Hemp Beverage News

Craft beer has a lot to teach the hemp beverage industry about building a brand. Particularly when it comes to telling the story behind what's in the can. Breweries have spent years building relationships with local farmers, educating consumers about their ingredients, and creating communities around their products, and there's an opportunity for hemp beverages to do the same. Especially when it comes to the hemp plant itself, the farmers growing it, and the genetics and extraction methods that go into making a drink.

Our guest today is Emily Hutto, Founder & CEO of RadCraft, a PR and Marketing Agency that's spent more than 16 years working in the craft beverage industry. We talk about what hemp beverages can learn from craft beer, why farmers and ingredient sourcing deserve more attention and brand storytelling, and how companies can build a strong identity before spending money on marketing and PR.

Emily also shares great advice on reaching consumers, building email lists, and why distributors should be treated as some of your most important customers.

https://www.radcraftbeer.com/

How do you prepare your hemp beverage business for a future when you don't know what the rules will be? With federal hemp restrictions approaching and several competing proposals in Congress, companies are facing some difficult decisions about how they'll operate in the market that looks very different from the one they've known since 2018.

Direct-to-consumer sales could become far more difficult, and major banking, payroll, and payment providers have yet to publicly clarify whether they'll continue serving hemp businesses under new federal rules.

Our guest today is Terry Mendez, CEO of Safe Harbor Financial, and former CEO of the multi-state cannabis operator, Nature's Medicine. Terry brings experience from both the operating and financial side of the cannabis industry.

We discuss what could happen to the hemp beverage business model, the challenges of expanding into state-regulated cannabis markets, and how companies can make financial decisions when the rules are still being written.

https://shfinancial.org/

Developing a THC-infused beverage is a lot more involved than manufacturing a regular beverage. Everything from the emulsion and beverage formulation to the manufacturing equipment, can liners, and pasteurization process can affect the finished product.

Our guest today is Mike Hennesy, who spent 12 years at Wana Brands in product development, including work on its beverage line. Mike shares some great insights into the complexities of developing and manufacturing THC beverages, including why a formulation that works perfectly in the lab may not hold up during commercial production.

We talk about potency inconsistencies, emulsion quality, shelf life testing, and what brands need to understand about their manufacturing process. We also discuss the challenges of scaling production and his interest in developing more full-spectrum beverages using minor cannabinoids and terpenes.

Julie Rhodes, founder of Not Your Hobby Marketing Solutions, spent nearly 13 years in craft beverage sales and now works with both craft and hemp beverage brands. There's a lot that goes into building a sales strategy:

• Where are you going to sell?
• How will you work with distributors?
• Are you ready to approach chain and national accounts?
• What kind of sales team can you afford?
• How will you manage and train them?
• What sales data should you be watching?

Julie works with brands on all of this. From go-to-market and annual sales planning to distributor management, sales reps, chain programming, and data analysis.

In this episode, she walks us through what beverage brands need to think about as they build and scale their operations, including the different sales models available and how to know what makes sense for your company.

https://www.notyourhobbymarketing.com/

Our guest today is Nick Warrender. He founded Lifted Made in 2015 and has spent the past decade developing hemp-derived cannabinoid products. Most recently, he moved into beverages with Highlandia, bringing his focus on full-spectrum products into the beverage category.

Highlandia uses live resin rather than a THC isolate, preserving terpenes and other plant compounds that Nick believes contribute to a more well-rounded experience. Getting all of those compounds into a stable beverage wasn't easy and required a different approach to their emulsification and formulation process.

Nick also serves on the board of the American Healthy Alternatives Association and has been closely involved in the federal fight over the future of hemp. We talk about the challenges of formulating with live resin, why Nick sees a future for full-spectrum beverages, and what the changing hemp laws could mean for the hemp beverage supply chain.

https://urb.shop/

https://highlandia.com/

The THC beverage market is largely focused on the high and the occasion. Drinks for socializing, relaxing, or replacing alcohol, but what about a THC drink that's good for you?

Our guest today is Pat Nunn, VP of Product Development at Uprooted Extracts. A Pennsylvania company cultivating functional mushrooms, including Lion's Mane, Cordyceps, and Oyster mushrooms. We talk about what happens when you combine functional mushrooms with THC, what these ingredients can add beyond the THC experience, and the challenges of putting them into a beverage that tastes good and stays stable on the shelf.

