There are plenty of alcohol-free drinks on the market now. Some are designed to taste like wine, some like spirits, and others simply give you something interesting to pour into a nice glass.
Then there’s Kakadu Kitchen x OzHarvest Conscious Drink.
It’s lightly sparkling, fruit-forward and made with native Australian botanicals, but the interesting part isn’t just what’s in the bottle. It’s also the story behind it. Rescued blueberries, First Nations-owned suppliers, native ingredients and OzHarvest’s food relief work all come together in one drink.
So, what exactly is Conscious Drink, what does it taste like, and what makes it different from a standard alcohol-free sparkling wine? Let’s get into it.
So, what is Conscious Drink?
Conscious Drink is a 0% ABV, lightly sparkling alcohol-free drink created through a collaboration between OzHarvest Ventures, Indigenous-owned Kakadu Kitchen and ALTD Spirits.
It was launched in late 2023 as OzHarvest Ventures’ first product, with the idea of creating something that could be enjoyed at celebrations while also having a positive impact beyond the glass.
It isn't trying to be a traditional wine with the alcohol simply removed. Instead, it takes a different route, using rescued blueberries and Australian native botanicals to create its own flavour profile.
And honestly, that's part of what makes it interesting.
It starts with blueberries that were heading for waste
One of the most compelling things about Conscious Drink is where its main fruit ingredient comes from.
Around 1.4 million kilograms of blueberries were estimated to be heading to waste each harvesting season. Some of those excess blueberries, grown and picked by farmers in Coffs Harbour in northern NSW, were rescued and given a new purpose in Conscious Drink.
Instead of looking at surplus fruit as something that has missed its chance, the team behind Conscious Drink saw an opportunity.
The blueberries bring the fresh, juicy fruit character to the drink, while the native botanicals add another layer of flavour.
It's a pretty good reminder that "food rescue" doesn't always have to mean saving something at the very last minute. Sometimes, it's about finding a clever new use for perfectly good produce before it becomes waste.
What's actually in the bottle?
The blueberry is only part of the story.
Conscious Drink combines blueberry juice with native ingredients including:
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Lemongrass
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Pepperberry
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Saltbush
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Lemon tea tree
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Vanilla
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Verjus
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Native botanical extracts
The exact formulation also includes ingredients such as agave, vinegar, citric acid and natural flavours.
The native botanicals are sourced through Indigenous-owned businesses and suppliers, bringing ingredients that are distinctly Australian into a modern alcohol-free drink.
That combination is what gives Conscious Drink its personality. You get the fruitiness of blueberry first, followed by aromatic lemongrass, a gentle peppery warmth and the savoury, almost briny character of saltbush.
It's not simply sweet fruit in a bottle.
What does Conscious Drink taste like?
If you like your drinks fresh and not overly sweet, this one is worth a look.
The first thing you'll notice is the blueberry. It's bright and fruity without turning the drink into something that tastes like berry cordial.
Then come the botanicals.
Lemongrass brings a fresh, aromatic quality, while native pepperberry gives the finish a gentle warmth and spice. Saltbush adds a subtle savoury edge, with acidity helping to keep everything balanced. The drink is lightly carbonated, so there's a gentle fizz rather than an aggressive sparkle.
The result is refreshing, lightly sparkling and deliberately not too sweet.
In other words, it's the sort of bottle you can keep chilled and reach for when you want something a little more interesting than sparkling water, but don't want alcohol.
What makes it "conscious"?
This is where the name starts to make sense.
Conscious Drink was created around a bigger idea: that what we choose to buy and drink can have an impact beyond our own experience.
For every bottle sold, OzHarvest is able to deliver two meals to people in need. Every case of six also supports the planting of an edible native seedling in the Northern Territory.
The project also supports Indigenous businesses and native food supply chains, while the bottle's artwork was created by emerging Bininj artist Trentin Rasmussen. The design features a bird eating a blueberry, surrounded by patterns inspired by the Kakadu and West Arnhem Land region.
