Brez

In beverage distribution news, sparkling adaptogenic tea brand Juni is now available at Kroger banner stores, as Magic Mind takes to the skies with Fiji Airways.

While industry organizations have been doing their own lobbying, over the past week several hemp THC beverage brands have jumped directly into the fray themselves with campaigns calling for supporters to pressure lawmakers to reject a proposal that would effectively outlaw intoxicating products.

Delta Beverages unveiled a new visual identity and a marketing campaign that seek to “humanize” the brand while eliminating the stigma often associated with cannabis use.

Rather than promising new-age wellness, Venice, Calif.-based cannabis brand Old Pal’s attitude is unapologetically stoner-friendly and steeped in classic Americana vibes — as seen in its Plant Potion hemp-infused drink mixes.

As it turns out, Liquid I.V.’s reveal-turned-fakeout was the brand’s way of teasing its deeper presence in the energy drink category with Energy Multiplier.

If beverage entrepreneurs somehow thought the THC drink business would be more “chill” than the non-infused side, they might soon learn a hard lesson.

Cannabis beverage brand Uncle Arnie’s is planning to nearly double its team from 40 to 75 employees after closing a $7.5 million investment round co-led by Mindset Capital and Delta Emerald Ventures.

Four years since its last release, MXXN is today marking the start of a busy summer with a new SKU — the white rum-inspired Barbados Blanco — that aims to build on the brand’s work positioning itself as a high-end THC-spirit experience, even as the category has commoditized around familiar RTD formats.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has vetoed a bill that would have banned intoxicating hemp products in the state, sending the hotly debated issue back to the Legislature through a special session tasked with producing “strict, fair and legally sustainable” regulations.

BRĒZ has launched two new hemp-derived THC SKUs and a pair of non-infused options that position the brand deeper within the growing functional and adult non-alc sets in grocery retail.

Having leveraged DTC distribution to meet the unique needs of the category, hemp brands are now facing a massive question: how to marry steady online sales with the larger opportunity within beverage-alcohol retail.

Plant-based milk brand Elmhurst 1925 is launching its three latest innovations into Whole Foods Market stores across the country; It’s been a big week for probiotic soda brand Culture Pop: along with a $15 million investment, it’s going nationwide with Target.

In this week’s new products gallery, BRĒZ gives its flagship product an extra kick, Waterloo heads to Flavortown with Guy Fieri and La Colombe pays homage to a classic summertime treat.

Hemp-derived THC brands look toward new opportunities in the Southeast and other regions of the U.S. amid elevated interest in adult non-alc options, among other distribution news.