Christina DeLay was named the 2020 ACT Young Business Woman of the Year at Canberra Women in Business awards night in November. The co-founder and CEO of zero-proof cocktail company Altina Drinks said the award was a “really good surprise after a really tough year”. Christina and her husband Alan founded Altina Drinks in 2018 to offer consumers an alternative to alcoholic drinks that looks and tastes great. Christina said both she and Alan experienced the full brunt of the “Aussie drinking culture” when working in corporate roles, and when she cut back on drinking found it hard to find alternatives to alcohol beyond water and soft drinks. “We thought how hard could it possibly be to make something alcohol-free that actually tastes good?” After a successful crowdfunding campaign, Altina Drinks was born and has continued to grow, moving to a new facility, hiring two full-time staff members during a global pandemic and launching a new product.
FAMILY
Christina and her husband Alan have a one-year-old son, Oliver. “It’s a really nice thing to get down to the level of a one-year-old and see the wonder of the world and watch him discover and explore all these new things,” she says. “He’s always learning, learning, learning and it’s really fun to do that all together as a family.”
YOGA
“Yoga falls under the self-care part of things, and just really helps to keep me fit and strong and that’s something that’s really important to me.” Christina says yoga helps to clear her mind and get her into the right headspace.
MOUNTAIN BIKING
Christina says her favourite things revolve around family, food and fitness. A keen mountain biker, Oliver has a seat on the back of her bike and the family rides together around the lake. “I think I’ve been [mountain biking] twice since he was born,” she says, and hopes 2021 will see more opportunities.
LA VIE EN ROSE
Altina Drinks’ La Vie En Rose is Christina’s favourite of her company’s zero-proof cocktails, with organic hibiscus and rose petals laced with sweet orange. “It’s just so nice to enjoy on a really hot day – now’s the perfect time for it – and have that moment of relaxation.”
CHEESE BOARDS AND BOARD GAMES
Christina and Alan love to get together with friends to play board games and enjoy a cheese board together. She says between work and babies it can be hard to schedule in time to spend with friends, “but it’s always good to catch up with everyone”.
For more:
