Athletic Brewing Company: Bill Shufelt

In this episode of 'How I Built This', Guy Raz interviews Bill Shufelt, the co-founder of Athletic Brewing Company. Bill recounts his journey of transforming non-alcoholic beer from an unappreciated category into a successful brand valued at over $800 million. He began with the idea in 2015 after quitting drinking for personal health reasons, facing significant skepticism from investors and manufacturers throughout the process. Bill highlights the steep challenges he faced when trying to raise money, the pushback from traditional brewers, and the difficulty of launching a product in a category that had lacked innovations for decades. He credits his supportive wife and newfound co-founder, brewer John Walker, for believing in the vision and helping create a beer that truly appealed to beer lovers. By 2017, after several setbacks, Athletic Brewing launched in Connecticut, and by 2019, it experienced rapid growth, entering larger markets and developing a robust variety of non-alcoholic beers. Bill emphasizes the ongoing shift in consumer preferences towards non-alcoholic options and his commitment to offering a product that meets that demand, all while enjoying the journey of entrepreneurship together with his team.