We also get into sourcing, extraction, and whether functional ingredients could open up a new direction for THC beverages without simply adding more THC.

https://www.uprootedextracts.com/

Logan's Roadhouse, a Texas-based family-style restaurant chain with 90 locations nationwide recently launched a menu of THC-infused mixed drinks.

We sat down with Luis Haro, VP of Culinary Innovation at Logan's, to talk about the chain's THC cocktail test at 14 of its Texas restaurants. He gives us insights into who is ordering them and what they're learning about serving THC in a restaurant setting.

We also get into why Logan's chose cocktails over canned drinks, which are the best sellers, the economics behind the program, and how other restaurant and bar owners are already calling Luis to ask how it's going.

If you're a beverage company trying to get into the restaurant menu, Luis shares what gets his attention and what your product needs to bring to the table.

https://logansroadhouse.com/

How much do you really know about the THC that goes into a hemp beverage? Where was the hemp grown? What genetics produced it? And can you trace it all the way back to the field?

Our guest today is Adam Kline, President of Indiana-based Heartland Harvest, and producer of Floral THC Beverages. Adam comes from a 4th-generation farming operation, and we talk about hemp genetics, naturally derived vs converted THC, and the track-and-trace system his company developed to follow the THC in Floral Beverages all the way back to the farm.

We also get into how hemp regulations affect what farmers can grow, and the future of naturally derived THC.

https://tryfloral.com/

Our guest today is Meredith Sherman. She spent two decades in fine wine and spirits distribution, including luxury brands like Moët Hennessy. In August 2024, she left that world to found the division usa, an Atlanta-based distributor specifically for craft hemp beverage brands.

Her approach borrows directly from the luxury wine world. Instead of pushing a large portfolio through high-volume retail channels, the division usa keeps its roster small and focuses on building demand at the ground level through festivals, tastings, and hospitality events, before brands scale into wider distribution.

Meredith is here to talk about that model, the economics that trip up new founders, and what she thinks premium means for hemp beverages.

www.thedivisionusa.com

Today our guest is Ted Whitney. He has spent 20 years in the beer industry and brings that experience to Cheech & Chong's beverage brand.

In this episode, we talk about what beer can teach hemp about distribution, what it really takes to get a product on the shelf and keep it selling, and how Cheech & Chong's is approaching formulation and manufacturing. We also get into natural versus converted THC, minor cannabinoids, precision dosing, and why the company wants to be able to trace every can all the way back to the farm. Ted shares great insights into navigating the hemp beverage business from the supply chain to the retail shelf.

cheechandchong.com/collections/thc-drinks

Green Thumb Industries, Senorita Beverages are among the most popular drinks on the THC market today. The team is led by Rick Schepp, a veteran of the alcohol industry, who is opening doors to new venues for the category and industry, including Chicago's Navy Pier.

He joins the podcast to talk about their product line, why the team chose specific flavors and formats, and what it takes to work with distributors and retailers. He also shares tips for emerging brands looking to break into the space.

https://www.senoritadrinks.com/

Wynk launched its low-dose beverages in the regulated market around 2021 using its custom-made mobile canning system to be able to operate in multiple states. As the company evolved, it later entered the hemp beverage market and is now one of the top-selling brands. They are also in major retail outlets, including Target’s next expansion of THC drinks into about 400 of its stores.

Today we’re joined by Wynk CEO Angus Rittenburg, who walks us through their growth stages and how they got Wynk to where it is today.

https://drinkwynk.com/

Today's guest is David Spang, founder of Coastal Green Wellness, a chain of hemp retail stores with locations in South Carolina and Georgia.

David was one of the first entrepreneurs to open multiple hemp retail stores in South Carolina and has spent years working with lawmakers, helping educate them about the hemp industry as regulations have continued to evolve.

Today, Coastal Green offers its own line of hemp products, including Nine Dot hemp beverages, and David has been a strong advocate for building a safe, regulated marketplace for consumers and businesses alike.

In this episode, we talk about how he built his retail operation, the ongoing push for legalization and sensible regulation in South Carolina, and how his company is preparing for potential changes on November 12 that could dramatically reshape the hemp industry.

Keef Brands has been around since the early days of Colorado's medical cannabis market and was experimenting with infused beverages long before nano-emulsions changed the category.

