Regardless of where you come down on the subject personally, the industry consensus is near universal: cannabinoids, in some form or another, are a major part of the future of beverages – if only consumers knew how to best use them.
That’s the puzzle that Matthew Murray is attempting to crack with Blaze n Chill, his new line of hemp-derived 2 oz. shots that seek to recontextualize THC, CBD and other lesser-known cannabinoids within the familiar context of a function-specific platform brand.
Currently availability on the company’s website, all six Blaze n Chill shots feature a blend of cannabinoids and other functional ingredients balanced to deliver a specific experience: On the ‘Blaze’ side, there’s Matcha Energy, Lion’s Focus (with Lion’s Mane mushroom) and El Jefe, countered by the ‘Chill’ group of Dreamland, Take It Easy and Lazy Dayz. Lion’s Focus and Take It Easy also come in Lite (1 mg THC) versions, and Dreamland is available in gel caps.
The names are meant to help shoppers better understand each SKU’s core proposition – focus, sleep, energy, relaxation, recovery or partying – while the bright color-wrapped packaging and icons for “Blaze” and “Chill” provide the visual appeal. A one-time purchase of a 6-pack of shots costs $49.98, with a monthly subscription discounted to $29.99 for the first order.
“The name I knew was always going to stand for the idea of doing products that can help you throughout your day,” Murray explained. “I really wanted to have something that wasn’t necessarily like health and wellness, but could give you benefits at different parts of your day, whether it’s on the ‘play’ side, with energy and focus, or the ‘chill’ side with relaxation and sleep.”
But things get more interesting with a look under the hood. Blaze n Chill’s recipes blend THC and CBD (or sometimes neither) with so-called ‘minor’ cannabinoids that users may not have seen before. Matcha Energy, for example, offsets its caffeine content with 10 mg CBG, while sleep supplement Dreamland features 10 mg CBN. THCV, intended to temper hunger and offset the “munchies” feeling, is in four out of six flavors. The complete lineup uses VESIsorb, a proprietary nutrient delivery system that enhances bioavailability, and all production is being done at Oregon-based manufacturing hub LaurelCrest.
Why shots? Murray says he explored other formats, but the versatility and ease-of-use of shots were both key since Blaze n Chill aims to encourage users to integrate each SKU daily into its related occasion. That behavior aligns with the company’s subscription model, though it is making headway at retailers in Maine, Vermont and Florida. Murray is also eyeing white space in on-premise foodservice, where he envisions the shots being used in cocktails, mocktails and smoothies.
After career stops at Oakley, Theragun (as the company’s first president) and most recently with women’s health product maker Love Wellness, Blaze n Chill represents a more personal project for Murray, who’s wife, Hillary Murray, readers may know as the founder of Lumi Juice. Murray is also a co-founder of agency 98Strong, which specializes in NIL marketing with student college athletes. For the founder, inspiration comes from long personal experience in using cannabis to treat gastrointestinal issues.
Cannabis and wellness trends have only grown more intertwined in subsequent years, but typically in formats like tinctures, salves and gel caps that offer more of a medicinal experience. While their full-size beverage counterparts gain most of the headlines, cannabis and hemp-infused shots are making headway as well, with brand’s like Uncle Arnie’s, Nowadays and CQ, among others, embracing the low-dose 2 oz. format.
“Tinctures and gummies and stuff like that are great, but to me that just screams of those early days of recreational use of these cannabinoids and I’m not really interested in those formats,” he said. “I want to put them in formats that people recognize, for people who maybe wouldn’t have tried such products [otherwise]. And now they’re hopefully going to feel that much more comfortable.”
As cannabinoids become more normalized and aligned with specific occasions, there’s evidence that consumers are finding more ways to fit them into their routines: Over 50% of cannabis users surveyed indicated that they use cannabis multiple times per day (Source: Brightfield Group Quarterly Consumer Cannabis Survey, Q1 2024). Around 52% of those surveyed said their preferred method is gummies (around 15% for drinks), suggesting there may be room for shots to find their place. Female cannabis drink consumers, a demographic that Murray is targeting, index at 51.1%, according to Brightfield data.
“As people become consumers themselves of the different products, myself and everyone in the industry are going to find out that [consumers] like it when it has a ratio of CBD and CBG with the THC, or they like it with just THC Delta-9, or they like it with THCV to suppress their appetite because they are inclined to get the munchies, or they like how CBN really helps them sleep with magnesium,” he said. “I think that it’s such early days that it’s really going to come down to the power of the consumer. Obviously, the law plays in where different states look at things differently. But I think when you look past that, it’s really going to come down to the consumer and how it makes them feel.”