"Pouring Potential: Unleashing the Magic of Cannabis Beverages" The President and chair of the Cannabis Beverage Association and VP of Marketing & Business Development, Diana Eberlein, joins Kyra Reed to discuss the often overlooked category of cannabis beverages and her passion for changing that. She shares her personal journey of discovering and embracing cannabis beverages as a low-dose, approachable option for managing anxiety and social experiences. Diana highlights the challenges in popularizing this category among consumers who are not already familiar with cannabis products and explains the potential impact of hemp-derived Delta-9 THC (Hempty Nine) beverages in states like Minnesota, where they can be enjoyed alongside alcohol beverages in social settings. Produced By PodConx
"Pouring Potential: Unleashing the Magic of Cannabis Beverages"
The President and chair of the Cannabis Beverage Association and VP of Marketing & Business Development Sorse Technology, Diana Eberlein, joins Kyra Reed to discuss the often overlooked category of cannabis beverages and her passion for changing that. She shares her personal journey of discovering and embracing cannabis beverages as a low-dose, approachable option for managing anxiety and social experiences. Diana highlights the challenges in popularizing this category among consumers who are not already familiar with cannabis products and explains the potential impact of hemp-derived Delta-9 THC (Hempty Nine) beverages in states like Minnesota, where they can be enjoyed alongside alcohol beverages in social settings.
Kyra Reed - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyrareed/
Women Leading in Cannabis - https://podconx.com/podcasts/women-leading-in-cannabis
Diana Eberlein - https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-eberlein/
Sorse Technology - https://sorsetech.com/
Cannabis Beverage Association - https://cannabisbeverageassociation.org/
Women in Cannabis Mentoring Program - https://hopin.com/events/roadmaptofunding/registration
[00:00:00] Cannabis beverages seem to be the forgotten category of consumables. Our guest today is committed to changing that, and in this episode, you'll learn about why this vertical of products could become your favorite way to take your cannabis. Welcome back to Women Leading in Cannabis, where we get real about what it takes for women to raise money in the cannabis industry.
You can find us on the PodConnects Network, on iTunes, Spotify, and Pandora. I'm your host, Kira Reid. If you like what you hear, subscribe to Women Leading in Cannabis and leave us a good review. We'd really appreciate it. I want to give a shout out to our patrons, the Panther Group, for their ongoing support of women in cannabis and their mission to close the funding gap women face when it comes to raising capital.
Thank you for supporting this podcast and women employed in cannabis. All [00:01:00] right, welcome to the show, Diana. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Uh, quick note, Diana, do you pronounce it Eber lean or Eber lane? Eber line, but honestly no one ever gets it right, so I just answer to whatever. Okay, alright. Diana Eberlein is currently the VP of Marketing and Business Development at Source Technology.
She is a Forbes Agency Council member, a recipient of the 40 Under 40 from MJ Ventures in 2023, and she is the chair of the Cannabis Beverage Association. Diana, I'm so excited to have you here today. Me too. Me too. So let's get started. Good. It's been a while. We've had a hard time connecting. We're both extremely busy right now, but I think this conversation is going to be really worth.
the time because you are representing a very, um, forgotten, misunderstood, underrepresented [00:02:00] category in the industry, where I know there are a lot of women who really do want to start cannabis businesses, um, in the beverage category. So what I'd like to start with is, you know, your background, how did you end up on cannabis?
And then was the beverage vertical something that fell into your lap or did you intentionally pursue this? Sure. Uh, yeah, well, the, actually my story to beverage is very personal. Um, I moved to Seattle about eight years ago. I was a dare baby who had never consumed cannabis prior to moving to Seattle at the time, Seattle legacy market, you know, one of the first ones legalized and California where I'd moved from was not legal yet.
So I moved to Seattle kind of blind and surprised by how many people in my life. Consumed cannabis and the different ways they consumed it, different reasons. And these were responsible adults. Not what I was told in dare that, you know, what happened if you consumed cannabis, so they had functioning jobs and had responsibilities and were very successful.
[00:03:00] And I thought there's gotta be something to this. If everyone is consuming and using various functions. Uh, so I treated it kind of like a field trip, went to a dispensary. When in blind, which I think a lot of consumers have experienced, didn't know what questions to ask, um, actually probably made every rookie mistake ever and said, what do I need to try?
And I left with like 250 worth of stuff, just flour, edibles, a vape pen. And, you know, a couple of things I knew what to do with, but I'll be honest, I didn't even know I needed a grinder. Uh, so I was too embarrassed to go back in and ordered it on Amazon so that it arrived like the next day, but I didn't really know what I was doing.
