Hemp Beverage Alliance in Beverage Daily
We got a nice mention about our newly formed board of directors. Read the story here.
Hemp Beverage Alliance in Forbes
Industry leader Bob Hoban analyzed the state of cannabis in Forbes and gave us a nice shout out. Read the whole thing here.
HEMP BEVERAGE ALLIANCE ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL FESTIVAL AND CONFERENCE
The Hemp Beverage Alliance announced the first-ever Hemp Beverage Festival & Conference to be held on June 7th & 8th in Minneapolis.
THE FESTIVAL - SATURDAY, JUNE 8
The Festival is open to the public and will celebrate the category with music, food, and the opportunity to sample hemp-derived THC drinks from more than 30 companies. Guests will have the chance to meet the people behind the brands and learn how hemp beverages are made.
The Festival will take place on Saturday, June 8th from 1-6 pm at Minneapolis Cider Co., 701 SE Ninth Street, Minneapolis, MN 55414. Tickets are $40-$50.
Hemp beverages are non-alcoholic drinks infused with THC derived from hemp. Minnesota was the first state to create a regulated marketplace for hemp beverages. The response from consumers has been nothing short of amazing.
"Low-dose hemp beverages provide adults with a delightful alternative to alcohol," said Christopher Lackner, president of the Hemp Beverage Alliance. "This Festival will showcase more than 30 Hemp Beverage Alliance brands that are creating the highest quality, tastiest and most exciting drinks in the category."
THE CONFERENCE - FRIDAY, JUNE 7
The Conference will precede the festival and bring together brands, supply chain members, retailers, distributors, regulators and other stakeholders to better understand this rapidly expanding category. The Conference will include discussions with retailers and distributors who currently sell these products, presentations from regulatory experts, product sampling, and networking to help create stronger relationships up and down the supply chain.
"Minnesota is the center of the THC drinks universe. There's no better place to bring the industry together to learn how to expand hemp beverages into all 50 states," said Jason Dayton, owner of Minneapolis-based hemp beverage brand Trail Magic and Minneapolis Cider Co. "On behalf of the dozens of Minnesota brands, supply chain partners, distributors and retailers, we welcome you to the future of drinking."
The Conference will take place Friday, June 7th and is not open to the general public. More information at hempbeveragealliance.org/conference.
ABOUT
The mission of the Hemp Beverage Alliance is to create a safe and thriving industry through education, advocacy, best practices and partnership. We achieve this mission by providing consumers, retailers, and distributors with the information they need to better understand the industry; developing best practices to create consistency in labeling and manufacturing; working with elected officials and regulators to encourage common-sense regulation; and collaborating with cannabis and alcohol industries to create a marketplace that benefits everyone. More at hempbeveragealliance.org.
Hemp Beverage Alliance in Cannabis Regulator
Our inaugural festival is getting some traction across news outlets like Cannabis Regulator. Read the story here.
Hemp Beverage Alliance announces inaugural Board of Directors
The Hemp Beverage Alliance today announced the formation of its inaugural board of directors.
"The Hemp Beverage Alliance is honored to have the strongest leaders in the industry on our board. Each one of them is committed to creating a safe, transparent and thriving hemp beverage industry, and elevating the category into the mainstream," said Christopher Lackner, president and CEO.
Founded in 2023, the Hemp Beverage Alliance is the trade association of the burgeoning hemp beverage industry. With more than 180 members in the United States and Canada, the Alliance works with brands, retailers, and distributors to create a self-regulated industry that restricts hemp beverages to adults, establishes reasonable serving size standards, requires strong testing for cannabinoids and contaminants, and creates labeling standards to empower consumers to make informed choices.
The Hemp Beverage Alliance board of directors includes:
Mike Colich, co-founder & president, North Canna Co.
Lisa Hurwitz, co-founder & president, Happi
David Knight, president & CEO, Jones Soda
Andrew Lee, chief legal officer, Cheech & Chong's Global Holdings
Art Massolo, vice president of business development, Cycling Frog
Glenn McElfresh, co-founder, Plift
Adam Terry, CEO & co-founder, Cantrip
Ted Whitney, head of sales, Squared
Pierce Wylie, co-founder, Rebel Rabbit
"The Hemp Beverage Alliance is building a foundation of quality, safety, self-regulation and responsibility that will allow this industry to thrive in coming years," said Ted Whitney, board chairman. "On behalf of all the board members, we look forward to working with stakeholders from every sector to make hemp beverages as ubiquitous as beer, wine, and hard seltzer."
The Hemp Beverage Alliance will be at Benzinga Capital Conference on April 16-17 in Fort Lauderdale, and the Craft Brewers Conference & Expo on April 21-24 in Las Vegas.
ABOUT
The mission of the Hemp Beverage Alliance is to create a safe and thriving industry through education, advocacy, best practices and partnership. We achieve this mission by providing consumers, retailers, and distributors with the information they need to better understand the industry; developing best practices to create consistency in labeling and manufacturing; working with elected officials and regulators to encourage common-sense regulation; and collaborating with cannabis and alcohol industries to create a marketplace that benefits everyone. More at hempbeveragealliance.org.
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Hemp Beverage Alliance in Cannabis Products Insider & MG Magazine
The announcement of our new board of directors got some attention this week. Read all about us at Cannabis Products Insider and MG Magazine.
UPDATE: Craft Brewing Business too!
Leveling up with Gary and Jill
Alliance member Brian Hart was interviewed on the “Leveling up with Gary and Jill” podcast and gave us a nice shout out at the 17 minute mark. Give the whole thing a listen here.
Hemp Beverage Alliance in MJ Biz Daily
We had a chance to talk with Chris Roberts of MJ Biz Daily back in January. These days, we’re a little more confident about the state of the Farm Bill, and certainly just as bullish on the category.
Mary B. of Pharos highlighted the potential of the market and the dedication HBA members have to making the industry succeed:
Bernuth’s Pharos Brands was one of 30 hemp-derived THC beverage companies at the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America’s January expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
According to the Hemp Beverage Alliance, hemp drink companies took up as much as 10% of the floor.
“We’re killing it here,” Bernuth told MJBizMagazine from the bustling convention hall.
Things went so well that she’s banking on contributing to a movement as well as running a successful business.
“We want to mainstream this,” she said. “We feel hemp beverages are an essential piece of destigmatizing THC.”
Read the whole article at MJBizDaily.
Hemp Beverage Alliance in Shanken News
Our good friends (and Alliance members) Cantrip recently gave us a nice shout-out in Shanken News Daily. From the article:
“We belong to a group called Hemp Beverage Alliance (HBA). We want to create internal standards within the industry such that you can trust a product. The HBA is only going to work with people who are trying to produce these products safely and transparently. The law is not settled in a lot of places, so we want to talk about advocacy. Consumer safety, efficacy, and education are three of the most important tenets of this to make sure that we’re producing to the same quality standards that someone might in a dispensary.”
Hemp Beverage Alliance spills the THC
Daniel Crocker asked the question: “How can cannabis beverages be safely and effectively regulated?” He got answers from the Cannabis Beverage Association, Hemp Beverage Alliance and Minnesota retailer Hemp House.
TL/DR is that there are a lot of good companies out there who want a safe, regulated, thriving industry. And all of them are ready to work together to make it happen.
Read the whole thing at Spill The THC.