Bold Names How Athletic Brewing Sells Beer for a Post-Alcohol Generation
Jan 23, 2026
Bill Shufelt, Co-founder and CEO of Athletic Brewing, shares his journey from Wall Street to leading the non-alcoholic beer revolution. He discusses the explosive growth of the NA beer category, fueled by health-conscious consumers and changing social norms. Bill highlights how Athletic's unique flavors appeal to Gen Z and the evolving drinking preferences. He also addresses competition from beer giants and the impact of tariffs, revealing how Athletic maintains its craft identity while navigating these challenges.
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Hidden Market In Everyday Sobriety
- Bill Shufelt realized people are sober 99% of their waking hours, revealing a huge unmet market for non-alcoholic beer.
- Athletic Brewing targeted that latent demand and grew the category from niche to mainstream.
Rapid Category Growth And Market Share
- The non-alcoholic beer category grew from ~0.3% to ~2% of beer sales, with some retailers exceeding 20% non-alc share.
- Athletic Brewing controls about 52% of the non-alc craft category, outselling the rest combined.
Surveys Sparked The Business
- Shufelt ran surveys with his wife from business school and found ~50% of people expressed interest in non-alcoholic beer.
- That data convinced him the category was hiding in plain sight and worth building toward.