The power button symbol in Offline Cocktails’ logo nudges consumers to step away from their screens and instead, spend quality time with family and friends.

That’s the message Matt and Jodi Schweiger want to convey with their startup, a $4.5 million canned cocktail and mocktail business they are launching in Adel this year. The company will be located in a new production facility at 306 Visions Parkway on Adel’s west side. A prefabricated metal building planned on the 4.5-acre site is expected to be erected this spring and summer with manufacturing of the canned beverages beginning in September.

“For us, being ‘offline’ means being able to disconnect from the phones and the computers and enjoying a great canned cocktail or mocktail and actually being present with our family and friends,” Jodi Schweiger said. “That’s who Matt and I are, and we want our brand to reflect that.”

The Schweigers’ move into the U.S. beverage manufacturing industry comes at a time when ready-to-drink cocktails and mocktails are evolving from a niche convenience item to one of the market’s fastest growing segments. Health-conscious consumers, particularly those under 35, want portable beverages made with natural flavors and include non-alcoholic options.

Industry analysts say the increased availability of canned beverages, the ability to distribute the products in grocery and convenience stores, and shifting social habits, including moderation in alcohol consumption and at-home entertaining, are the key drivers behind the surge in ready-to-drink beverages.  

“They are definitely catering to some market segments that are starting to increase,” said Rachel Wacker, the Greater Dallas County Development Alliance’s executive director. “People are interested in finding unique alternatives to some of the more streamlined or familiar beverages that are out there. … They are getting a foothold in the market at the right time.”

Alcohol consumption declining

Offline Cocktails is being launched during a time when alcohol consumption in the U.S. is at an all-time low, a trend the Adel couple readily acknowledge.

“The alcoholic beverage market has taken a huge hit the past year and a half with the exception of two categories: ready-to-drink beverages and non-alcoholic” drinks, Matt Schweiger said. “Younger generations are drinking less and less.”

In 2025, 54% of Americans reported drinking alcohol, the lowest level in the past 86 years, according to Gallup’s annual Consumption Habits Survey. The decline coincides with recent research indicating that any level of alcohol consumption could have a negative effect on a person’s health, according to a Gallup newsletter.

The drop in alcohol consumption is most pronounced among young adults, with the decline accelerating in recent years, Gallup reports. In 2023, 59% of people between 18 and 34 reported drinking alcohol; in 2025, that had fallen to 50%.

When people now in their mid-40s and older first began drinking alcoholic beverages, they tended to gravitate to inexpensive products typically found on retailers’ bottom shelves, Matt Schweiger said.

“Now people are looking to drink quality-made beverages, they just aren’t drinking as much of it,” he said. “That’s the way [Jodi and I] are. We love having a good cocktail. But not everyone has the time to make a good cocktail. They have to get dinner ready. They are going to their kids’ sporting or other events. … That’s part of the reason why we’re seeing canned cocktails and ready-to-drink seltzers become such a big thing.

“You can take it on the go. You can fit it into any occasion. And it’s easy.”

Beverages with healthy ingredients

The Schweigers are also cognizant of another trend: Consumers, particularly younger adults, want beverage options that include healthy ingredients.

San Francisco-based market research and consulting firm Grand View Research recently estimated that by 2030 the canned alcoholic beverage market in the U.S. will reach $59.37 billion, a significant jump from 2022’s market size of $14.62 billion. The mocktail market is also expected to grow, reaching $12.15 billion in 2030, up from $8.26 billion in 2023, the firm reported.

An increasing focus on health and wellness is sparking growth in both canned cocktails and mocktails, the firm said in its report. The desire for healthier beverage options is prompting an increase in low-sugar, low-calorie unique flavor varieties of cocktails and mocktails made with high-quality ingredients.  

Many of the current ready-to-drink seltzers, cocktails and mocktails are produced by companies whose main products are wine, beer or hard liquors. E. & J. Gallo Winery, for instance, also produces High Noon hard seltzers; Anheuser-Busch InBev makes Cutwater Spirits, a highly awarded canned cocktail brand; Molson Coors Beverage Co. has added Happy Thursday, a non-carbonated spiked beverage to its product lineup.

“The focus of those companies has to be on their main product – beer, wine, whatever,” said Matt Schweiger, whose company in March was awarded $121,162 in tax credits through Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Business Incentives for Growth program.

“I don’t think there’s a ton of companies out there that are focused on their own brand of cocktails or mocktails,” he said. “Those are secondary items for them. For us, Offline is our main brand. [Consumers will] be able to resonate with it; know where it’s made and how it’s made.”

