JONATHAN BUFORD is the CEO and founder of Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company.  He grew up in Ohio and moved to Arizona 2002 when he drove his rusted-out 1988 Chevy Nova out West to explore the vast Arizona landscapes.  He launched his first business, a window cleaning company, out of his garage in 2006.  In 2010, while backpacking through the Arizona wilderness, Jonathan was inspired to take his interest in craft brewing to the next level to start his own brewpub.  He orchestrated a successful Kickstarter campaign to obtain the necessary capital, and opened the Arizona Wilderness Brewpub in Gilbert, Arizona in 2013 as the very first brewery in the region. 

Starting with just nine employees, Arizona Wilderness found quick success, growing rapidly and securing rave reviews from the likes of Esquire Magazine, The Phoenix New Times, Phoenix Magazine, Draft, Beer Advocate, and Sunset.  Arizona Wilderness was even named “The Best New Brewery in the World” in 2013 by Ratebeer.com.  

Today, Arizona Wilderness has more than 160 employees and operates the original Gilbert brewpub, a European inspired beer garden in downtown Phoenix, a production brewery and tavern in Phoenix’s Miracle Mile neighborhood and warehouse production and barrel-aging facility.   Arizona Wilderness continues to celebrate hand crafted, artisanal beers that are inspired by the beautiful and diverse state of Arizona, and is consistently rated the best brewery in Arizona and among the top 100 breweries worldwide (out of nearly 20,000 total breweries).  Arizona Wilderness also receives regular acclaim for its food, including being  named one of the top 100 restaurants in Phoenix by AZcentral.com.

In addition to providing world class food and drink, Jonathan and his business partner Patrick Ware use their passion for the outdoors to continually drive improvements in Arizona Wilderness’ impact on its community.   Jonathan and Patrick have driven initiatives to: (1) save huge amounts of water from the Verde River (more than 320 million gallons) by transitioning the brewery’s base malt to Sinagua Malt (which replaces heavy water use crops such as corn and alfalfa with barley in the Verde River Valley); (2) drastically reduce landfill usage by utilizing recyclable and compostable materials wherever possible; and (3) support local farmers and vendors by consistently seeking out local partners for all menu items, including exclusively offering 100% Arizona raised beef at the Wilderness locations. 

Jonathan also pursues a career in capturing Arizona landscape photography. He authored, “Arizona Wilderness: A Celebration of Arizona’s Most Pristine Paces” documenting all 90 Arizona Wilderness areas in a 368 page hardcover book.  The book was published by Arizona Highways Magazine, which he frequently contributes photographically to the magazine. 

In the future, Jonathan looks forward to continuing to grow Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company to have a tangible, long-term, positive impact on Arizona and its communities through his business endeavors and outdoor adventures.