Athletic Brewing Company

Last updated
Athletic Brewing Company
Industry Non-alcoholic craft beer
Founded2017
Headquarters Stratford, Connecticut, USA
Products Non-alcoholic Beer
OwnerBill Shufelt and John Walker
Website https://athleticbrewing.com/

Athletic Brewing Company is a leading U.S. manufacturer of non-alcoholic craft beer based in Stratford, Connecticut. [1] The company was founded in 2017 by Bill Shufelt and John Walker. [2] [3]

Contents

History

Bill Shufelt was trader at a hedge fund and an ultramarathon runner who stopped drinking alcohol in 2013. However, he found non-alcoholic drinks to be unsatisfactory, and sought out John Walker, a head brewer from Santa Fe to produce better tasting non-alcohol beers. They developed a brewing method which fully ferments the beers, but only to less than 0.5% ABV, the limit at which a beer can be considered non-alcoholic in the US. [4] They started their craft beer business Athletic Brewing in 2017, and established the first brewing facility dedicated to non-alcoholic beer in Stratford, Connecticut, which opened in May 2018. [5]

Athletic Brewing was launched with two beers, and initially began selling in seven stores in New England on a trial basis, which then expanded to all the states in the US, and then other countries around the world. [3] Athletic's sales grew from $2.5 million in 2019 to about $15 million in 2020, increasing by about 500% and achieved a 61% market share of the non-alcoholic craft beer market in the U.S. [1] It achieved sales of nearly $37 million from over 100,000 barrels of beer in 2021 (up from 37,500 in 2020). [3] It was ranked the second-fastest growing food and beverage company (and 26th overall) in the U.S. in 2022 by Inc. , [6] [7] as well as one of the 100 most influential companies of 2022 by Time magazine. [8]

In 2020, Athletic added a second manufacturing location when it purchased a brewing facility in San Diego, California from Ballast Point Brewing Company. [9] In 2022, it opened a 150,000 square foot brewing facility in Milford, Connecticut, that is capable of producing 6 million cases annually. [10]

Keurig Dr Pepper took a $50 million minority stake in Athletic Brewing in 2022. [11] The company was the first non-alcoholic beer maker to make the list of top 50 craft brewing companies by sales volume in the US in 2022, placing at No. 27, and it rose further to No. 13 in 2023. [12] It became the second biggest non-alcoholic beer in the US by 2023. [4]

Athletic's investors include a number of athletes and celebrities, including pro football players J. J. Watt and Justin Tuck, Momofuku founder David Chang, cyclist Lance Armstrong, and Toms Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie. [1]

Awards

In 2020, Athletic's Free Wave IPA won the award as Supreme Champion Beer at the International Beer Challenge, the first non-alcoholic beer to win the award, beating over 500 other entries. [13] The beer also took the title for Best No & Low Alcohol Beer, and Athletic itself was declared Brewer of the Year for North America. [13] Its beers have won at the World Beer Awards, US Open Beer Championship, Great American Beer Festival, and Best of Craft Beer Awards. [14] [15] Its Run Wild IPA was named the Best Non-Alcoholic Beer in the inaugural Tasting Alliance World Beer Competition. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low-alcohol beer</span> Type of beverage

Low-alcohol beer is beer with little or no alcohol content and aims to reproduce the taste of beer while either eliminating the inebriating effects of standard alcoholic brews, or carbohydrates, and thus calories, typically at the expense of alcohol. Most low-alcohol beers are lagers, but there are some low-alcohol ales. Low-alcohol beer is also known as light beer, non-alcoholic beer, small beer, small ale, or near-beer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craft beer</span> Brewery that produces small amounts of beer

Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis on enthusiasm, new flavours, and varied brewing techniques.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">India pale ale</span> Beer with high hop content

India pale ale (IPA) is a hoppy beer style within the broader category of pale ale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer in Canada</span> Overview of the beer culture in Canada