And I didn't get a lot of guidance. I didn't know what questions to ask, but I knew there had to be something to it. And I kind of consider myself a human guinea pig, whether it's skin care or, you know, new diet fads. I've tried everything. So I, I kept giving it a whirl, which not every consumer is okay with doing.
Um, and I was buying. [00:04:00] It's probably my fifth or sixth time going to dispensaries and trying some new things. And at that point I had learned that I was a low dose consumer, number one. And I really was using this to kind of help relax. It was more so for, you know, I've always been high anxiety. I've always worked a lot.
I wanted to maintain my focus, but I was looking for something to help me manage my anxiety. And I didn't want to deal with, uh, opioids or any of the other prescriptions that I knew a lot of people in, especially in, in my generation. So I, I kept kind of toying around and I lucked out. I got a really great dispenser, a bartender at a dispensary who said, you know, you've been in here a couple of times and I've kind of noticed what you're buying.
What are you trying to achieve? And it kind of dawned on me. I really wasn't sure. And I was like, you're the first person to ask me that. And I was like, here's what I know. And here's what I would like to be able to do with this. And he recommended a drink mixer to me, and I didn't know that existed because I think most people, uh, this was eight, seven, eight years ago, [00:05:00] beverages were very small on the radar to begin with, but drink mixers are small, even now.
Uh, so it was a one to one CBD to THC, 10 milligram liquid vial. So essentially, uh, it was, it was actually source, uh, it was a source emulsion, uh, kind of watered down and, and, you know, sold as a drink mixer and. I thought this is interesting and this guy's like, I put it in my oatmeal. I can add it to coffee.
It looks like creamer. Like he gave me all these tips and tricks on how to consume it. And I thought this makes so much sense if I can. And he's like, it's easy to microdose. So I thought like, okay, I'll give it a whirl. So guinea pig, you know, uh, example number. One million and one, I finally got a product that I loved and then I started bringing it to, I would, he actually told me his trick was he would consume cannabis before going out for social events because he couldn't get cannabis at bars.
He's like, so when I'm at the bar, I actually drink a lot less alcohol because I already walk in with a nice buzz. So I save money on the bar tab [00:06:00] and I don't have a hangover. And I was like, this is a win win as far as I'm concerned. So I started using it for social reasons as well. That product, my friends were like, where did you get that?
Did like, what is that? How do I get my hands on it? And I thought people need to know that this is out here. And that kind of started my own personal drive because I knew my parents weren't going to go into a dispensary. My family members were not going to go into a dispensary. Some of my friends were not willing to go into a dispensary.
But if I said, I tried this product and I liked it. Then they were willing to go find that product and they'd try it with me because I had already vouched for it. So my passion for beverage was because it's really the only method that works for me. I'll try things. Cause like I said, a human Guinea pig, I'll try a gummy.
I've definitely done the puff puff pass, but I've had some really negative experiences. And that's partially because I am a Lotus consumer and I wanted to make sure, and why I'm so driven in this space is. I want people, I think cannabis [00:07:00] can be for everyone. It doesn't have to be, but there's so many different ways you can consume it.
And this is such an approachable safe method that you can consume in social settings that doesn't, you know, give you that stigma, which still exists. Um, and I thought, you know what, I know that my generation can benefit from this, but they might not be buying it from the current market. Promoting some of these products.
They need people like me to be more of an advocate and have a louder voice. Uh, it was happenstance that I happened to get connected with someone at source and ended up working at source, uh, which just again, fueled my passion even more. Cause now we work with all of these wonderful, you know, beverages, whether it's ready to mix or ready to drink.
And it's a fun space to be, uh, we're a small but mighty category. But ultimately we believe that this is the most approachable category for the canicurious and those who aren't already consuming. So, um, how do we clone your amazing bud tender? And don't we wish that we could find bud tenders like that [00:08:00] everywhere?
You know, every time like, what's his name and where does he live? Um, and I, you know, I'm so mad that I didn't at the time, like Get, I, I would go back and I would kind of try and get in his line every time so that I could ask him like, what else is out here? Um, he was wonderful and I will tell you that was a have a heart in Seattle, uh, , if I can ever see him, well done, have a heart.
I'll tackle him and be like, I need your business card because people need you. But I think about that all the time. I do a lot of secret shopping and, you know, sometimes when I do the secret shopping and I ask, you know, why should I consume an edible or a beverage versus a gummy? What's the difference? I mean, sometimes the answer I get is, well, one's a liquid and I'm like, okay, yes, I am aware that a beverage is a liquid, but they, they can't necessarily sell beverage or explain the difference.
