Naperville’s Go Brewing has found its niche by tapping into an audience that craves beer flavor and wants non-alcoholic – Chicago Tribune

jobs: go to brew

address: 1665 Quincy Avenue, Naperville

Phone/Website: 630-864-5258, www.gobrewing.com

Founder/Partner: Joe Chula of Naperville, 45. Bruce Etskorn of Manhattan, 47. Wheaton’s James Bigler, 39

Years in business: Open in October

what does your business do? “We are a non-alcoholic brewery with a taproom. We also sell online and wholesale,” Chura says.

Why we named it Go Brewing “We all want to take a step in a positive direction.”

What gave you this idea? “My wife and I gave up alcohol for 75 days at the end of 2020. We felt like gluttons and took on this challenge. A lot less and I feel better…. When I went out to dinner, there was no place that didn’t revolve around alcohol.It was a big a-ha moment….I I wrote a business thesis that says you can sell beer online, have a taproom, and wholesale.”

What is your favorite story? “A gentleman has been sitting here for over an hour. He looked at me like I was crazy. …I pointed to the notice board and realized he thought he was in Solemn Oath (Brewery) who shared the parking lot. I asked him if it tasted bad. He said, “No, it tastes like Hazy IPA.” I asked, “Why do you need alcohol?” “I don’t know,” he said. …Instead of leaving, he said her “I’ll invite her friend here to see if she notices.” She shows up and orders a beer. They were here for two hours. ”

How are you doing? “This month we doubled the sales of the previous month. Dry January has been great for us. Business is exceeding expectations. people gathered. They subscribe to daily text messages and motivation. get a discount “

Do you sell to alcoholics? “We don’t want to sell to alcoholics because there are all sorts of reasons people don’t drink,” says Bigler. “We are inviting everyone who wants to try this. Some people don’t drink alcohol or are on medication for health reasons.”

How did you get involved? “I saw a post from Joe looking for a head brewer to help with this idea. opened in

how did you prepare? “We’ve been brewing batches for a year in Joe’s garage, testing a few things. We try to produce only beer with low alcohol content.Because we only produce beer with about 0.45% alcohol content, we can say it is non-alcoholic…. We use the traditional yeast that everyone uses…. There isn’t much fermentable sugar, so you don’t need as much yeast.”

what do you like most? “It’s hard to pinpoint one thing,” Chula said. “People who realize we are helping, we are so pleasantly surprised to be able to meet their needs. That is a big driver. From idea to creation is amazing. The idea to make it will debut on St. Paddy’s Day.”

How about wholesale business? “That’s good. So far, almost all of our business has been in stores or on our website. Other breweries carry our products. Our beer is located in downtown Chicago.” Available at Solemn Oath, Hog Butcher (For the World), and Empire in downtown Naperville, more and more people are realizing that people want choice.”

And online sales? “Great. Biggest growth engine ever. Nationwide. Mainly East Coast. New York. New Jersey. Washington DC We have orders every day.

Were you surprised? “Yes and no. What I’m really happy about is our product. I think we have the best NA beer on the planet.”

“I thought it would take me a long time to get there. Our eight beers are second to none. Our package manager James (Bigler ) and Michael (Stahulak).”

What is the price here? “Most of our beers are $7.”

Can I buy beer with alcohol here? “You can. It just doesn’t work.”

Any advice for people starting a business? “Find something that doesn’t feel like a job. It’s just this. It’s so much fun that you’re addicted to what you’re doing. Second, know that great things don’t come easy. And, The idea is much easier than the execution.”

If you know a business you’d like to feature on Down to Business, please contact Steve Metsch. metschmsfl@yahoo.com.

Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.