Built To Last: Athletic Brewing's Foundation Of Quality And Culture

While Athletic Brewing may today be known as one of the fastest-growing breweries the craft beer industry has ever seen, its origins were more deliberate and intentional, with a rollout strategy that stayed local for as long as possible. Bill Shufelt's founder story goes back nearly a decade, and in those early years he carefully constructed a foundation that would serve the company well as it emerged as one of the faces of a new mindset around adult drinking.In this episode we talk with Bill on a variety of topics, including: Athletic Brewing's role in today's evolving drinking habits, and how quality and culture are table stakes for the company.The 18-24 month process they went through to come up with the brand name (including what the backup name would have been had "Athletic" not been available). The importance of Dry January in getting in front of a new audience, regardless of how consumers may choose to interact with the category.Which Athletic brews and seasonals Bill enjoys the most, and what's in his refrigerator at home.Advice for fellow NA entrepreneurs on the best way to achieve scale, balancing the need to learn from mistakes with a desire to grow quickly.Mentioned in this episode:Athletic BrewingHow I Built This Podcast (Bill Shufelt episode)Adult Non-Alcoholic Beverage Association (ANBA)We'd love your feedback!