The numbers are in. And we’ve covered this in depth. Americans are drinking less than they have in the past, and 29-year-old Cale Bollman is one of them.
He, like many others, isn’t completely sober. Instead, he says he’s more mindful about his habits—sometimes imbibing, sometimes not. “I still love beer; I love cocktails and stuff like that,” he explains. But he found that when he didn’t have a drink in his hand, he faced questions and judgment from those around him. He looked at the current non-alcoholic drinks landscape, and while he found options, he felt there was another aspect missing that falls somewhere between zero alcohol and the full-strength stuff.
That’s why he built Nunya this year, a San Diego-based low- and no-alcohol brand with products ranging from zero to four percent ABV. The name is a play on “none of your business,” which Bollman says he found himself saying repeatedly during sobriety. “What we wanted to do was provide a beverage and a range of drinks for anyone,” he explains. “Whether you drink, you don’t drink, or you’re in between, you can do it in a way that limits any sort of judgment.”
I have to agree with Bollman here. I’m a longtime craft beer fan and have found myself leaning more toward products in the five percent range or below much more often than I did in my twenties or early thirties—when I could see them. The divide between non-alcoholic beer and anything less than seven percent ABV feels ripe for product development, and he says since launching, his two percent products are the first to go at his pop-ups.
Nunya zero-proof sparkling water products are currently available in small retailers around La Jolla, with distribution out of Pacific Beach. Two- and four-percent ABV products include flavors like blood orange mango, strawberry lemon, and watermelon, and they will roll out later this month during the full brand launch.
With San Diego’s predilection toward health and wellness and the cultural shift away from alcohol consumption, Bollman says he thinks San Diego could become a hub for the sort-of sober movement. He wants to be at the forefront. “I like to dream big,” he says, adding that he’d love to have tasting room (or rooms) starting in San Diego and Los Angeles, then hopefully expanding to places like San Francisco, the Southeast, New York, and more.
But as he begins his endeavor, he mostly wants people to remember one thing: “In San Diego… [people] just really go for it. They just live life the way that they want to… so whatever you’re doing professionally, if you’re an entrepreneur, a chef, an artist, a creative, or you’re just being yourself, that’s really all that matters. Just drink whatever you want, too.”
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Rising Sun Collective Ascends in North Park
North Park’s newest collective has risen at 3914 30th Street. Rising Sun Collective contains spaces for Salt & Butter Japanese Bakery by Okayama Kobo, Embolden Beer Company and New Motion Beverages, Matcha Cafe Maiko, Sipz Vegetarian Kitchen, and a collaboration-within-collaboration with Shogun, a line of Japanese-inspired beers from Embolden and Matcha Cafe Maiko. The space is open Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Shogun’s launch party will be on Sunday, December 15, at Embolden’s tasting room at 8655 Production Avenue, Suite A in Miramar, from noon to 6 p.m.
Beth’s Bites
- Stop me if you’ve heard this one before—in Japan, for Christmas, apparently, it’s been a tradition since the 1970s to serve KFC and strawberry shortcake. I’m not knocking it (this sounds great), and Matsu in Oceanside is running with it during their Fried Chicken Christmas dinner on Monday, December 23. $135 gets you six courses with sake pairings, and reservations are available here.
- Collaborations keep popping up everywhere—did I call it, or did I call it? The next one to hit North Park combines two super duper vegan powers into one when Donna Jean and Evolution Fast Food join forces in February 2025 at 2611 El Cajon Boulevard.
- Is it me, or does eating out right now feel wildly expensive? I know food and drink costs are up, but 2024 has definitely taken a chunk out of my wallet. Still, a couple of sub-hundred-dollar dinners are coming up, including La Clochette’s three-course prix fixe dinner on Monday, December 23. Tickets cost $60 a seat. Reservations available by calling (858) 412-5558 or reserving in-person.
- Barring any unforeseen issues, The Taco Stand is slated to open its sixth San Diego location in Oceanside on Monday, January 13, at 1,722 South Coast Highway. Owner Julian Hakim promises an outdoor patio, plenty of parking, and lots of tacos. “We’re excited about this one,” he says. “Oceanside has come a long way!”
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