s important that you’re not afraid of failure; things will go wrong, they always do, and you learn from them, which makes you stronger and better at what you do. Remember, it’s not the end of the world. I was always hugely inspired by podcasts, especially shows that interviewed entrepreneurs. Hearing those real-life stories of everyday people who had started something and made it grow into a fully-fledged company is always massively inspiring.  

If you had a free day in London to do what you want, where would you go?

I’d start the morning along the Kings Road, for breakfast and coffee at the Bluebird Chelsea, then I’d hop over to The Prince for an early afternoon Caleño Cocktail, then head to Jungle Rumble (In Putney) with some friends for a bit of crazy golf. We’d then finish the evening with some Mediterranean goodness at Megan’s who also serve delicious Caleño cocktails!

Website: https://calenodrinks.com

Photography courtesy of Caleño