Ep 27: Conscious Consumption: Choosing Alcohol-free & Planet-Friendly

In today's episode, host Anna Donaghey explores the world of conscious consumption with Anna Chalov, co-founder of Bemuse Drinks. They discuss the rising trend of honey for its health and sustainability benefits and dive into Bemuse's B- Corp certification and environmental commitments.

The two Anna’s shed light on the environmental impact of traditional winemaking, and highlight how honey-based drinks can positively affect biodiversity. And they cover the inspiring story of Bemuse's creation during the lockdown, with its mission to provide high-quality, planet-friendly, non-alcoholic options.

Join them as they extend the definition of ‘mindful drinking’ - to encapsulate being conscious not just of our alcohol consumption, but also whether our alcohol-free drinks are good for the health of the planet. It's an episode filled with insights on making sustainable and thoughtful choices in our drinking habits.

And Bemuse have kindly offered listeners a 20% discount on purchases through their website Bemuse Non Alcoholic Sparkling Mead – Bemuse Drinks-shop. Please purchase using discount code RETHINK20

Here are the highlights:

06:23 Experienced in new product development and marketing.

10:11 Honey trending due to health and sustainability.

11:06 B Corp certification rewards high social, environmental standards.

17:28 Mindful drinking and choices for a sustainable future.

19:59 Comparison of wine making and apiaries' impact.

23:54 Beekeeping is possible in various environments.

28:52 Innovative product fulfilling mindfulness in drink choices.

35:27 Highly praised product with numerous awards.

44:24 Admiring the vision and sustainability of the brand.

About the host Anna:

Anna is a certified Alcohol Mindset Coach, trained by Annie Grace of This Naked Mind. Drawing on her own journey out of alcohol addiction, she now helps others explore and control their drinking. With a career spanning 25 years as a Strategist in the Advertising industry, she combines her own lived experiences, with great insight into what makes us tick and what influences us to behave the way we do.

Connect with Anna:

Website: thebeliefscoach.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonaghey

Facebook: facebook.com/thebeliefscoach

Instagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethink

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk

About Anna Chalov:

After graduating from London Business School, Anna moved into the world of private banking, dealing with successful entrepreneurs and start-up businesses. Her business partner at Bemuse, Nataliya, has a passion for creating and developing new, exciting, and meaningful market innovations.

Together, they combined their business skills, passion for alcohol-free drinks and the natural world to develop Bemuse, curiously modern, effervescent honey wine that promotes both a  healthier lifestyle and encourages a balance of everyday life with nature. They wanted a new way of building businesses; one that is not only about profit, but which has ethical values that drive a sustainable and responsible operation. They believe that cities can be green and beautiful and that the countryside can be creative and inspiring, but that more sustainable ways of living and celebrating nature must be developed within the commercial landscape.

Bemuse is a proudly certified ‘Made in Britain’ and ‘Buy Women Built’ brand, and a B-Corp. Anna is one of the Top 10 Highly Commended 100 Female Entrepreneurs to Watch by Natwest and The Telegraph. 

Connect with Anna:

Instagram: @bemusedrinks

Facebook @bemusedrinks

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-chalov-108b97/

Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/74029372/admin/dashboard/

Mentioned in this episode:

To pre-order my book, What Are You Thirsty For on Amazon select here: https://amzn.eu/d/3v3T6Mq Or on Waterstones here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/what-are-you-thirsty-for/anna-donaghey/9781915780607