Over two decades of experience

For several years, Matt and Jodi Schweiger, both 46, contemplated starting their own business but were uncertain on what it would be. About 20 months ago, they settled on the idea of producing cocktails and mocktails.

Matt Schweiger has been in the alcoholic beverage distribution and marketing business for more than 20 years including as national account manager in the Midwest for Boston Beer Co., the maker of Sam Adams beers; regional manager for Bacardi, a Caribbean rum company; and most recently as vice president of sales for Revelton Distilling Co., which opened in Osceola in December 2020.

“It was a natural fit for us to go down this path with all of Matt’s experience,” said Jodi, who will continue in her role as executive director of business development at the Iowa Clinic and Physicians Care Network.

The couple shared their tentative plans at a family gathering and received encouragement to move forward with developing a business plan and ensuring the idea was financially feasible.

“There are so many parts of starting up a company; I don’t think most people really, truly understand what it takes,” Jodi Schweiger said. “It’s not like ‘Oh, I have an idea and you start on it tomorrow.’ There’s significant planning that goes into it; a lot of getting the right people around the table to support you in helping make it happen.”

Matt Schweiger left Revelton in late December to concentrate on launching Offline Cocktails. He said there are similarities between how Revelton founders Rob and Christi Taylor operate their company and how he and Jodi want to run Offline.

“They started Revelton with a similar philosophy that the quality of your products begins with quality ingredients and having control of the production from start to finish,” he said. “That’s the way we want to do it – be in control of what goes into the can at all times.”

The quality of the ingredients used to produce Offline Cocktails is what will differentiate the company’s products from other ready-to-drink beverages, Schweiger said. “If we maintain a high-quality product, that’s what will set us apart from everyone else.”

Where to build Offline Cocktails

Once the Schweigers decided to start the company, they needed to determine where to build it. Initially, the company will distribute its products in the Midwest; the large distribution area includes numerous sites on which a facility could be built.

“They were looking at the Midwest region since that’s where they’ll be distributing to, at least to begin with,” said Wacker of Greater Dallas County Development Alliance. Landing the production facility in Adel and Dallas County “is a demonstration of our willingness to partner and be business-friendly to projects like this. I envision Dallas County being a more noticeable market for food and beverage production and distribution-type projects like this.”  

The couple looked at several locations before selecting the Visions Parkway site.

“Ultimately, we wanted to be in Adel,” Jodi Schweiger said. “We’ve raised our two sons here. We’re embedded in the community. Adel has a lot of growth potential and we want to shine some light on that.”

About 75% of the 10,000-square-foot building will be for manufacturing and warehousing. The remaining space will be used for offices, a lounge and a boardroom. The company expects to initially hire seven to eight employees.

Offline Cocktails’ initial release will include four to six cocktails and two to four mocktails. The couple said that they are still experimenting with different flavor combinations before deciding what the first products will be.

“We’re not going to release a product just to release a product,” Matt Schweiger said. “We both may like it but we also are relying on people whose palates are a little different than ours. Do they feel the same way? Is it quality from start to finish?

“And that’s the kicker. If it doesn’t hold up, we won’t come out with it.”

---

Building the blueprint before the business

Before seeking financing or choosing a site, Matt and Jodi Schweiger focused on building a detailed business plan — a strategic roadmap outlining what their company, Offline, would require to succeed. Business plans, which typically cover a three- to five-year span, map out goals, day-to-day operations and financial expectations.

Business plans usually include a market analysis examining industry trends, target customers and competitors, along with the company’s legal structure, marketing approach and financial projections. Beyond organization, the plans serve a practical purpose: helping secure funding, attract partners and keeping the business aligned with clear milestones.

It took the Schweigers nearly three months to complete the plan, which they had help with from a consultant with the Small Business Administration who provided some useful resources to get them started with a business plan template. 

“For us, it was important to make sure we were using the right format and layout as we were seeking SBA approval,” Jodi Schweiger said. “It was a lot of hard work, but we also had a lot of fun putting it together.”

Matt Schweiger said the couple’s shared enthusiasm for their ready-to-drink cocktail and mocktail business made the process of completing a plan easier. “Putting something together that you’re passionate about makes it a lot easier,” he said. “We both knew what we were getting into, and there was some enjoyment in building the plan.”

The exercise also uncovered costs they hadn’t initially considered, including security and fire suppression systems. It even led them to incorporate a Group H-3 room — a specialized space for storing high-proof, combustible alcohol — into their facility design. “That room will help keep everyone working in the building safe,” he said.

– Kathy A. Bolten