Remaining Handmade in a Mass-Produced World: Why ALKAA is Raising the Bar (and Prices)

Posted October 23, 2024
Pictured Left, Right- Vanguard Laboratories during ALKAA testing.
Center-Sachet production at ALKAA HQ. 

Let’s rip off the band-aid: prices on all ALKAA items are about to increase.

But, before you panic, let us explain why this is happening—and why now is the perfect time to stock up at the current prices. (Scroll to the end if you just want the bullet points.)

You Can’t Have Your Sachet and Outsource It Too.

The reason we’re committed to handmade sachets is simple: quality. Mass production might be cheaper and quicker, but it wouldn’t be ALKAA. 

What you may not know is we have ordered ingredients from China in our endeavor to lower costs and we have thrown them away. Sad, right? What's even sadder would be using product we know is inferior just so we can sell ALKAA cheaply. 

Since we are committed to using the higher quality ingredients sourced from the US, that means we would have to ship our ingredients to China, they would have presto-chango them into sachets, and then we have to pay to ship everything back to the US. Not cost-effective, not environmentally-friendly, not cool.

Now, if you want to purchase products that filter your wine for less, you can. They are out there. We've tested them (well, we had the people at the lab do it) and we are confident that if we started outsourcing to China we would have the same dismal results. (Can we get in trouble for saying that??) At any rate, we aren't willing to disappoint our loyal customers with a product that doesn't deliver on its promises. Not to mention, no one else makes any product that treats alcohol other than wine.

That's right, Superfans, we are the only company on the entire planet that makes a product that removes alcohol-intolerance-causing-components from every type of alcohol, not just wine. Pretty cool, huh?

A Small Recipe Tweak for ALKAA, A Giant Leap for Your Next Sip

We’ve been listening closely to your feedback, and one thing we’ve continued working towards is making sure that ALKAA does its magic (er... science) without impacting the flavor of your drink. So, we’re beyond excited to announce that we’ve perfected the sachet recipe.

 The new formula is designed to capture more toxins while reducing any flavor changes, especially in wine. Yes, even that bold Cabernet you love so much. If you’ve tried ALKAA before, now is the time to reorder and taste the difference for yourself. 

These changes mean more hands-on time from our team, more meticulous attention to detail, and yes, more work. And as a small business (we’re not shy about that), we have to be realistic about the time and resources it takes to keep ALKAA products consistent and effective. The work has increased, but we felt it was necessary to keep delivering the best possible experience. We’re sure you’ll agree that a tiny tweak in price is worth it when it means enjoying your favorite wine, cocktail, or beer without the aftereffects.

We’re confident that once you experience the updated recipe, you’ll be amazed at how marvelously the sachets work without significantly altering the taste of your drink. If you’ve been holding off on restocking, now is definitely the time to place that order because soon our prices will reflect these changes.

🎶People Who Need People (are the luckiest people)🎶

But, Barbra, what about the costs??! "...are the luckiest people in the world..." She's still singing so let's talk about this a bit because it's important. 

We pay our workers a living wage for our area of New York. Yes, it would be cheaper to have machines do this work but we supply jobs and income to people who need it and we are proud of that. Plus, the very expensive machines that we need are guess where? If you guessed China, you are correct. 

Some day we hope to be able to afford a more automated system, but only if we can expand without compromising on the quality that our lovely people provide. 

This is My Lab🦮, and This is My Laboratory🔬🥼🧪

The people that I confused with my Barbra Streisand reference will probably understand this one and vice versa. (If you know both you are a pop culture wiz.)

Did you know we frequently test our products using an independent lab? If we make any changes, we run a test. If we use an ingredient from a different source, we run a test. If we want to say ALKAA does a certain thing, we run a test. It seems like we test a lot.

Anectdotal evidence comes to us in the form of our awesome reviews all the time. We thrive on those- so keep them coming! But, we have to see real numbers in black and white, too.

If the numbers aren't where we want them, we have to pivot. This ensures that you have a consistent sachet that will never let you down. We know how terrible it would be if one day our sachets stopped doing their job and you are left with an all-day headache. We never want to compromise on your well-being so testing will always be part of our modus operandi. 

 A big thank you to Vanguard Laboratories for allowing us to use photos (the left and right images above) capturing all the fun stuff we put them through during testing time. Anyone else wondering what happens to the leftover wine??

You've Got Mail 💌 Changes to Shipping Prices and Minimums

We have already adjusted our shipping rates.

We will still offer complimentary shipping but with a slightly higher threshold. When we don't have to eat the shipping costs for a smallish order it helps us keep our prices in check. Amazon has trained us all that shipping is free and everything arrives the next day, but we are paying for that luxury one way or another. Aren't we such a buzzkill today? 

If you currently have a subscription order with us, don’t worry, you are grandfathered in. We are not changing your pricing structure. Thanks for your continued support!

The Time to Act is Now!

Let’s be real for a second. We don’t want to surprise you with a price hike out of the blue—that’s not how we roll. So, consider this your friendly heads-up: stock up now while prices are still at their current rates. If you’ve been thinking about giving ALKAA a try, or if you’re already a fan and just need to restock, this is your chance.

Prices are going up, but right now, you can still grab your favorite ALKAA sachets (with the improved recipe) at the old price. There’s no better time to jump in and experience just how much better you can feel when drinking with ALKAA.

What’s Next for ALKAA?