CBD sparkling water maker Sweet Reason is expanding its platform as a relaxation-driven beverage brand with today’s launch of Evening Blend, a new line of adaptogen-infused beverages containing 30 mg of broad spectrum hemp CBD per bottle.
In addition to CBD, each of Evening Blend’s three varieties — Peach Jasmine, Plum Blush and Citrus Spice — contains a blend of adaptogens including L-theanine, ginseng and ashwagandha. The drinks are lightly sweetened with organic honey and are currently available in 12 oz. bottles for $44.99 per 6-pack through the brand’s website, while SRP for individual units in retail have yet to be determined.
Though Sweet Reason remains focused on the hemp and CBD beverage category, founder and CEO Hilary McCain told BevNET that Evening Blend is positioned as an alcohol alternative that is best consumed at night. To ensure the product’s effects are felt, McCain said the line uses “therapeutic” doses of its adaptogenic blend so consumers will notice a non-intoxicating feeling of relaxation. As well, the beverages are designed to provide a richer, more robust flavor profile.
McCain cited the rise of “sober-curious consumers,” as well as millennials who are reducing alcohol due to health concerns, as an opportunity for Sweet Reason to attract new customers. Sweet Reason is also not the first CBD beverage brand to pitch the cannabinoid as an alternative to liquor: last year, California-based Proposition Cocktail Co. launched a line of non-alc mocktails containing 15 mg of hemp CBD.
“If you look at the alcohol alternatives space, what’s so interesting is that most of them replace the taste of alcohol, but not the effect of alcohol,” McCain said. “We thought there was clearly an opportunity for a higher dose CBD beverage to play a role in replacing both that cocktail taste experience as well as the unwinding relaxing effect of alcohol.”
The brand has upgraded its direct-to-consumer platform to support the launch, updating its website and moving warehouses in order to meet growing demand, McCain said.
Sweet Reason’s core sparkling water line has also received a makeover. After numerous tweaks to the product over the course of 2019 — including upping the CBD dosage for each unit to 10 mg per 12 oz. bottle and switching to resealable caps — the company revamped its labels this summer in a move to help the product better stand out on shelf. McCain noted the brand’s previous clear glass packaging often led to the product being lost within functional beverage sets in retail, while the new packaging “pops” by adding more color and bringing the illustrations on the label to the forefront.
The company has also dropped the price of its core line from $6.99 per bottle to $5.99, bringing the product to a “middle to average” SRP for the CBD beverage category, McCain said.
Sweet Reason is currently available in about 800 retail stores nationwide, with DSD distribution through LA Distributing in California and Big Geyser in New York. The company also has 14 full-time employees, whom McCain said have been tasked with managing increased demand as consumers seek out ways to relax during the pandemic.
“People are more stressed than ever,” she said. “There’s definitely more pressure on the team today [to perform], but now they are really rising to the top.”