Beer was introduced to Canada by European settlers in the seventeenth century. The first commercial brewery was La Brasseries du Roy started by New France Intendant Jean Talon, in Québec City in 1668. Many commercial brewers thrived until prohibition in Canada. The provincial and federal governments' attempt to eliminate "intoxicating" beverages led to the closing of nearly three quarters of breweries between 1878 and 1928. It was only in the second half of the twentieth century that a significant number of new breweries opened up. The Canadian beer industry now plays an important role in Canadian identity, although globalization of the brewing industry has seen the major players in Canada acquired by or merged with foreign companies, notably its three largest beer producers: Labatt, Molson and Sleeman. The result is that Moosehead, with an estimated 3.8 percent share of the domestic market in 2016, has become the largest fully Canadian-owned brewer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer in the United States</span> Overview of the beer culture in the United States of America

Beer is manufactured by more than 7,000 breweries in the United States, which range in size from industry giants to brew pubs and microbreweries. The United States produced 196 million barrels (23.0 GL) of beer in 2012, and consumes roughly 28 US gallons (110 L) of beer per capita annually. In 2011, the United States was ranked fifteenth in the world in per capita consumption, while total consumption was second only to China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer in Japan</span> Overview of beer in Japan

Beer in Japan mostly comes from the country's four major breweries, Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo and Suntory, which mainly produce pale lagers around 5% ABV. Beer is immensely popular, far ahead of sake consumption.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firestone Walker Brewing Company</span> American craft brewery

Firestone Walker Brewing Company is a family-owned craft brewery with operations in Paso Robles, Buellton and Venice, California. The brewery was established in 1996 by brothers-in-law Adam Firestone and David Walker. The original brewery was located on a family vineyard in Los Olivos, California. Their first beer, Double Barrel Ale, was made in a patented variation of the Burton union system. The main brewing operations moved to Paso Robles in 2001. Firestone Walker is today known for bestselling beers such as 805 and Mind Haze. Firestone Walker celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2021 and is now California's second largest craft brewery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brewing in Vermont</span>

The U.S. state of Vermont is home to several breweries, microbreweries, nanobreweries, and brewpubs that produce a wide variety of beer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer in the Caribbean</span> Beers from islands in the Caribbean

The beers of the Caribbean are unique to each island in the region, although many are variants of the same style. Each island generally brews its own unique pale lager, the occasional stout, and often a non-alcoholic malta beverage. Contract-brewing of international beers is also common, with Heineken Pilsener and Guinness Foreign Extra Stout being the most popular. The beers vary between the islands to suit the taste and the brewing method used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galway Hooker (brewery)</span> Irish brewery

The Galway Hooker Brewery is based in Oranmore, County Galway, Ireland. The brewery was founded in 2006 by two cousins, Aidan Murphy and Ronan Brennan, and the name of the brewery and its first beer were decided by an online competition to choose a name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BrewDog</span> Multinational brewery

BrewDog is a multinational brewery and pub chain based in Ellon, Scotland. With production of over 800,000 hectolitres, BrewDog claims to be the "#1 Craft Brewer in Europe". It was founded in 2007 by James Watt and Martin Dickie, who together own 46% of the company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shmaltz Brewing Company</span> Brewery in New York, US

Shmaltz Brewing Company is an American craft brewing company headquartered in Troy, New York, US. Originally primarily known for its He'Brew flagship brand, the company produces a large line of Shmaltz Brewing beers and numerous other brands including 518/838 craft beers and the Alphabet City Brewing brand. It also produced Coney Island Craft Lagers until that brand's acquisition by Boston Beer Company in 2013.

Anheuser-Busch, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, is the largest brewing company in the United States, with a market share of 45 percent in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bell's Brewery</span> Brewing company in Comstock, Michigan, US

Bell's Brewery, Inc. is an American craft brewing company, with operations in Comstock and Kalamazoo, Michigan. Bell's brews acclaimed beers such as Hopslam Ale, Oberon Ale, and Two Hearted Ale. It operates a brewpub and a store selling merchandise and homebrewing supplies at its Kalamazoo location. Begun as a homebrewing store in 1983, and producing beer since 1985, it is the oldest existing craft brewery in Michigan and the oldest craft brewery east of Colorado. As of 2021, it was the 6th largest craft brewery in the United States, and was the largest independently owned brewery in Michigan when founder Larry Bell sold the company to Lion Little World Beverages - an Australian subsidiary of the Japanese Kirin beverage group at the end of 2021. The company also owns Upper Hand Brewery, a separately operated division in Escanaba, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian International Beer Awards</span> Annual brewing competition

Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA) is an annual brewing competition that commenced in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer in San Diego County, California</span> Beer in San Diego, California

San Diego County, California, has been called "the Craft Beer Capital of America". As of 2018, the county was home to 155 licensed craft breweries – the most of any county in the United States. Based on 2016 sales volume, three San Diego County breweries – Stone, Green Flash, and Karl Strauss – rank among the 50 largest craft brewers in the United States. San Diego County brewers pioneered the specialty beer style known as Double India Pale Ale, sometimes called San Diego Pale Ale. Its beer culture is a draw for tourism, particularly during major festivals such as San Diego Beer Week and the San Diego International Beer Competition. San Diego County breweries including Stone Brewing Co., AleSmith Brewing Company and Ballast Point Brewing Company are consistently rated among the top breweries in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minhas Craft Brewery</span> American craft beer brewery

The Minhas Craft Brewery is located in Monroe, Wisconsin, owned by brother and sister, Ravinder and Manjit Minhas. It is the Midwest's oldest brewery and the second oldest in the United States. It survived the Great Depression, Prohibition and a fire. It is currently the 18th largest craft brewery in America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parallel 49 Brewing Company</span>

Parallel 49 Brewing Company is a Canadian microbrewery based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 2012, the Parallel 49 Brewing Company in East Vancouver is known for brewing craft beers.

Tilray Brands, Inc. is an American pharmaceutical, cannabis-lifestyle and consumer packaged goods company, incorporated in the United States, headquartered in New York City. Tilray also has operations in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Latin America, with growing facilities in Germany and Portugal.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Krader, Kate (January 13, 2021). "Celebrity Backers Are Making Nonalcoholic Beer a Hot Investment". Bloomberg . Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  2. ↑ Aubrey, Allison (June 20, 2019). "Craft Beers Without The Buzz: Brewing New Options For The 'Sober Curious'". NPR . Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Cantor, Doug. "How Athletic Brewing Company Made Moderation Cool. Hint: Tasty Beer". Inc.
  4. 1 2 Paiella, Gabriella (August 11, 2023). "How Athletic Beer Won Over America". GQ.
  5. ↑ Scholz, Laura (October 12, 2021). "Athletic Brewing Created an NA Beer That's Actually Good". Woman's Running.
  6. ↑ "40 Connecticut Businesses Earn Slot on Inc. Fastest-Growing 5000". Connecticut By The Numbers. August 28, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Inc. 2000: Meet the Companies Winning in a Time of Change--And Achieving Spectacular Growth". Inc.
  8. ↑ Ducharme, Jamie (March 30, 2022). "Time 100 Most Influential Companies: Athletic Brewing Company". Time.
  9. ↑ Hernandez, Brandon (March 10, 2020). "Athletic Brewing acquires Trade Street brewery". West Coaster. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  10. ↑ Scinto, Rich (June 17, 2022). "Non-Alcoholic Athletic Brewing Opens Milford Facility". Patch.
  11. ↑ Garcia, Tonya (9 November 2022). "Athletic Brewing Gets $50 Million Investment From Keurig Dr Pepper". Bloomberg.
  12. ↑ Gribbins, Keith (May 9, 2023). "Watch the story behind craft beer's biggest non-alcoholic beer maker — Athletic Brewing". Craft Brewing Business.
  13. 1 2 McMahon, Liv (November 25, 2020). "Athletic Brewing Co's Free Way IPA is declared Supreme Champion at this year's International Beer Challenge in a historic victory for no/low alcohol beer". The Scotsman . Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  14. ↑ "Athletic Brewing, the Brewer Leading the Non-Alcoholic Craft Beer Movement, Takes Home Top Awards at Three Major Beer Competitions". Business Wire. September 23, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Best of Craft Beer Awards 2020 Medal Winners Announced". The New School. February 11, 2020.
  16. ↑ Micallef, Joseph V. (November 22, 2022). "The 2022 Tasting Alliance Beer Competition Announces America's Best Brews". Forbes.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.