Psychedelic Water Journeys into Erewhon, Foxtrot
Psychedelic Water isn’t just expanding minds, it’s expanding on store shelves as the relaxation drink brand launches in Erewhon and Foxtrot retail accounts in Los Angeles and Chicago.
Launched last year, Psychedelic Water produces a line of nonintoxicating canned drinks made with kava root, damiana leaf and green tea leaf extracts which are intended to promote “mild mind-boosting experiences.” The Toronto-based company was founded by cannabis entrepreneur Keith Stein, who was inspired by discoveries around the medicinal and therapeutic benefits of psychedelic mushrooms and other hallucinogens.
As consumers have continued to seek out relaxation in the form of CBD beverages and adaptogenic drinks, Psychedelic Water aims to create an experience adjacent to the benefits of hallucinogens but without the actual hallucinations. According to Head of Marketing Ben Rogul, the kava root promotes a “euphoric” feeling that is further enhanced by the damiana leaf, while caffeine from the green tea helps consumers from becoming too sleepy.
“We get asked a lot, you call a product psychedelic but you don’t see green fairies, it doesn’t know your face off, it’s very mild and it’s very subtle,” Rogul said. “While you don’t trip out or anything, and it doesn’t make you drunk like alcohol does, it gives you this relaxed sort of euphoric feeling and just sort of mellows you out.”
After launching in February 2021, the brand watched online sales boom in the wake of receiving heavy promotion through a viral Tik Tok video. Now, Psychedelic Water is available in over 300 retail accounts in the Los Angeles area, with premium retailers Erewhon and Foxtrot as the latest additions, Rogul noted.
“A lot of [early accounts] actually couldn’t keep product on the shelves,” Rogul said. “We tested in Shell gas stations and 7-Elevens and mom and pop shops. So we approached Erewhon and they loved the product. It fits with their branding and what they do – I mean the way we see it is they’re the cool kids. So we launched in Erewhon about three weeks ago and they also sold out and got to a reorder very quickly.”
Partnering with Foxtrot brings the brand to Chicago, with product rolling out this week. Rogul said Psychedelic Water is now in talks to test in 150 locations of a major national retailer in the coming weeks, but declined to share which.
The expansion also comes as the company introduces its latest flavor, Oolong + Orange Blossom, which joins Blackberry + Yuzu and Hibiscus + Lime. The drinks are currently available online for $33 per 6-pack of 12 oz. cans.
Spiritless Goes Nationwide with Republic National Distributing Company
Distilled non-alcoholic spirit producer Spiritless, known for its Kentucky 74 whiskey alternative brand, has signed a national partnership with beverage alcohol and CBD distributor Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC).
According to Spiritless CEO Lauren Chitwood, the partnership marks RNDC’s first nationwide distribution deal for a non-alcoholic spirits brand and comes at a time where the zero proof beverage space is rapidly growing as consumers embrace healthier lifestyles.
“Distribution is such a critical piece to the puzzle in being able to meaningfully scale,” Chitwood said. “And so we were fortunate to be introduced to RNDC and frankly it worked from many angles…. So after sharing with them our vision for the future and what we were seeing, we decided that it was a mutually beneficial opportunity that we wanted to dive into.”
Founded in 2019, Chitwood said the brand has only “meaningfully” been in the market since 2021, but has quickly built a nationwide footprint in accounts like Total Wine & More, Bevmo, Kroger, Specs and more, in addition to ecommerce.
“The low- and no-alcohol industry is booming, and that growth isn’t slowing down any time soon,” said RNDC CEO Tom Cole in a press release. “We’re proud to be on the forefront of this movement and join Spiritless – a women-owned brand we believe in wholeheartedly – in making drinking culture more inclusive.”
With RNDC, Chitwood said that Spiritless will aim to make headway in the liquor channel and go deeper in existing accounts, but also hopes to begin cracking open the on-premise channel as well through bars and restaurants.
So far, many bars and restaurants have been slow to add non-alc cocktails to their menus – which some investors in the space have suggested is a big hurdle for the growth of the non-alc spirits category. But many in the category, Chitwood in particular, are optimistic that bartenders will begin expanding their repertoire to feature more zero proof drinks and begin driving on-premise sales.
“We’ve been really fortunate that there is a growing awareness [of non-alc spirits] from buyers,” she said. “Where there was some skepticism asking ‘Is this category really going to take off?’ it’s been percolating, and I think now they’re believers, they’re buying in. So we’ve been able to be, even without the [large] distribution footprint, really bullish and really aggressive, and gain incredible placements in large accounts across the U.S.”
VYBES Boards Hudson News Trucks
As Hudson News Distributors aims to expand its roster of CBD-infused beverages in its portfolio, the New Jersey-based DSD house announced on LinkedIn that it is now servicing functional drink brand VYBES.
Hudson News services over 15,000 retail stores and operates 14 warehouse locations, with service in the New York City, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. markets.
More Distribution News from Around the Industry:
- Tchibo Coffee announced its expansion into the Southeast market with Rainmaker Food Solutions. The brand is also serviced by UNFI and SuperValu.
- Non-alcoholic, hemp-infused RTD cocktail brand jeng is expanding in Illinois and Michigan via Oath Distributing, the company announced this week.
- Recently rebranded SWAY Energy Corp. announced new distribution partnerships in Colorado, Texas and Georgia, including with Glazer’s Beer & Beverage, New Age Beverage and United Distributors of GA.