March 25, 2025

Crafting Success without Alcohol: From Harvard MBA to Non-Alcoholic Cocktails, Meet Vanessa Royle

27 minutes

Vanessa Royle never planned to launch a non-alcoholic beverage company. But when she quit drinking during the pandemic lockdown of 2020, something unexpected happened – she felt dramatically better. As she prepared to start her MBA at Harvard Business School, she made a pivotal decision to stay sober, creating an opportunity to reintroduce herself without the drinking habits of her past.

What followed was a rude awakening. At prestigious networking events, Royal found herself clutching Diet Coke while fielding uncomfortable questions about her sobriety. The sophisticated social drinking world offered nothing comparable for non-drinkers. This frustration sparked a mission to create something better, leading her to connect with Mariah, a lifelong non-drinker with hospitality expertise who became her co-founder in launching Tilden.

Their approach was meticulous and thoughtful. Rather than mimicking existing cocktails, they developed bespoke non-alcoholic creations through hundreds of iterations, using dinner parties with scorecards to perfect their recipes. The result? Tandem and Lacewing – complex, sophisticated beverages explicitly designed for the non-drinker's palate.

What makes Tilden truly revolutionary is their consideration of why people don't drink. They deliberately avoid mind-altering ingredients and potentially problematic compounds like grapefruit (which interacts with medications). This inclusivity extends to pregnant women, those on SSRIs, and anyone seeking a sophisticated drinking experience without alcohol's effects.

The timing couldn't be better. Non-alcoholic beverage sales are soaring (up 30% year-over-year), while traditional alcohol sales are declining. More importantly, attitudes are shifting dramatically. Where once 80% of people questioned non-alcoholic drinks, today that skepticism has shrunk to just 20%, with most consumers enthusiastically embracing these options.

Ready to experience sophisticated non-alcoholic cocktails that stand on their merit? Visit DrinkTilden.com code MOCKTAILMOM for 20% off, or find their products on Amazon to discover what thoughtful, alcohol-free indulgence truly means. Follow Tilden on Instagram @DrinkTilden

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