Graham Matheos and business partner Kevin Young launched One For the Road Brewing Co a year ago  and when they first started discussing the idea of starting a non-alcoholic craft beer business, they weren’t sure if they were going to end up having to drink all the beer themselves.  However, a year later,  the Calgary-based company’s products are available in 120 retail stores, bars and restaurants, catapulting the brewers to become one of Western Canada’s largest dedicated non-alcoholic brewing companies.

“We’ve never had a sales team out there; it’s just been myself, so it’s been very organic as far as that growth goes,” Matheos said. “Our goals for the business are to keep growing and growing. Honestly, at this point I’d say the sky’s the limit.”

As they’ve set the bar high, other brewers are quickly responding, recognizing a growing market segment when they see it.  Driving this growth is the Millennial and Gen Z demographics. According to market research, 66 percent of millennials say they’re making efforts to reduce their alcohol consumption — well above the average 47 percent among all U.S. consumers 21 and older.

The trend for non-alcoholic beverages is on the rise and goes beyond just the non-beer options.  Calgary entrepreneur Jo-Anne Reynolds launched Sexy AF earlier this year, a line of handcrafted mock spirits created to be added to any alcohol-free cocktail of your choice.

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