This Rochester Founder Is Brewing a New Kind of Celebration - No Alcohol Required

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — When Shelley Elkovich launched For Bitter For Worse in early 2020, she wasn’t just introducing another beverage brand, she was reimagining what it means to raise a glass. Her company, now based in Rochester, makes complex, non-alcoholic cocktails designed for people who want to celebrate without compromise.

For Elkovich, the story began with both passion and necessity. “I’ve always been the designated bartender in my friend group,” she said. “I love flavor, foraging, and crafting drinks that bring people together.” After years of making her own vermouths, bitters, and garden liqueurs in Oregon, she and her husband, Jeff Heglie, decided to channel their shared love of hospitality into a new venture.

Their inspiration came unexpectedly, on a whale-watching trip in Washington’s Salish Sea. “It was magical,” Elkovich recalled. “We saw orcas, even baby whales. I hadn’t had a drop to drink, but hours later, it felt as though I was falling-down drunk.” That surreal moment led to a diagnosis of Mal de Débarquement, a rare neurological condition that affects balance. “To protect my brain health, I had to give up alcohol,” she said.

The experience became the catalyst for For Bitter For Worse. “There were no options that pleased my palate or met my ingredient standards,” she said. “I felt excluded at social events.” Determined to change that, she and Jeff spent a year in R&D developing beverages with real ingredients and layered, cocktail-like flavor. The result: a line of adult, non-alcoholic drinks designed to make everyone feel included, whether they drink or not.

Elkovich’s background prepared her well for the challenge. A Wellesley College and Vermont College of Art alum, she’s a former writer and lifelong creative with a keen sensory awareness honed through herbalism and years of culinary experimentation. Her husband brings expertise in winemaking and fermentation, having crafted wines and ciders from abandoned orchards in Oregon. Together, they’ve built a company that bridges craftsmanship and culture.

Since launching, For Bitter For Worse has grown steadily, earning national recognition and a Grow-NY win, making it the first beverage company ever to earn that title. The company’s mission to co-create a healthier, more inclusive drinking cultureh as resonated deeply with customers. “We receive letters from people thanking us for helping them stay true to their wellness goals while still feeling included,” Elkovich said. “One of the most touching came from a woman whose husband was in hospice. Our drinks helped them continue their cocktail hour tradition. That meant everything to me.”

For Bitter For Worse is currently raising a $750,000 seed round, with over 65% of that already secured, and on tract to close the round in Q.1 of 2026. Elkovich has also become a fixture in the national entrepreneurship scene, serving as a Tory Burch Fellow and participating in programs like Stacy’s Rise (PepsiCo), Project W, Mentors + Angels, and Built Oregon.

Launching six weeks before the pandemic hit was no small feat. “The past five years have been full of challenges,” she said. “We were a bootstrapped brand in a new category, launching just before lockdown. But we learned to pivot, iterate, and stay scrappy.”

Her favorite piece of advice came not from a business mentor, but from her graduate school advisor: “Get accustomed to the discomfort.” “That’s proven indispensable as a founder,” Elkovich said. “Startup life is a rollercoaster, risk, triumph, setbacks, and instability. The stakes get higher, but discomfort is constant.”

In 2023, Elkovich and Heglie relocated their headquarters from Portland, Oregon, to Rochester after winning Grow-NY investment and touring Upstate. They fell in love with the Park Avenue neighborhood and found that Rochester offered both community and capacity. “It’s an overlooked gem,” she said. “The city has a strong food manufacturing ecosystem and a skilled labor force. Our facility here is four times the size of our previous one, and we’ve become the region’s only small-scale beverage co-packing facility filling a missing piece in the local economy.”

For Bitter For Worse now employs five people and continues to expand both its product line and contract manufacturing business. “Rochester is our new home—and eventually, the home of a global corporation,” Elkovich said. “Fee Brothers is a huge inspiration.”

For Bitter For Worse is growing at a moment when the non-alcoholic beverage category is experiencing rapid national expansion. The U.S. non-alcoholic beverages market was valued at $280.2 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow at a 7.4% compound annual growth rate through 2030, according to Grand View Research. Analysts point to ready-to-drink mocktails, functional beverages, and alcohol-free cocktail alternatives as some of the fastest-rising subcategories, driven by shifting consumer preferences toward wellness, moderation, and inclusive social experiences.

Additional research from Fortune Business Insights indicates that U.S. non-alcoholic beverage sales reached $169.5 billion in 2024 and are expected to climb to $246.9 billion by 2032, underscoring long-term demand for sophisticated, alcohol-free products. Globally, the category surpassed $1.46 trillion in 2023.

Against that backdrop, For Bitter For Worse is positioned at the intersection of culture and category momentum. As more consumers embrace “sober curious” lifestyles or simply want premium options that allow them to participate fully in social occasions, brands offering complex and thoughtfully crafted alternatives are gaining traction. For Bitter For Worse aims to meet that demand with beverages built on real ingredients, culinary depth, and a commitment to inclusive celebration.

When Elkovich is not developing new flavors or mentoring other founders, Elkovich can be found hanging at Ugly Duck Coffee, vintage shopping, or browsing the Rochester Public Market. Her local favorites include Vern’s, Leonore’s, and Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, along with fellow innovators at AltBar, Ware to Wear, and The Stella Foundation.

A lifelong storyteller, Elkovich continues to write fiction in her spare time. “I’m a writer first,” she said. “Building a brand isn’t so differentit’s about story, connection, and emotion. Our drinks just happen to be the medium.”

Fast Facts

Category	Detail
Founder	Shelley Elkovich
Company	For Bitter For Worse
Founded	2020
HQ	Rochester, NY
Industry	Consumer Products (Beverage) & Contract Manufacturing
Employees	5
Website	forbitterforworse.com
Education	Wellesley College (BA English Literature); Vermont College of Art (BFA Fiction)
Hometown	Portland, OR
Favorite Local Restaurants	Vern’s, Leonore’s, Dinosaur BBQ
Favorite Local Business	AltBar, Ware to Wear, Stella Foundation, The Little Theatre
Favorite Rochester Activity	Coffee shops, vintage stores, and the Public Market
Coffee Spot	Ugly Duck
Instagram / Facebook	@forbitterforworse
LinkedIn	Shelley Elkovich

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About the Founder Spotlight

The Connected Know Founder Spotlight is a weekly feature showcasing the entrepreneurs, innovators, and business leaders driving Rochester’s emerging economy. Each profile highlights the people behind the region’s most promising startups and growth companies offering insight into their journeys, challenges, and the ideas shaping Rochester’s business future.

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