With the “sober curious” trend in full swing, you’ve probably heard a story like CEO Bill Shufelt’s: he quit drinking to be healthier and was unimpressed by the nonalcoholic beverage options available to him. Shufelt, however, vowed to create better ones. Unlike many of its zero-proof competitors, the resulting company—nonalcoholic beer brand Athletic Brewing Co.—is actually competing with booze giants. Founded in 2017, Athletic Brewing sold more than 100,000 barrels of beer last year (up from 37,500 in 2020) and was named 2021’s craft brewery of the year by trade publication Brewbound. The brand also donates 3% of its annual sales to charities like the Yosemite Conservancy, which in 2021 worked out to more than $1 million.
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