High & Dry Festival Showcases Non-Alcoholic Drinks In St. Pete

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Herban Flow, Florida’s first non-alcoholic bottle shop, presents its first High & Dry Festival on Saturday, noon to 5 p.m., at Coastal Creative in St. Petersburg.

The festival will showcase functional and non-alcoholic beverages from non-alcoholic beers to drinks infused with herbs, mushrooms, cannabis and more. Tickets are available online here.Caitlyn and Mike Smith opened the first Herban Flow shop in the Tyrone Square area in 2023 and expanded with a second storefront in downtown St. Petersburg at 501 Dr. M.L.K. Jr. Street N., #103, last year.

Originally from Connecticut, the couple was living in Oregon before moving to St. Petersburg. It was on the West Coast where they first became aware of the growth in the non-alcoholic beverage industry.

As owners of a hemp and CBD distribution company, “we saw a lot happening in the drink space and it was moving quite rapidly on that side,” Caitlyn told Patch.

As they planned their move to Florida, they saw the possibility for a non-alcoholic bottle shop to thrive in the state.

“We always wanted to own our own shop, though we weren’t zone in at first on what that would look like, but this is definitely our dream in the works,” she said.

They launched Herban Flow at festivals and markets before opening their first brick-and-mortar location.

Their shop’s mission is also a personal one for them, as they don’t drink. Mike has been sober for several years and Caitlyn suffers various health conditions, including endometriosis.

“So, my body doesn’t even like alcohol,” she said. “So it was just having those pain points and wanting to try other products and missing socializing with friends was a huge component. Then we’d have these conversations with people at farmer’s markets and knowing that they’re feeling the same way we were feeling kind of sparked this, like, ‘Hey, we’re on to something. Let’s put our brains together.’”

Herban Flow offers a large selection of non-alcoholic beers, wines, and spirits, as well as herbal-infused beverages that use ingredients like kava, kratom, mushrooms, and cannabis.

Education is a large component of what the shop offers those who are curious about trying these alternative beverages.

“We’re out there trying to say, ‘Hey, you can actually socialize with a micro dose level of traditional THC, which is Delta-9 THC.’ It’s just we have to keep it low dose,” Mike said.

And while kava and kratom bars have exploded in Pinellas County in recent years, the shop offers these alternatives as canned beverages.

“That way you know exactly how much you’re getting. It’s a measured dose,” he said. “Rather than, what if John has a heavy hand and they’re scooping out of a bucket. You don’t know what you’re getting.”

Mike added, “Everybody reacts differently. We have these cans and some people will come in and they’re, like, 5 milligrams of THC from Cycling Frog, one can rock their world; other people need four or five of them. So, it’s really about coming in and learning about what’s best for you.”

People are also curious about medicinal mushrooms, Caitlyn said. “It’s about taking the time to know what you’re putting in your body. Each mushroom, just like certain strains of cannabis, they can help you with a certain function.”

She added, “It’s about coming in and getting educated on these different brands and things. We always ask people, ‘What are you looking to get out of a drink?’ It comes down to how effective do you want the product to be and what do you want out of it? So, we take the time and guide people, and we let them explore and see what calls to them individually. It’s pretty neat to see.”