Athletic Brewing Company celebrated the opening of its new production facility in Milford Friday afternoon, toasting to an expansion that will triple its capacity as its nonalcoholic craft beers catch on nationwide.
“This brewery is a symbol of our team, and the proper headquarters for our team,” said Athletic co-founder Bill Shufelt after thanking the company’s many supporters. Athletic’s rapid growth from a three-barrel brewery reflects the work of many, including public officials and angel investors like CT Innovations.
“This is the mecca of non alcoholic beer in the entire world,” said Milford Mayor Benjamin Blake, hoisting a can aloft. “It is in Milford, Connecticut and we can’t be more proud.”
Speaking in the cavernous new space – which has 40-foot ceilings to accommodate the brewing system – Shufelt said the Milford move was only the start of Athletic’s ambitions. The first beer was sent through the pipes on Friday, but the plant will soon be humming.
Once fully online, the Milford facility will be the largest non-alcoholic beer making facility in the world, capable of producing more than 6 million cases a year. A taproom for tasting the beer could open in as soon as six weeks, co-founder John Walker said.
“We’re definitely not considering this a trophy, a celebration on arrival. We’re considering a foundation for the future,” Shufelt said. “We are going to be doing bigger and bigger things. We’re changing the world, and we’re just getting going on this journey.”
Stratford-based Athletic’s new 150,000 square-foot production facility is at 75 Cascade Blvd., located in an industrial park between Interstate 95 and Oxford Road in the northeast corner of Milford.
Athletic signed a lease for the Milford property in 2021 to ramp-up capacity and keep pace with exploding demand for its growing range of booze-free beers.
Athletic’s original brewery and taproom remains open at its Stratford headquarters at 350 Long Beach Blvd., where the company launched in 2018. The company opened a West Coast production plant in San Diego in 2020.
The brand’s beers will be sold at more than 1,000 Buffalo Wild Wings locations nationwide as of this summer.
Non-alcoholic beer and “mocktails” are among the fastest growing segments of the beverage trade, according to industry reports.
Contact Liese Klein at lklein@newhavenbiz.com
