Athletic Brewing and the NA Beer Revolution | Bring Your Beer to Work | 2

This episode of Business Wars explores the rise of Athletic Brewing and the broader non-alcoholic (NA) beer revolution, tracing the journey from Bill Schufeldt’s pivot from finance to founding a premium NA craft beer brand in 2018. Facing skepticism and the challenge of scaling production, Schufeldt overcame contamination risks and invested in pasteurization to ensure safety. As Athletic gained traction through grassroots marketing and celebrity investors like J.J. Watt and David Chang, Heineken launched its own NA beer, Heineken Zero Zero, using massive marketing campaigns and global sports sponsorships to dominate the international market. The pandemic unexpectedly benefited Athletic, whose vertically integrated model allowed it to thrive while contract brewers struggled. By 2024, Athletic surpassed Heineken Zero Zero in U.S. sales, became Arsenal’s official NA beer sponsor, and secured a $50 million investment from Keurig Dr. Pepper. Yet the challenge now is sustaining authenticity and brand identity amid fierce competition from giants like Anheuser-Busch InBev and a rapidly expanding NA beer category. The episode concludes by questioning whether this shift toward NA beer represents a lasting cultural change or a fleeting trend, like the plant-based meat boom.