Meet Dean Peterson | Co-founder Burden of Proof

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dean Peterson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dean, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I had to quit drinking in 2022 when I was diagnosed with a serious heart condition. At the same time, my partner Obreanna was experimenting with “sober curiosity” and observing the benefits of a life with less alcohol. Just because we stopped drinking didn’t mean we wanted to give up being social, though. I was afraid I’d be relegated to a life of just drinking water or diet soda at parties and social events, so was thrilled to discover Athletic Brewing’s non-alcoholic beer. That served for an entry point to a whole world of delicious and exciting NA beverages—beers, wine, spirits, and more—that didn’t compromise on taste. These weren’t very widely available at the time though, so we had to scour the city to find what we were looking for; even then it took a lot of trial and error to figure out which products and combinations we liked. When we moved from Brooklyn to LA in 2023, we had the idea of opening the kind of shop that we wished existed when we began our non-alcoholic journey: a one-stop-shop for all things non-alcoholic, with a focus on education and community.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Obreanna and I both come from a production background. I’m a filmmaker who has directed three feature films and created videos for Vox, BBC, CNBC, and Condé Nast. Obreanna has worked as a producer for her entire career, and still has a day job as the Executive Producer at a tech company. The funny thing about production is that it requires you to wear so many hats: decision maker, team builder, problem solver, negotiator, creative, project manager, the list goes on. While neither of us have experience starting a business, I think a lot of the same skills translate to entrepreneurship. After 15+ years as production professionals, there’s also huge appeal in building something of our own, even if it means being complete beginners again. In fact, that’s part of the appeal — we were both ready for and excited about a new challenge. It feels like being a kid again.

We want Burden of Proof to be a place of discovery and play for our customers too. There’s so much to learn in this space, and the shopping and tasting experience should be just as fun, social, and rewarding as the alcoholic version. We’re not about strict abstinence or telling folks what they should or shouldn’t do; in fact, 94% of people who buy NA still drink. We’re here to celebrate choice, especially for folks who thought maybe their only option would be diet soda or water.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Our perfect LA weekend itinerary starts at Donut Friend in Highland Park, for a box of delicious vegan donuts. Then we pop down the street to Regency Coffee. Their coffee is some of the best in the city and there are always adorable dogs in the shop. We spend the afternoon hiking in Griffith Park, catch a star show at the observatory (its even cooler than it sounds!), and then head to All Time for a late lunch. We end the day by catching a movie at the Vista is Los Feliz. The next day starts with vegan brunch at Just What I Kneaded in Frogtown, and then a bike ride along the river path. Next we head to Suay’s incredible new recycling and reuse center in the Arts District (no trip is complete without dropping off some clothes for the community dye bath). Then back to Highland Park for dan dan noodles at Joy, followed by NA beers at Barcade and a few rounds of Tapper.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Minus Moonshine is the non-alcoholic bottle shop in Brooklyn that first introduced us to the world of delicious and refined NA beverages. They’ve built a welcoming community space and curated an incredible selection—we appreciate Minus Moonshine for educating so many people about this this, and showing us an indie bottle shop can be!

Website: https://www.burdenofproofna.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/burdenofproofna/?hl=en

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@burdenofproofna