What happens when you turn a century-old Pentecostal church into a print shop covered in swear words, then open Atlantic Canada's first dedicated alcohol-free bar? You get Jay Hiltz.

In this episode of On the Wagon, host Zachary sits down with Jay Hiltz, owner of Soberish Mocktail Shop and founder of Nor'easter Apparel, to talk about building a non-alcoholic drinks business in one of Canada's biggest drinking cultures.

Jay opens up about leaving the Maritimes for Montreal, why he moved back to rural Nova Scotia, and how a t-shirt shop in Chester turned into Soberish, a full bar experience with bartenders, a revolving cocktail menu, and zero alcohol. He shares the moment he realized Halifax needed more non-alcoholic options than anywhere else east of Montreal, the surprising size of the alcohol-free community that showed up on day one, and the customer stories that changed how he thinks about sobriety, social pressure, and why people really give up drinking.

This conversation goes deep on the emotional side of the mocktail and non-alcoholic beverage industry: the woman who burst into tears trying to build her first mocktail, the customers who whisper about peer pressure at fifty years old, and the servers who lose tips when restaurants skip mocktails on the menu. Jay and Zachary also dig into flavour science — how alcohol-free spirits behave differently than the real thing, why balsamic vinegar and feta cheese belong in a dirty martini, and how creativity from Asian grocery stores and local vinegar makers shapes the Soberish cocktail menu.

Beyond drinks, Jay talks about Nor'easter Apparel, his Maritime slang and swear-word t-shirt and kitchen towel line, and the surprising folkloric research behind phrases like "shenanigans" and "freak sakes." He also shares the story of literally running his print shop out of the Pentecostal church his great-grandparents built over a hundred years ago — and what it means to be the caretaker of that legacy while selling merchandise with a wink and an edge.

Listeners will also hear about the influence of Zita Cobb and Fogo Island Resort on Jay's approach to building local economies, his thoughts on franchising, competing with grocery store non-alcoholic products, and where he sees the sober curious and alcohol-free movement heading in Canada over the next few years.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Building Canada's non-alcoholic drinks industry from a small town in Nova Scotia
• Why Halifax has the only dedicated alcohol-free bars in Atlantic Canada
• The emotional and social reasons people go sober, soberish, or alcohol-free
• Navigating peer pressure, social anxiety, and sober curious culture at any age
• Crafting non-alcoholic cocktails: alcohol-free spirits, bitters, vinegars, and unusual flavour pairings
• Nor'easter Apparel and the folklore behind Maritime slang and swear-word merchandise
• Running a business out of a hundred-year-old church built by his great-grandparents
• Zita Cobb, Fogo Island, and building a business model rooted in local community
• Competing with big brands and grocery stores as the non-alc market grows
• Family, legacy, and what it means to build something that outlasts you

Whether you're sober curious, mindfully drinking, moderating alcohol, or just curious about the fastest-growing category in the beverage industry, this episode offers an honest, funny, and surprisingly emotional look at what it takes to build a non-alcoholic drinks business in Canada.

Connect with Jay Hiltz: Soberish Mocktail Shop (Chester & Halifax, NS) and Nor'easter Apparel.

Soberish website: https://noreasterapparel.com/pages/soberish

Soberish Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soberishmocktailshoppe/

On the Wagon is a podcast about building community and connection in the non-alcoholic drinks movement in Canada.

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