Pricing guides

Building a US price that survives every margin taker and still leaves contribution.

US Pricing & Margin Architecture for Alcohol-Free Brands

Build a US price that survives every margin taker and still leaves contribution: the reverse-margin frame, MAP parity, and the CM1/CM2/CM3 waterfall.

Nick Bodkins · Co-founder, Avenor · New York — Updated July 13, 2026

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Set Your US Shelf Price (Reverse-Margin Method)
Work backwards from a US shelf price to the FOB cost your product must hit.
Why Is Alcohol-Free So Expensive?
Alcohol-free drinks cost more because dealcoholization, small batches, freight and the retail margin stack add up.

Model your US margin.

Same shelf price, same cost of goods — two very different outcomes. Move the sliders to see what your brand keeps through a distributor versus owning the channel.

Shelf price (SRP)$28

Cost of goods (COGS)$5

Annual volume (bottles)10,000

Sold direct / owned (vs distributor)100%

Distributor path= $28 SRP

COGS

Brand

$5.06

Distributor

$5.98

Retailer

$9.89

Brand keeps $5.06 per bottle.

Ownership / DTC path= $28 SRP

COGS

Brand

$23

Brand keeps $23 per bottle.

All-distributor

$51K

annual brand revenue

Your mix

$230K

4.55× vs distributor

Written by

Nick Bodkins

Co-founder, Avenor · New York

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US Pricing & Margin Architecture for Alcohol-Free Brands

Set Your US Shelf Price (Reverse-Margin Method)

Why Is Alcohol-Free So Expensive?

Model your US margin.

Bringing a brand to the US? Let's talk.