Peroni is to lean into the dual trends of moderation and fruit beer with a duo of new brews from its Nastro Azzurro 0.0% brand.
Limone di Sicilia (Sicilian lemon) and Arancia Rossa (Blood Orange) are to roll into Tesco stores later this month in 4x330ml packs (rsp: £5.50).
Fruit beer was “a major opportunity for UK retailers”, with sales having increased by £3.1m year on year, Peroni owner Asahi UK said, citing NIQ data.
Meanwhile, moderation remained “one of the most important UK household consumption priorities, with 54% of drinkers moderating their alcohol consumption”.
The was “huge headroom for growth” in alcohol-free beer relative to other European markets such as Spain and Germany, where one in 10 beers sold were non-alcoholic, Dhati Holohan, off-trade sales director at Asahi UK, told The Grocer.
The launch of Limone di Sicilia and Arancia Rossa represented “a real opportunity to broaden the shoulders of alcohol-free and provide more choices and alternatives” to shoppers, Holohan said.
“It really enables us to expand occasions and the category, very much targeting adult consumers but tapping into occasions that are not necessarily alcohol-first,” she added.
Holohan likened the growing popularity of fruit beer to prior growth spurts enjoyed by pink gin and berry-flavoured ciders. Despite both segments having tailed off in recent years, their scale relative to a decade ago indicated a fundamental shift in how consumers drank, she pointed out.
Likewise, fruit beer was “not just a flash in the pan, but a trend that’s here to stay”, she added.
Drinkers of Peroni’s latest NPD could expect “crisp, refreshing beery finish, but with a tinge of fruit,” Holohan said. “You won’t mistake them for anything other than an alcohol-free beer, but you will see a marked difference versus Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%.”
The launch will be supported by over £1m of marketing investment, including social and influencer activity, and activations at events including American Express presents BST Festival.
Tesco BWS director Jason Godley said the retailer was excited to introduce two “genuinely fresh and distinctive” products to its shelves.
“Fruit lager continues to be one of the fastest‑growing and most on‑trend areas in alcohol and we expect that momentum to accelerate even further across premium alcohol‑free options,” he added.
Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% is the third largest alcohol-free beer brand in the UK. In the past year, sales have climbed 33.9% to £21.1m [NIQ 52 w/e 4 October 2025].
The brew is one of Asahi’s key bets as it looks to grow alcohol-free beer to one-fifth of its total sales by 2030 at a global level.
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