So there are several layers to the product: reducing food waste, creating opportunities for Indigenous businesses, celebrating Australian native ingredients and helping provide meals through OzHarvest.
That's a lot of purpose packed into one 750ml bottle.
Who is behind it?
Conscious Drink brings together three different areas of expertise.
OzHarvest Ventures is the social enterprise arm of OzHarvest, created to develop business ideas that can generate positive environmental and social outcomes.
Kakadu Kitchen, founded by Bininj man Ben Tyler, brings Indigenous knowledge, native Australian ingredients and a strong connection to Country to the collaboration. Tyler grew up around Kakadu and West Arnhem Land and developed his passion for native foods through his family and community.
Then there's ALTD Spirits, with founder Tim Triggs involved in developing the drink itself.
It's a collaboration that makes sense because everyone brings something different to the table.
Is Conscious Drink actually alcohol-free?
Yes.
Conscious Drink is 0% ABV, making it an alcohol-free option for people who don't want alcohol but still enjoy the experience of opening a bottle, pouring a drink and joining in a toast. It's also vegan-friendly.
And that's an important distinction.
You don't need to save it for a "no alcohol" occasion. It can simply be another option on the table.
Think Sunday lunch. A birthday. A dinner party. A picnic. A baby shower. A long afternoon with friends. Or just one of those evenings when you fancy something cold and sparkling.
How should you serve it?
Keep it simple.
Serve Conscious Drink well chilled.
Pour it into a wine glass or flute and, if you want to dress it up, add a slice of citrus. You can also serve it over ice.
The fresh fruit and botanical flavours make it particularly suited to lighter foods, fresh salads, cheese boards, seafood and other dishes where you don't want a heavy drink competing with the food.
It's also an easy option to put on the table alongside wine and cocktails so everyone has something they actually want to drink.
It's already been poured at some pretty well-known places
Conscious Drink isn't just a product designed for the supermarket shelf.
It has been poured at venues including the Sydney Opera House, Adelaide Oval, Rockpool Bar & Grill, Ester and Entrecôte, among others across Australia.
It was also recognised at the 2024 Hive Awards, winning the GameChanger Award from Food & Drink Business for its approach to innovation and future food systems.
That's a pretty good indication that alcohol-free drinks are moving well beyond being an afterthought.
Is it a wine alternative?
Yes, but perhaps not in the way you'd expect.
Conscious Drink is positioned as a sparkling wine alternative, but it doesn't try to copy wine note for note.
Instead, it has its own identity.
There's blueberry rather than grape, native botanicals rather than traditional wine aromas, and a gentle fizz rather than the structure you'd expect from a bottle of sparkling wine.
And that's arguably the point.
You don't always need an alcohol-free drink to imitate something else. Sometimes it's better when it simply tastes good on its own terms.
The bigger idea behind the bottle
What we like about Conscious Drink is that the story isn't an afterthought.
The rescued blueberries are part of the drink. The native botanicals aren't there just to make the ingredient list sound interesting. The collaboration with Indigenous-owned businesses is part of how the product came to life. And the purchase has a tangible connection to OzHarvest's work helping people in need.
So when you pour a glass, you're getting more than a lightly sparkling blueberry drink.
You're getting a product built around a fairly simple idea: make something delicious, make better use of what already exists, and make the purchase count for something.
And perhaps that's what makes Conscious Drink worth knowing about.
Not because it's trying to tell you what you should drink, but because it gives you another way to raise a glass.
Good ingredients. A good story. And a little more purpose behind the pour.
Where to buy Conscious Drink
If you’re curious to try it for yourself, you can buy Kakadu Kitchen x OzHarvest Conscious Drink from Sans Drinks.
Shop Kakadu Kitchen x OzHarvest Conscious Drink at Sans Drinks
It’s a lovely option to keep chilled for celebrations, long lunches, dinner with friends or simply those evenings when you want something a little more special without the alcohol.
