Jacki and Lyle are joined by the brilliant Karl Fielding. Karl is the Vice President MEA of Lyre’s Spirit Co., which rightly holds the title of being the producer of the finest range of non-alcoholic classic spirits the world has ever seen. Prior to his work with Lyre’s, he was the Trade Marketing Manager at William Grant & Sons/Jagermeister and the Group Category Director of ABI, and he has also previously held positions at Kellogg Company and the Heineken Company. Karl discusses his work at Lyre's and how he has always relished working with pubs and restaurants, and the people who work in the hospitality industry, particularly bartenders! He opens up about the challenges Lyre's has faced in introducing non-alcoholic drinks to the Middle Eastern market, with many of the countries Karl works in having never tasted the alcoholic versions of the spirits Lyre's are working with, meaning the non-alcoholic recipes many of the bartenders in these countries create are entirely new experiences for the consumer. Jacki and Karl discuss the importance of the consumer experience when it comes to drinking a non-alcoholic cocktail, with Karl pointing out that people who don't drink can often feel devalued relative to their alcohol-drinking peers when it comes to the calibre of drinks they are served. Lyle agrees that consumers of non-alcoholic drinks in pubs and restaurants would be prepared to pay prices that rival alcoholic cocktails if the taste, presentation and overall experienced matched that of the alcoholic equivalent, with Karl emphasising that this is very much part of the Lyre's message when it comes to the quality of the drinks they produce, the packaging the spirits arrive in, and the professionalism and skill of the bartenders who serve the drinks.

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For more information on the brilliant Lyre's Spirit Co., head to: https://lyres.ca/