There was once a time when if you declined a drink, there was only one explanation – you’re pregnant. Nowadays (thankfully), the tide is turning, spurred by some pretty tasty alcohol-free sips with more and more Aussies reducing their alcohol consumption or binning the booze, for good. Sunnyboy Cellars is the handiwork of partners Ella Bryant and Bella Mayne, who also own Sunnyboy corner store and espresso bar in Evans Head, which stocks a curated range of essentials such as coffee and sourdough through to those little added niceties including flowers and handmade jams. After one of the couple’s pregnant friends lamented the lack of quality booze-free options in their beachside town, Ella and Bella decided to increase the inventory to include a couple of hand picked zero-alc options. When they sold out way faster than either of them were expecting, they knew they were onto something and Ella began to hyper-fixate on the idea of a booze-free bottle-o. “There are so many reasons why people are drinking less booze – pregnancy, anxiety, careers, allergies and well-being. The list is truly endless,” Ella said. “Everyone has their own reasons. The whole culture is changing, the alc-free industry is blowing up and it’s not necessarily about going sober. The cellar just offers good, solid options for everyone wanting to drink more mindfully or not at all.”
Fast-forward six short weeks and countless sips later and Ella and Bella have opened the doors to their quirky new outpost – Sunnyboy Cellars in Byron Bay. Nestled in the Byron Arcade, you’ll find Sunnyboy Cellars in a tiny nook under the stairs, which was formerly a crystal shop (classic Byron). “We wanted to create a space that doesn’t feel daggy and sober and boring,” Ella says. And boring Sunnyboy is not. The tiny space is filled to the brim with greenery cascading down shelves, artwork and apparel. Don’t be fooled by the store’s tiny footprint, it packs an impressive punch when it comes to its inventory. Ella and Bella have gone to incredible lengths to meet the brewers and makers and delve deep into the non-alc world. “There’s some really good shit happening, the days of fake wine from the supermarket are behind us.” Ella said. “We drank so much to whittle down the range, rather than have the biggest range, we would rather have a smaller selection and be really particular about what we’ve chosen for the cellar.” Among the opening line-up sippers will be greeted with drops from Dayse, which are infused with adaptogens and nootropics like passionflower and turmeric root to help you find balance, ease anxiety and encourage calmness, as well as Heaps Normal, Barossa Wine Cartel and Grupetto, to name just a few. “We’ve been drawn to really sophisticated drinks that are not trying to replicate something, they are their own things,” Ella says.
Sunnyboy Cellars is now open! For opening times, check out Sunnyboy Cellars on Instagram.
Image credit: Bonnie Sevil
