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Best Day Brewing, the Bay Area-based NA beer brand launched by Tate Huffard in 2021 after yrs of tinkering, is one of the larger boats being still lifted by the rising tide of non-alc beer in the US. The co has grown rapidly in four yrs, having produced 1.5K bbls in 2022, 13K in 2023 and 29K in 2024, per BA estimates, with prexy Jane Armstrong Hockman telling CBN last wk that co's output tripled over the last 18 mos. That puts it over 50K bbls in 2025, we estimate, up more than 70% vs yr ago. This makes Best Day the clear #2 pure play NA beer brand in the US behind Athletic (at 500+K bbls), among top growth companies in all of craft, and a top 15 non-alc beer brand fam overall by $$ in natl scans. Co continues to expand both inside and out, moving further into grocery stores including Whole Foods, where Jane said it has 90% coverage and where they'll have endcaps for its Hazy IPA and K&ouml;lsch for Dry January. Internally, they're continuing to staff up, with brand strategist Armand Parra and BeatBox veteran Hannah Swanson joining the co in the last coupla weeks, CBN reports. Jane said the pair has "hit the ground running" as co takes a hard look "at how the consumer is engaging with the category." Recall, similar to other leaders in the category, Tate's vision for Best Day has long been that of a complement to the traditional beer drinking routine, not a wholesale replacement, having cited his own fondness for switch drinking/zebra striping as founding idea for the co (see Apr 24, 2023 issue)."If you look at the trend and how this behavior has evolved, 92% of the people drinking NA beer are still drinking," Tate told CBN. At a time when there are "all of these different things coming together to shape what that future of drinking looks like," he has found that "the majority of growth is coming from fresh occasions" and "new opportunities to enjoy beer." He said people aren't giving up traditional beer but are "swapping out water" to enjoy NA's, which remain one of the few reliable growing categories in beer, having grown 22% in YTD $$ sales in Circana MULC scans thru Nov 2.The co is well-capitalized, having taken in $32.8 mil over 6 rounds since Feb 2022, per Tracxn, most recently having raised $5 mil, albeit of an intended $25 mil, in Aug thru a Series B (per SEC filing). Jane wouldn't confirm co's funding figures, but said she was proud that "we have a strong board and strong cap table, and many of our investors come back round for round." As co moves further into national chains, Jane said they're "leaning heavy into variety packs" to emphasize that "it's a brand about options. It wasn't about what you had to take away. It's about what you get to do." Tate said the best place to see the "real-time" shift toward NA in action is on premise, where it's a "win-win-win" proposition for consumers, retailers and distributors.While K&ouml;lsch and Hazy remain co's bestsellers, its Electro-Lime chelada-inspired brand has continued to gain traction this yr, up triple digits in NIQ $$ and vol scans thru Nov 1 as it chases down the top dogs. Co also announced last mo that it was releasing a limited-edition Mexican-style dark lager called Dark Diamond, with all proceeds of sales going to Protect our Winters, an outdoor movement for climate action. Tate called it his favorite of co's beers, displacing the OG K&ouml;lsch and showing how "we've come a long way since I've been telling this story" and investors "looked at me like I had three heads&hellip;.We've come a long way since I've been telling this story."

Best Day's Best Year: #2 Pure Play NA Brand Could Hit 50K Bbls in '25, Brings on 2 New Execs, Expanding Nationally in Grocery, Outgrowing Segment By 3x

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