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5 0 C T I N N O V A T O R S , 2 0 2 2 keep up with demand from its first brewery in Stratford, even while figuring out how to grow the business. "We were still learning how to make product at scale and get it into cans and what logistics looked like," says Shufelt. "And before we knew it, we had outgrown that brewery in about 10 months." As sales grew well beyond New England, they very quickly began to think of Athletic as a national brand. Athletic closed on a second brewery in San Diego in March 2020. Meanwhile, they began to look for another Connecticut location. ey broke ground for a new facility in Milford in 2021, and pro- duced their first brew there in May 2022. It was a significant in- crease in capacity. Stratford had been built to produce 5,000 barrels a year and eventually expanded to 12,000 barrels. Milford currently has capacity of 190,000 barrels and potential for growth to 450,000, which has been a slight infrastructure challenge for Milford, says the town's economic development director Julie Nash. "e biggest need for them was sewer capacity, to make sure they have enough for their production to be successful and keep growing," she says. But it's a problem the town is happy to solve for Athletic, Nash says. "Having a company of that stature here in Milford, it makes all the difference in the world," she says. "It puts us on the map, it's a global company." "e owners are so humble, and they're absolutely transforming the world of beverage," says Nash. "eir philosophy and how they treat their employees and their sustainable mission is something that most companies should look at and replicate." at mission-driven philosophy begins with the company structure. All employees – at last count, 210 – are equity owners with a stake in the business. And in April 2022, Athletic became a certified B-corp. at designation measures a company's full social and environmental impact, and marks it as a leader for an "inclusive, equitable and regenerative economy," according to the B-corp website. Athletic has committed 3% of sales to charitable efforts. e bulk of that is its Two for the Trails initiative, which has so far donated more than $2.5 million to restoring hiking trails and improving outdoor access. A further 1% goes to a community impact fund. "at could be anything from diversity brewing scholarships, mentorship in the community, fighting food insecurity and a whole range of other things," says Shufelt. Collaborative leaders eir outward-facing work also includes creating new communities in the nonalcoholic beverage world — the sort of community they didn't have starting out. In 2021 Shufelt and Walker helped to found the Adult Non-Alcoholic Beverage Association. Shufelt is now the organization's board chair. ANBA CEO Marcus Salazar calls them collaborative leaders in the field. "ey've been a driver of raising awareness about the category by producing some of the best tasting nonalcoholic beverages out there," he said. "But then also being supportive of all the other players in the space as well." And there is a rising tide to li all of those boats. Sales of nonalcoholic beer grew more than 30% between 2020 and 2021. Athletic has some of the top-selling beers in the category, competing with breweries many times its size. Athletic is also forging relationships across the cra beer world, as an active member of the Brewers Association, and entering its offerings into tasting competitions with alcoholic brews. Brew Bound magazine named them Cra Brewer of the Year in 2021. Inc Magazine had Athletic at No. 26 in its 5,000 fastest-growing companies of 2022, with 13,000% three-year revenue growth. (e company declined to disclose its annual revenue.) For Shufelt, the accidental entrepreneur, these achievements are just the start. "We really feel like we're just getting going," he says. I Continued from page 48 Athletic Brewing's new production facility in Milford has capacity for 190,000 barrels of beer annually, with potential for growth to 450,000 barrels.