Seniors Rustin Khazravi and Rohan McEligot are the people behind the eminent “Nuts and Beer” T-shirts and tank tops seen around UHS. 

Despite the booming popularity of the brand, few people know of its origins or the significance that the phrase holds to the duo. Throughout their sophomore year, Khazravi and McEligot joked about going to a pub in England in their mid-twenties to support a soccer team while drinking beer and eating nuts. They began to call each other: “Nuts and Beer.” The joke has stuck with them ever since.

In September of 2021, Khazravi proposed an idea to make a brand out of “Nuts and Beer.” McEligot later agreed to the project, and the two began their work together. They had both been intrigued by the idea of making something that would be remembered past their high school years.

“We wanted to be different. We just want to make a brand and for everyone to know about us,” Khazravi said.

The duo initially spread the word about their brand through social media and word of mouth in order to gauge potential interest. After garnering a pre-order list of over 100 students and even faculty members, Khazravi and McEligot decided to formally begin making shirts and tops.

Often meeting as early as 5 AM in various coffee shops to develop the brand, Khazravi and McEligot put in significant time to start Nuts and Beer. The process included finding wholesale retailers, choosing embroiderers, and discussing the overall vision for the brand.

“It was a really big learning process,” McEligot said. Prior to this venture, the two had no experience as entrepreneurs and they had no help with building Nuts and Beer.

After nearly a month of work, the two released the first batch of shirts for the brand on October 8, 2021, but not everything went smoothly. Khazravi and McEligot experienced confusion about orders and payments and push-back from school administration against the distribution of their shirts in the Senior lot.

UHS administration has consistently pushed back against Nuts and Beer from its initial release, with many students being dress coded for the shirts or tops due to its violation of the Trojan Code of Conduct. Some students across campus have stopped wearing the brand for fear of being dress coded, while others continue to display their support.

Nevertheless, the inevitable challenges Khazravi and McEligot faced have helped prepare them for their upcoming Winter 2021 launch. The two remark how the past few months have given them a better understanding of how they can train employees when they decide to expand the company.

In the near future, the duo plans to expand around Orange County and bring Nuts and Beer to their respective colleges, using college networking tools to broaden the brand. Khazravi plans to pursue an Engineering degree while McEligot plans to divide his time between soccer and earning a Bachelor of Business.

Khazravi and McEligot have made waves, and their work as early entrepreneurs does not seem to be stopping anytime soon.