Smiling from atop a solar paneled roof bathed in light, Bill Shufelt, founder and CEO of Athletic Brewing Company, raises a toast in celebration. While the moment captured memorializes the 60,000-square-foot solar array that stands atop the brewery’s San Diego location, Shufelt has much more than significant energy savings to celebrate.

The San Diego brewery—Athletic’s second of three facilities—is situated amidst a thick scattering of other breweries in the area. What sets them apart from these industry peers, is everything. 

Bill Shufelt (right) toasts amidst the solar array at their San Diego brewery. Courtesy of Athletic Brewing Co.

Athletic is one of the few beer companies in the world solely dedicated to craft nonalcoholic beer. Since their debut, the company has experienced a meteoric rise in popularity, which has allowed them to launch breweries on both coasts—two in their home state of Connecticut and one in southern California. Athletic owns and operates all their facilities, which enables them to maintain meticulous quality control standards.

Athletic attributes their success to their commitment to produce not only high-quality nonalcoholic beer, but simply high-quality beer. This commitment has resulted in turning heads, tipping back cans and a continuous stream of awards—most recently, Athletic was named North American Brewer of the Year by International Beer Challenge. 

Genesis

Athletic’s mission is “To positively impact our customers’ health, fitness, and happiness while greatly impacting our communities and environment for the better.” This mission is the very roots of the company, and manifests in ever-branching ways. Evidence of this is most notable in the very product they’re making. 

A decade ago, Shufelt gave up alcohol while training for an ultramarathon. While he enjoyed the way his new alcohol-free lifestyle made him feel, both physically and mentally, he missed the flavors of craft beer he’d come to love. In attempting to quench his thirst for a great craft beer in the nonalcoholic (NA) arena, he was sorely disappointed. He knew he couldn’t be alone in feeling this way.

Driven by his disappointment, he began to do some research. Shufelt learned that 50% of Americans don’t drink at all, and 70% consume less than two drinks per week. While this pointed to an opportunity to fill a void in the market, statistics highlighting the dangers of alcohol consumption gave it purpose for him.

John Walker, Athletic’s head brewer, and founder Bill Shufelt. Courtesy of Athletic Brewing Co.

Thus began Shufelt’s journey to creating world-class, nonalcoholic beverages that he believed could positively impact people’s lives.

In a recent interview with Kinute, Chris Furnari, communications manager at Athletic, said, “We don’t stand on a soap box or preach—in fact, we know that 80% of our customers still drink alcohol. We just [want] to be the go-to option for everyone who was previously ignored, as well as those people looking to cut back on their consumption.”

As Shufelt began to pursue his vision, he partnered with John Walker, Athletic’s now-head brewer. While Shufelt was largely ignored by others in the brewing industry, Walker shared Shufelt’s confidence for where the craft NA beer category could go. It is currently experiencing double digit growth—one of the only beer categories that is. 

Through exhaustively brewing test batches, a proprietary brewing method was born. This enables Athletic to fully ferment their brews to under 0.5 percent alcohol, the legal limit for NAs, and broadens the spectrum of their offerings. 

Athletic’s evergreen collection of craft nonalcoholic beers. Courtesy of Athletic Brewing Co.

While an evergreen collection of brews including an IPA, a Golden Ale, a Hazy IPA and a Lite beer are offered throughout the year, the brewery continuously releases seasonal and small batch varieties to satisfy the seasoned palette of the craft beer drinker. 

Living their values

While what Athletic is doing as a brewery is impressive, it is what they are doing as a business that is equally as admirable. 

In a commitment to living their values, Athletic has recently become a certified B Corporation. Of the designation, B Lab states that, “Certified B Corporations are leaders in the global movement for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy…B Lab is unique in our ability to measure a company’s entire social and environmental impact.”

Beer break on the trail. Courtesy of Athletic Brewing Co.

The company sought out this certification out of desire to “use business for good,” which Athletic B Corp Manager Cara Wilson said has been in their DNA since day one.

