Levia Seltzer co-founder Troy Brosnan is joining Rhode Island-based cannabis and hemp processor Monarch Emulsions to launch Monarch Beverage, a vertically integrated turnkey service provider.
Monarch Beverage offers “turnkey solutions to design, develop, and deploy infused and non-alcoholic” CPG, according to a press release Tuesday morning.
“I couldn’t be more excited to partner with the Monarch Emulsions team and launch Monarch Beverage,” said Brosnan, who has been named CEO of the new company.
Brosnan notched an early category success story with Levia, the Massachusetts-based brand of low-dose THC-infused flavored seltzers launched in 2021. After less than a year on the market, multistate cannabis operator Ayr Wellness acquired Levia for $60 million, touting the brand as one of four “national power brands” within Ayr’s CPG strategy.
Since moving on from Levia, Brosnan has been consulting with THC-infused beverage brands across the U.S.
“We have a group of partners that all bring key areas of expertise within the cannabis and beverage space to our vertically-integrated operation,” said Brosnan. “With such a massive boom in hemp-infused, non-alc, and functional beverages, we now have a collective venture that can provide unparalleled, cost-effective solutions to new, emerging, and established legacy brands.”
Monarch Emulsions has sought to position itself as a supplier for beverage brands in the Northeast following the explosion of hemp-derived Delta-9 THC drinks. Massachusetts-based The Drinkable Company uses Monarch’s emulsions in its various beverages.
Monarch has two licensed manufacturing sites for hemp-derived products in Rhode Island and Michigan. In California, it holds a license for production and distribution in the regulated cannabis channel.
“This is more than a beverage service provider – it’s a statement,” said Derek Gould, CMO at Monarch Beverage. “Monarch represents a bold new direction for the hemp, cannabis and non-alc industry – where innovation, originality, and a cost-effective approach to beverage manufacturing align. With the addition of Troy, we’ve created an entity that can alleviate [a] lack in quality and efficiencies, as well as the cost burdens all brands – whether a startup or post-revenue – are currently enduring.”