11.26.25

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A message from business editor Eric Schmid

We’re getting into the prime season of celebratory gatherings, you know the ones: where people get dressed up and schmooze and alcohol flows freely. A few years ago, when talking to organizers of such an event, I proposed they include at least one suggested non-alcoholic drink at the bar. At the event, I actually overheard someone in front of me exclaim, “I can’t believe they thought of me!” when they saw the NA option.

Today’s lead story expands on that theme with a look at the St. Louis startup that aims to lead the way when it comes to non-alcoholic spirits and cocktails. We also explore home sale trends in St. Louis, a court case between a recycler and Ameren, and illegal marijuana posing as hemp.

Have feedback about this newsletter or story ideas for future editions? Do you know of any networking events we can share? Please don’t hesitate to drop me a line.

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ARCH EATS PODCAST

From Café Natasha to The Gin Room

Mother-daughter duo Hamishe and Natasha Bahrami open up about the legacy of Café Natasha and their bond beyond the kitchen. Tune in on YouTube and Spotify »

BARE Zero Proof Spirits' lineup of non-alcoholic products. Photography courtesy of BARE Zero Proof Spirits

DEEP DIVE

BARE Zero Proof looks to lead the non-alcoholic spirits category from its base in St. Louis

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James Kempland saw the writing on the wall all the way back in 2017: Alcohol consumption among younger people was on the decline. At the time, Kempland was the director of marketing for Angel’s Envy, a Kentucky Straight Bourbon owned by Bacardi.

The clues of this impending drinking drop off started popping up in the market research that Kempland follows closely given his background in strategic marketing. He launched BARE Zero Proof Spirits in 2018 in response to where the market was signaling it was going—and to create the products that didn’t yet exist.

He recalls doing Dry January in 2018 and buying non-alcoholic beer. “And there were some non-alcoholic wines,” he recalls. “The non-alcoholic spirits category didn't exist.”

Why It Matters: As it turns out, creating a non-alcoholic spirit is a tricky bit of food chemistry, or rather beverage chemistry. Distilled alcohol is “an excellent flavor carrier,” Kempland says, meaning gin may pack a vibrancy with notes of juniper or chamomile, or bourbon can take on the flavor of the barrel it’s aged in.

It took four years for BARE Zero Proof to crack that code, with the breakthrough coming from hiring a team of expert bartenders who focused intently on non-alcoholic cocktails rather than their pure building blocks.

“Anybody that’s on the sober journey, whether they’re abstaining or they’re moderating, they’re going to consume those types of beverages in a cocktail,” Kempland says. “It doesn’t make any sense to do shots of non-alcoholic tequila, right?”

What’s Next: Since BARE Zero Proof launched its non-alcoholic tequila, gin, and bourbon products in St. Louis and Kansas City in 2022, the company has expanded from its “flagship market” of Missouri to Maryland, Maine, South Carolina, Georgia, Washington, Oregon, Arkansas, and Mississippi.

BARE Zero Proof won an Arch Grant this year, which will help to pay for an expansion of production and ongoing marketing amid the significant expansion it’s eyeing in 2026. Earlier this year the company signed an agreement with Southern Glazer Wine & Spirits, a national beverage alcohol distributor, to roll out its products to half the country next year. —Eric Schmid

Read the full story »

A MESSAGE FROM ST. LOUIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Beethoven’s Seventh: A musical feast of energy and spirit

Revel in Beethoven’s electrifying Seventh Symphony, the playful rhythms of Bartók, and Rachmaninoff’s sparkling Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini—a Thanksgiving weekend celebration for the senses.

Get Tickets »

Today's Top Stories

More apartments are coming to Central West End, this time at Boy Scouts building (stltoday): Developer Gray Hassenflu plans to replace the former Boy Scouts of America headquarters with 155 apartment units. Hassenflu says he does not plan to seek tax incentives for the project.
Festus moves forward on $1B data center project while Creve Coeur tightens regulations (St. Louis Business Journal): The Festus City Council voted unanimously to rezone 360 acres that CRG is seeking for a more than $1 billion data center project. Meanwhile, Creve Coeur is considering legislation that would change data center projects from a permitted use to one that needs a conditional-use permit.
Illegal marijuana has been sold as hemp across Missouri, industry report shows (Columbia Missourian): The Missouri Hemp Hoax Report from the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association claims hundreds of unregulated stores are selling potent marijuana products disguised as legal hemp. Researchers bought and tested products from smoke shops, CBD stores, gas stations and businesses marketing themselves as "dispensaries" even though they didn’t have a state license to operate as one.
September jobs report shows rise in those holding more than one job (Marketplace): The nearly two-month old report showed a gain of 119,000 jobs in the economy with those gains concentrated in health care and restaurants. A jump in the latter can indicate a sluggish economy where workers are trying to stitch things together with multiple jobs.

BRANDED CONTENT

Dogtown Pizza evolves with 3Gerards frozen pizza

Born from a local family tradition, Dogtown’s new brand brings authentic St. Louis pizza flavor to grocery store freezer aisles across the city. Read the story behind 3Gerards.

Recycler Republic Services is suing Ameren over breaks in power delivery. Photography by Ryan Krull

Watercooler

🏡 MORE HOMES ARE COMING OFF THE MARKET, JUST NOT IN ST. LOUIS

St. Louis’ real estate market continues to buck the national trends. According to a new report from Redfin, home sellers across the country are increasingly pulling their homes from the market, but not in the Gateway Region. Redfin compared the number of delistings that occurred in each September over the past 10 years, and between 2024 and 2025, the number of delistings in September jumped 28 percent nationally. The company says it chose September as the month to compare over different years because delistings are seasonal and tend to peak in the winter months for sellers who don’t get the offers they want. In St. Louis, though, the number of delistings in September 2025 was 12.4 percent lower than in September 2024. Overall Redfin finds about 15 percent of homes taken off the market nationally were at risk of selling at a loss and that people who purchased their homes most recently were most likely to pull them from the market. Maybe it’s not such a bad thing that St. Louis was passed over in the overheated housing boom that dominated during the height of the pandemic and reopening. —E.S.

🚛 REPUBLIC SERVICES SUES AMEREN OVER SPOTTY POWER

Trash company Republic Services is taking power company Ameren to court. Earlier this month, Republic Services filed a lawsuit alleging Ameren breached its duty to provide power services to a Hazelwood recycling plant. Republic claimed that for a little over a year starting in August 2022, the plant suffered “significant, ongoing electrical service issues” resulting in a backlog of unprocessed recyclables, which had to be routed to other facilities, some of which were outside of Missouri and owned by competitors. This led to "substantial" costs. Republic says in its lawsuit that after the company complained, some infrastructure repairs improved the situation, but the facility has still experienced power losses as recently as this past June. Republic is seeking an unspecified amount of damages. In a statement to the Business Journal about the suit, Ameren said that it “is committed to working with every customer to resolve concerns and ensure reliable service." —Ryan Krull