Emree Woods didn’t set out to start a non-alcoholic beer company but, when pregnant in 2017, the Marietta, Georgia resident noticed there just weren’t a lot of great options for a decent replacement. She and her husband had always enjoyed going to breweries, but being pregnant (and not being able to drink) took some of the fun out of the experience.
So, this seasoned entrepreneur, whose background includes stints at her family’s steel manufacturing company as well as at a 3D printing start-up, set out to “right” what she perceived as a wrong.
“I’ve always worked in small businesses and I always wanted to start my own,” she said. “But I hadn’t found the idea that felt like the right one until Rightside.”
Started in 2020, Rightside Brewing embodies a lot. “Being on the Rightside of your health and happiness, for example,” suggested Woods.
Five percent of profits are donated to sobriety related causes. Rightside also supports the Giving Kitchen, a local charity in Georgia that supports restaurant workers seeking pandemic recovery.
“I always wanted there to be a social mission to any company I started. It was important to make that a part of who we are from the beginning,” she said. “The pandemic shed light on mental health, created more of an open discussion surrounding it…and I think it was important for us to contribute to that.”
Rightside is also all about taste and creating a drink that delivers the beer experience without the alcohol. According to the website, the secret lies in their technology. A majority of non-alcoholic beers use heat to remove the alcohol, which as a result distorts the taste of the product. Rightside, instead, uses an advanced filtration that cycles water and alcohol through, leaving a true beer flavor and lasting impressions.
Currently, there’s an IPA with a tropical fruit-filled fusion of pineapple, orange, citrus and slight malt, as well as a Citrus Wheat with notes of fresh tangerine juice, banana and a hint of spice. Both were released in January 2020. Woods is also working on a new IPA which will come out in 2023 or 2024 and hopes to have a more seasonal assortment available in the future.
She’s proud of her progress so far, as well as of her team, a majority of which are mothers. She also hopes that, one can at a time, she can help shed light on people’s mindsets towards healthy living.
“There’s a growing mindfulness around alcohol,” she said. “Just like food, it’s good to have a healthier choice for people. Folks are willing to pay more attention to how much they’re drinking, and I believe there’s a ton of opportunity in this category.”
In other words, stay tuned.
AUTHOR
Victoria Pardo is a practicing historic preservationist for FEMA with a dual interest in food and architecture. She earned her master’s in Historic Preservation from Columbia University, and enjoys consulting with historic sites and house museums, finding ever-changing ways to interpret food history. She has worked in the restaurant industry since the age of 16. She spends most of her time between Nantucket Island, MA, and Maine, working on her website, Food and Architecture, sharing stories, recipes and travel recommendations.
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