Matt McLean

Can hemp beverages be the growth vehicle the craft brewing industry needs? Riverside Beverage Company in Chattanooga, a new joint venture between Hemp Rolls and Snapdragon Cannabis, recently acquired former craft beer tanks from the now-closed Jekyll Brewing to fuel growth of their THC beverage wholesale business. It's symbolic of a new model of growth for an industry that is struggling to evolve. The company operates in the former Hutton & Smith Brewing Co. production facility outside the city, purchased by the new company. Hutton & Smith wholesale beer will continue to be produced there under agreement, and brands like Crescent Canna (pictured below) are already in production at the facility. Riverside Beverages aims to be a wholesale partner for multiple national and local THC brands, similar to the model Atlanta-based Scofflaw Beverage Co. has successfully leveraged. Scofflaw recently announced that 80% of their revenues now come from making THC drinks for brands across the U.S. #THCdrinks #beverageinnovation #hempbeverages #craftbeer #cannabis

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What makes a cannabis brand “CPG-ready”? “CPG-ready” gets thrown around a lot—and misunderstood even more. It doesn’t mean national distribution tomorrow. It means the brand can stay itself when scale, new states, and new operators start touching it. CPG-ready looks like: • A clear positioning (so every state isn’t reinventing the story) • Consistent brand architecture across markets (naming, tiers, formats, claims) • SKU discipline that protects the hero products (and kills the “nice-to-have” line extensions) • Packaging + design systems that are built to flex for compliance without breaking the brand • Brand governance: creative standards, approvals, and guardrails that keep execution tight • The operational backbone that protects the experience (QA, manufacturing, and compliance that don’t create brand damage) In emerging categories, speed gets attention. In mature categories, consistency earns trust—and trust earns valuation. The companies that understand that difference will shape the next decade. What’s the biggest thing holding your brand back from being truly CPG-ready: positioning, architecture, packaging, or SKU discipline? #cpg #cannabis #branding #brandstrategy #theclearbrands #theclearefx #twaxbytheclear

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The biggest problem within the cannabis industry is not understanding how to talk to the customer. Things the industry cares about that consumers don't: - Processing methods - Chemistry lessons about minor cannabinoids - Potency (they think they care about this but they don't, they simply want an expected outcome that isn't necessarily tied to potency) - Thinking cannabinoids are only good for getting people high Consumers don't want to get high, they want relief. Sometimes getting high provides the relief they're looking for. The future of the cannabis industry is being able to communicate with consumers the way that non-canna brands communicate. People don't buy pain cream because they understand the chemistry of the ingredients. They buy it because they believe it will deliver relief they are seeking. If this industry is going to be normalized, it needs to communicate better with consumers. Life Leaf Remedies is a cannabis brand, but my goal from Day-1 has been to make it not feel like a cannabis brand. It should feel like a non-canna brand that provides the same (but better) results people seek from non-canna products. If I have a product that can help an elder lady get better sleep, I don't want her afraid that the product is going to get her high. She doesn't know what a cannabinoid is, she just wants better sleep. If I'm wrapped around the axel about the cannabinoids in the product, I'm going to lose her because the unknown is intimidating. If I simply provide a product experience that communicates nothing but better sleep from natural ingredients, that creates a much more trustworthy path for the consumer. Cannabis products are superior to their non-canna comps. The industry needs to communicate better so the consumer can understand this too.

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