No Wasted Days

We’re thrilled to announce our latest investment out of LVIII in Go Brewing — a vertically integrated beverage innovation platform based right here in Naperville, IL. Founded in 2023, Go Brewing is a leading brand in the non-alcoholic (NA) beer category that has scaled rapidly in direct and wholesale channels.

Go Brewing is a perfect example of our investment thesis to back consumer-obsessed entrepreneurs building brands at the tipping point of behavior shifts. Inspired by his own changing relationship with alcohol, Joe Chura founded Go Brewing as a trusted brand for beer enthusiasts who seek moderation and are unwilling to compromise on taste or quality. Joe is a dynamic entrepreneur who previously founded and bootstrapped Dealer Inspire to a $200M exit to Cars.com.

Go has struck a chord with beer enthusiasts; delivering 20+ new flavors and winning a Gold and Silver Medal in the Best of Craft Beer Awards. This success is happening against the backdrop of one of the biggest tipping points in consumer behavior: the shift toward owning your own health through everyday lifestyle choices — often including a changing relationship with alcohol.

Our Food as Medicine research revealed that consumers are embracing moderation — eating less sugar and more protein, drinking more water and less alcohol, exercising more and sitting less. But as the insights also illustrate, embracing moderate consumption is easier said than done. Customers told us that they don’t want to “feel like crap” the next morning, they want to consume THC without getting cross-faded, they want to navigate pregnancy and breast-feeding, they strive for Dry January and want to drive home safely — just to name a few.

This trend, coupled with increasing ingredient innovation, is driving substantial growth in the non-alcoholic (NA) beer market, which is projected to grow in the US from $4.1B in 2024 to $5.0B by 2028. While still nascent compared to Europe, where NA beer comprises about 10% of the total beer market, it is positioned for significant growth. The US market is seeing a burgeoning transformation from traditional NA brands that targeted older, sober consumers to newer entrants appealing to younger, health-conscious individuals looking to moderate their alcohol intake without sacrificing the traditional beer taste and experience.

As detailed in our 2022 deep dive, we identified taste, distribution, and customer delight through product variety and brand engagement as the key ingredients for success in this category. We also observed the inherent challenges for startup beverage brands: manufacturing is capital intensive and therefore favors a co-packed strategy, which limits both innovation and margin. Go has invested materially in its owned manufacturing, which ensures both quality and rapid product deployment and the headstart Go has on this infrastructure was a critical factor in our investment decision.

The moment we stepped foot into their state-of-the-art brewery and taproom, we could feel how every element of the Go experience has been designed with a lens toward consumer obsession and brand devotion. Leveraging his experience at Dealer Inspire, Joe adopted a digital-first approach unique to the beer category — driving brand and retail awareness through “liquid billboards” and loyalty through their online beer club. The company’s “No Wasted Days” brand strategy is on point and resembles the culture Joe has built at Go Brewing.

And they’ve bolstered their production capacity through a joint venture with Noon Whistle Brewing.

We are eager to back brands that allow consumers to participate in the rituals they love without sacrifice. This spirit led us to invest in the tobacco-alternative Black Buffalo, and it fuels our conviction in Go Brewing. For those looking to get their hands on a few cold ones, you can find Go Brewing at most Chicago-based Binny’s, Mariano’s, Whole Foods, and Jewel Osco stores. If you’re local to Chicago, stop by their brewery in Naperville to enjoy a cold one.