The company is best known for its classic soda-inspired lineup, including root beer, cola, orange, and grape flavors.

Today I'm joined by Keef's Chief Revenue Officer, Blake Patterson. We talk about the company's sales strategy, how it's finding success in convenience stores, the marketing behind the brand, and what the looming November hemp ban could mean for the business and the broader beverage industry.

https://keefbrands.com

For years, Terpene Belt Farms has supplied terpenes to formulators, dating back to California's medical cannabis market. After merging with Nexus AgriScience, the company began breeding hemp varieties with specific terpene profiles for beverage formulators.

As hemp beverage brands prepare for potential regulatory changes on November 12, CEO Shareef El-Sissi believes those terpene profiles could provide an alternative approach to product development. The company has developed a single-strain hemp terpene oil and is pursuing GRAS status with the FDA; according to El-Sissi, it could help brands create beverages with a more elevated experience without relying on THC.

I sat down with Shareef to discuss how brands are preparing for a possible shift toward functional beverages, what formulators should consider when working with terpene science, and why he sees this as a potential Plan B if THC-infused beverages face new restrictions.

https://terpenebeltfarms.com

Today, we're joined by Kelsy Raap, co-owner of Upstate Elevator, a family-run company that got its start in Vermont's legal cannabis market nearly a decade ago and later expanded into hemp-derived THC beverages sold across multiple states.

Kelsy brings an herbalist's perspective to the business, always exploring how minor cannabinoids and functional botanicals can work together to create better products.

She's also deeply committed to Vermont's craft tradition, proving that it's possible to grow a company while maintaining the quality and integrity that small producers are known for.

In this episode, we explore the future of cannabis formulation, why cannabinoids like CBDA and THCV are opening new possibilities for wellness products, how functional ingredients like kava and kanna fit into the next generation of beverages, and how Upstate Elevator is preparing for the uncertainty surrounding the proposed federal hemp restrictions scheduled for November 12.

https://upstateelevator.store

Omar Ansari started Surly craft Brewery around twenty years ago in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which also boasts a large beer hall and beer garden. Like many other breweries, Omar pivoted to manufacturing THC drinks to make up for the decline in beer sales.

He shares great insights into what to look for in a manufacturer, how to find the right partnership for your business model, what could go wrong, and how to prepare to work with a manufacturer.

https://surlybrewing.com/beer-hall-and-beer-garden

Austin Stevenson has worked inside some of the most rigorous quality infrastructures.

He spent time at Eurofins Scientific, a pharmaceutical-grade testing lab, was one of the co-founders of Vertosa, a leader in cannabis infusion technology, and now leads revenue at ACT Labs.

We talk about why labs are critical R&D partners in beverage development, not just compliance checkpoints, and what can go wrong when they’re brought in too late. Austin breaks down the science behind emulsions, stability testing, packaging considerations, and the unique challenges of maintaining cannabinoid consistency and stability in water-based beverages over time.

He also shares insights on overlooked factors like can liners, oxidation, nitrogen flushing, and how added cannabinoids and functional ingredients can complicate formulation and shelf life.

https://actlab.com

Melissa VonderHaar Peretz, Managing Director of Tradeworks, is a veteran in the convenience store channel.

Tradeworks helps brands navigate distribution channels, develop in-store marketing materials tailored to each channel, and build brand kits for pitching to buyers and distributors.

Melissa brings sharp insight into the mainstream marketplace and what beverage brands need to understand to compete. She drops nuggets!

https://www.iseetradeworks.com/

Before entering cannabis in 2019, Joe Bayern spent more than 25 years in C-suite leadership across some of the biggest names in beverages, helping drive major turnarounds, global strategy, and brand-building at Snapple, Cadbury Schweppes, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, and Voss Water.

He entered cannabis after recognizing the potential of early CBD beverage trends, initially helping take a California operator public before joining Curaleaf, where he led the company through explosive expansion from roughly $250 million in revenue to more than $1.2 billion in just over two years.. After leaving Curaleaf, Bayern set out to pursue what he sees as cannabis's long-term future: an asset-light, brand-focused business model.

Most recently, he brought BellRock Brands out of receivership and is now leading its revival.

Today, we talk with Joe Bayern about how he plans to bring legacy brands like Mary's Medicinals and Dixie Elixirs back into the marketplace.