The Federal Beverage Company

by Lily Burbage

For some, going out for a drink is less about the alcohol and more about everything that comes with it: conversation, laughter, and simply being part of the gathering.

But for those who don’t drink, finding a place to enjoy that same sense of community can be more difficult.

That is the idea behind Federal Beverage Company, a nonalcoholic bottle shop and cafe designed to give people a place to socialize, connect, and enjoy the experience of a night out without alcohol.

“I kept telling anyone who would listen, someone needs to open a non-alc bottle shop,” owner Gayle Galbraith said. “Nobody was doing it, so I decided that I had to do it.”

The idea grew from a passion that began more than a decade ago with kombucha.

After graduating from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in 2013, Gayle began learning about the health benefits of fermented foods and started making kombucha for her family. Before long, she was sharing it with friends and eventually turned the hobby into a professional business.

For years, she and her husband, Stanley “Stan” Nowak, sold their kombucha at farmers markets from Washington, D.C., to the Delaware beaches. Along the way, Gayle began hearing from customers who still enjoyed the ritual of having a drink in their hands and being part of the party, but weren’t necessarily enjoying the effects of alcohol anymore.

She began putting her kombucha in wine bottles, giving customers the familiar experience of opening a bottle and sharing a drink without the alcohol.

“Party like a pro with probiotic kombucha,” she would tell them.

By 2024, the idea of a dedicated nonalcoholic space had taken hold. After reaching out to the CEO of Tanger through LinkedIn, Gayle eventually began working with the company to bring the concept to life. Federal Beverage Company opened its doors, with its first full month of business in January 2025.

Today, the shop offers approximately 500 nonalcoholic beverages, along with a cafe serving functional coffees and teas enhanced with ingredients such as mushrooms and collagen. Its own kombucha remains its best-selling product.

Gayle and Stan have been producing the kombucha professionally since 2017, and it has earned international recognition, including an award from Les Dames d’Escoffier’s Washington, D.C., chapter.

But the products are only part of what Gayle hopes customers find inside the shop.

Federal Beverage Company owner, Gayle Galbraith.

Her goal is to create what she describes as a sanctuary — a place where people can feel welcome, safe, and find common ground with others.

“What I’m trying to do here is to create a space that’s almost like a sanctuary for people,” she said. “I’m hoping that they would feel that they were welcome and they were safe.”

That mission is particularly important for people who are sober or choosing to change their relationship with alcohol. Gayle wants Federal Beverage Company to help normalize sobriety and give people an alternative to social settings where alcohol is often expected.


“You no longer feel like you’re shoved in a corner and handed a Shirley Temple,” she said.

One customer interaction in particular reminded Gayle why the business matters. A customer once told her they had been sober for a year, crediting a conversation they had with Gayle as part of their journey.

“I never anticipated having as many people getting emotional when they come in here because for the first time they feel seen,” she said. “They feel respected.”

Not everyone who visits Federal Beverage Company is sober, and Gayle welcomes that, too. She encourages people to visit alongside friends and family members who don’t drink, believing support can be as simple as sharing a nonalcoholic beverage together.

That spirit of connection extends beyond sobriety. The shop’s tagline, “cultivating conversations you can remember,” reflects Federal Beverage’s broader goal of encouraging civil dialogue within the community.

Gayle believes removing alcohol from the equation can create more opportunities for people to listen to one another, meet someone new and discover what they have in common.

For Gayle, the mission is personal. After experiencing a stroke and sudden cardiac arrest, she says her perspective on what she wants to leave behind has changed.

“My goal is to finish well,” she said. “I’m hoping that by promoting peace in our community, that my legacy will be more than just making money.”

Running an independent business has brought its own challenges. Gayle and Stan continue to produce their kombucha in Maryland while Gayle operates the shop in Delaware. For six months, she drove 50 miles each way between home and the store before a customer learned about her commute and offered her a place to stay closer to the business.

It was another example of the community supporting the small business she had hoped to build.

Federal Beverage Company is about more than selling bottles and cans. It is about creating a place that cannot be replicated by an online retailer — one where customers can talk, connect and feel like they belong.

Whether someone is sober, taking a break from alcohol, unable to drink because of medication or simply looking for something different, Gayle and Stan hope they know they have a place at the table.