By Jerry Rhoden for Wausau Pilot & Review
Water: the healthy choice; the elixir of life. But if Paul Yanzer had one more cup of it, he was going to be ill.
For a guy who’d given up drinking socially, he found his options limited to water and mocktails, which seeded the idea for what would become Forward Beverage Co. in downtown Wausau.
Last September, Paul and his wife, Amy Yanzer, opened their non-alcoholic beverage shop at 303 N. 3rd St., one door from the mall site, in the former Sweet Lola’s Cupcakery. The Yanzers have refashioned the place into a lounge, with comfortable furnishings that beg one to stay, and with locally created artwork on the walls – all for sale – for guests to gaze upon while visiting with one another.
But the Yanzers’ vision has already spread well beyond the bricks and mortar.
“We want to be wholesalers,” Amy Yanzer said. “People are excited about a local product.”
Forward has grown to 27 accounts, which stock their canned products, which entails soft cocktails and social seltzers. As non-alcoholic variations on beverages classic and new, the two straints are the same product except that the latter include infusions of hemp extract and ashwagandha.
Paul Yanzer worked in the brewing industry with Octopi Brewing in Waunakee. But early and long days of beer tasting, as part of his lab/quality control role, took a toll. So he turned away from all of it.
“He was drinking water on our anniversary at dinner,” Amy Yanzer said. “And he’s not a NA (non-alcoholic) beer drinker or a mocktail drinker.”
So that’s when their mental wheels starting turning. It was really a continuation of some thoughts that Paul Yanzer had about incorporating his knowledge of brewing and of industrial applications of hemp. A job that showed some promise of that innovation was what drew the Yanzers to Wausau from Madison in 2022, but that initial vision faded as his employers went in a different direction.
So, since “Forward” was the direction the Yanzers wanted to take their business idea, it became the name of their new venture. And with his background as a chemist and innovator of beverages and styles, a new thing was brewing.
“Paul owned a supplement company at one time that focused on helping athletes recover and sleep better,” Amy Yanzer said. “We use extracts, they’re odorless and colorless, and the standard amounts use reduced or no sugar.”
Forward developed a line of drinks such as the Citrosa, styled after the mimosa, and the In-Fashioned, an NA version of Wisconsin’s state drink, the Old Fashioned.
Inclusion of ingredients such as CBD and ashwagandha has raised questions among curious visitors.
“It’s a root extract, also called Winter Ginseng, grown in India,” Amy Yanzer explained. “It’s an adaptogen, which means basically it has the opposite effect of caffeine and alcohol, in that you need less of it to feel the effects.”
Studies show a long list of benefits to ashwagandha; relieving stress, lowering blood sugar, increasing muscle mass, improving sexual health in women and men, sharpening mental focus, and even supporting heart health.
Any Forward drinks containing CBD are well below federal caps on the amounts allowed in food or beverage. The 2018 federal Farm Bill, Paul Yanzer explained, allows for up to 0.3% of THC, while nothing at Forward exceeds 0.006%. Though the Farm Bill is set for review this year, he isn’t worried about the amounts forcing a change for Forward.
“We’re so far below the legal limits,” he said. “And I’d be surprised if it went away completely.”
And while “Forward” is also the state motto, the Yanzers already have eyes well beyond the state borders.
“I knew from my old job that we could start small and then scale up,” he said, adding that they can carbonate and bottle products in-house but that they work with a partner in Waupaca for Forward’s canned beverages.
When searching for bottling/canning partners who could help Forward’s growth, finding trusted partners is tricky, he said. “I don’t know how much of my recipes I want out there.”
As the Yanzers pick up accounts, they’re finding more takers for those seeking alternatives from alcohol.
“Right now it’s our social seltzers,” he said. “We can hardly keep them in stock. But I’ve got a lot of recipes in the pipeline, and we have a lot of soft cocktails without hemp, like OJ with lime and electrolytes.”
The Yanzers pointed to the boom in wedding barns as one avenue they’re exploring. As many have been redefined to need liquor licenses, the Yanzers aim to be right there to offer an alternative to alcohol.
“We can serve a totally underserved market,” he said. “People who don’t drink at weddings.”
