Non: the anti-minimalist minimalist
The branding is clear, simple, restrained.... but don't be fooled – behind the scenes it's complicated.
Non founder Aaron Trotman approaches taste through a chef’s lens: fruit, tannin, salinity, acidity, and balance.
Every single bottle of Non has to tick all of these boxes, whether that’s by roasting pears until the natural sugars caramelize and adding in olive brine, or by spending 48 hours dehydrating oranges and mixing them with gourmet salt.
Aaron is straightforward about all of this: “It’s important to get the flavor to unlock,” he says, “because it’s not a juice ... I want you to taste everything that’s on the front of the label: the raspberry, the chamomile, the acid from the verjus, the saltiness, the sugar. They have to have those things, but in a unique way.
“We’re doing the extra work, and I think it goes noticed,” he adds. “It’s something that we care about, and something we’re proud to talk about.”
Non isn’t a wine replacement - it wants to build a category of its very own by being absolutely uncompromising about ingredients and process.
Jar people, just a bit
Our conversation with Aaron focused a lot on flavor, and how anything competing with wine or other alcohol has to be offer layers of taste. One of those layers, according to him, needs to feel just a little bit off.
There’s a famous (and likely apocryphal) quote from French perfumer Jacques Guerlain that — and we paraphrase — says perfumes need a scent of something unexpected and maybe not entirely pleasant. In a similar vein of thought, Aaron says he likes to experiment with throwing in surprising ingredients.
“It’s important to be jarring and thought-provoking,” he explains. “It’s not too hard to get the base, but it’s what makes it special that’s the hard part.”
Tasting expensive means looking expensive
Process and ingredients is such a driving force for Non, and that focus has landed them partnerships with some of the best restaurants in the world. But we shouldn’t underestimate the work that Non’s brand is doing.
Aaron says he knew, from the get-go, that he wanted to channel the highest-level brands out there: Byredo, Aesop, Gentle Monster.
He commissioned design studio The Company You Keep to create a super-minimal brand world: a white label, some Helvetica, and space for the liquid to shine. “The idea is that the color of the drink always pops,” he says. “It’s the star of the show.”
Not just the work, but the agency partnership has been a pivotal part of Non’s growth. Aaron says founders are often distracted by a studio’s credentials, and focus too much on past projects – when they’d be better spending time finding the right person.
“They have to be an extension of you. They’re there to pull the ideas out of your head.”
Start as you mean to go on
Non is now served at restaurants in the USA, the UK, Japan, Australia and Korea. And that’s not by accident. Their first account was The Fat Duck – a three Michelin-starred restaurant in England – and their goal from the beginning was to work at this level.
“It’s about being really careful about where you go and how you do it and not rushing it,” he says. “If you can get these things right, you can build a really good business, and a really good brand in the best places.”
THE NEW RULES
Cutting corners will kill your brand
Yes, people notice, and yes it makes a difference.
Be a bit unexpected
Humans have a complex relationship with flavor. Sometimes it’s ok to throw them off – just a little.
Find your level and lean into it
Want to be stocked in the best places? Build for that.
The New Rules is a labor of love by nihilo.agency
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