“Athletic was developed thoughtfully on our five values of Integrity, Inclusion, Innovation, Community, and Quality,” said Wilson. “We’ve always strived to create a meaningful product, support and empower our teammates, and give back to our communities and planet. Becoming B Corp certified just solidified our promise to do these things.”

One of the most prominent ways Athletic gives back is through their Two for the Trails program—named after Shufelt’s family’s tradition of bringing along two beers for a post-hike refreshment. Two for the Trails donates 2% of all Athletic sales to trail protection and restoration efforts. They have donated nearly $2.6 million through the initiative to-date.

As Shufelt says, “If we don’t start acting in a sustainable manner, we’re going to lose our chance at great outdoor adventures.”

Two for the Trails workday. Courtesy of Athletic Brewing Co.

The current focus of the program is providing funding for projects and organizations that are improving outdoor space and making access more equitable for all. Athletic has partnered with organizations from the local to the national level, and a few international organizations as well. Past projects have focused on protecting and maintaining trails, waterways and urban greenspaces. 

In addition to grants provided through the fund, Athletic sends volunteers from their team to aid in the boots on the ground efforts required to bring these projects to fruition. 

“We are very excited about the growing Two for the Trails fund,” Wilson said of the program. “In 2022, we are donating $1.3 million for environmental restoration and protection. We have huge Two for the Trails and sustainability goals in 2023 that we will be sharing in the coming months.”

Head brewer John Walker (light blue, left) volunteering with Two for the Trails. Courtesy of Athletic Brewing Co.

In addition to the massive solar array on the San Diego facility, other sustainability efforts that Athletic is dedicated to include serious water recapture efforts throughout the brewing process as well as diverting brewing byproducts from landfills. 

The brewery sends 99% of their spent grain to Wilbur-Ellis to be utilized in their Brew-to-Moo program—an initiative that distributes spent grain and yeast from the brewing industry to be incorporated into livestock feed. 

Community

While positive environmental impact is at the heart of Athletic’s mission, so is community. “Community is at the center of everything we do,” said Furnari. “We wake up every day with a passion for creating great-tasting nonalcoholic beverages and greatly impacting the communities where we live and work.”

In an effort to connect more directly with their community, the brewery has launched an Ambassador program—highlighting and connecting Athletic drinkers from varying backgrounds and motivations for their brand enthusiasm. 

Ambassadors are representative of Athletic’s self-stated goal to “Revolutionize beer for the modern adult.” This is someone they see as wanting to excel in both their personal and professional lives without being held back and understanding the moments where an NA choice intersects with that.

Athletic beach cleanup. Courtesy of Athletic Brewing Co.

Another notable way they are carrying out their commitment to community is through donating one percent of all sales to IMPACT programs. 

“The partnerships through the IMPACT fund are defined through our JEDI committee which stands for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion—a committee of teammates from all different departments and backgrounds in the brewing industry,” Wilson said.

In 2021 Athletic participated in the Brave Noise movement—an industry-wide collaboration project with the goal of: A safe and Discrimination Free Beer Industry. The campaign required breweries to publish their code of conduct—something Athletic was proud to do. 

Additionally, 100% of profits from the collaboration were donated to an approved non-profit. Athletic chose to donate $20,000 to Right to Be—an organization that focuses on crafting specialized anti-harassment and bystander training programs.

The value the company places on community is found within their own walls as well. In response to being asked what Athletic’s internal culture is like, Wilson said, “My personal experience has been huge growth and support since the day I started.”

She went on to say that “Apart from our everyday roles, we have a ‘minor’ program where teammates can delve into working in other departments while on the clock.” Noting that, “When I was a brewer, I declared my minor as ‘community outreach,’ and I feel like it paved the way for my new role with the company two years later.”

Canning line at Athletic’s San Diego brewery. Courtesy of Athletic Brewing Co.

Through their dedication to their craft and to living their values, Athletic has set themselves apart both in the beer and business worlds. This type of exemplary leadership is precisely what earned them the designation of one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Companies of 2022.

While accolades can be a welcomed recognition of hard work, Shufelt says that the journey is where all the enjoyment and meaning is. "We just love what we're doing, we love who we're doing it with, and are excited for the challenges of every day.”