And sometimes I do get a better explanation, but it's oftentimes, you know, the, it hits quick, which. If you know cannabis, you understand why they're telling you that because everyone who's had a [00:09:00] bad edible experience has probably waited an hour and a half for it to kick in, then over consumed because they took another one, but for the can of curious, who's like a hits quick, is that like a Mac truck coming for me?
Like when, like, what is that going to feel like? So you have to tell the full story about the fact that with beverage, you have a quicker onset than your traditional edible made with oil based ingredients. Because of the tech, but you don't have to get that granular with it. You, you know, you're going to have a 10 to 15 minute onset, and then it's going to be in your system.
You're going to feel it for about an hour. You need to tell that full story because without telling them the offset, they're thinking this is going to be like that brownie I had in college, right? A six hour stupor and stared at the wall. Uh, so we need to make them feel more comfortable and realize that this is.
This tech allows for beverages to be a sessionable option for a consumer, just like they would have a beer or a glass of wine. Okay. So you're making it sound as if drinks and beverage category is really a phenomenal option for a consumable. [00:10:00] Yeah. But for instance, I live in California and I've had.
probably two cannabis drinks the entire seven years that we've been rec legal. And you know, I'm the person who has like three drinks at the table at dinner. I'm a drink person. What is the issue with beverages? Why when it has such a great delivery mechanism and such a really sounds like a great experience, why is it not in more demand?
There's a few different issues. I think one is our target consumer isn't necessarily the existing cannabis consumer, the existing cannabis consumer in those legacy markets. You look at California, Oregon, Washington, those markets, the people walking into those stores are typically buying flower. You know, gummies, they have high tolerances.
That's why you see so many hundred milligram beverages in those markets. And that's because they know that product's going to move because an existing cannabis consumer already knows what they're looking for and will continue buying, uh, you know, at higher dosages. [00:11:00] Someone who's kind of curious. They're going to liquor stores, convenience stores, grocery stores.
And that's where those lower dose products really should be. They're offering a comparable experience. Um, but that's where that audience is going, going to the dispensary. If they don't know about beverage is very unlikely. Um, they're not just going to explore. And even if they were exploring. They might not even ask about beverage because they might not know it exists.
I mean, we, I still answer that question, like cannabis beverages are a thing. And I'm like, they're a thing and they're coming for you. Um, now MD9 has really brought attention to the category. Because of the ability to ship across state lines and, you know, the work around that, um, you know, the farm bill allowed.
So, you know, what we have in Minnesota, which is a great case study for how we've always said beverage would be accepted by the community. You have alcohol and cannabis beverages living in the same bars, restaurants, um, no increase in crime. [00:12:00] Or any of the risks that you, you know, we all heard about and thought would happen.
Uh, you know, if you went through Dare you have this idea of like the apocalypse coming, if they like meshed in the same space and now they're playing in the same sandbox, they, um, brewers actually got involved and started making their own empty nine beverages. So you have them beverage professionals getting involved in this space and actually attributing some of the, um, They've made up a lot of their revenue that they lost during COVID as a result of offering this other option for consumers, uh, restaurants are loving it.
They said that they're selling more desserts, which makes a lot of sense if you believe in that munchie culture. Uh, so the desserts and then they're buying them to go. So they're grabbing them in four packs and buying them there. So. That's the case study that we've all said would come from these low dose beverages being available in social settings.
And again, like we're not seeing any of the negative, um, you know, side effects, if you will, that people were worried about from a social [00:13:00] standpoint. Interesting. So you would, we had talked earlier about the Minnesota market and I just, I don't want to spend a ton of time on it, but it's really fascinating.
So first of all, can you please tell my listeners what Hempty Nine is and explain that and then give us a little bit about what is happening in Minnesota and how you see that impacting the drink category. In cannabis at large throughout the U. S. Absolutely. So hemp D9 is essentially THC that is derived from hemp.
So instead of it being derived from the cannabis plant, it's derived from the hemp plant. Now, what that generally means, if you're using a naturally derived, um, hemp D9, you're taking a ton of biomass. which has that 0. 3 percent of THC in it, and you're distilling it down so that it only has the THC molecule left.
And then you're using that in your finished product. So it's because [00:14:00] of the origin being from hemp and the way the farm bill was written, it allowed for this work around for low dose hemp, uh, D9 infused products to be available on the market and be able to be shipped across state lines, which. you know, definitely has probably frustrated a number of brands who got involved in the rec cannabis side because they're, it's heavily regulated, um, a lot of red tape, difficult to operate in those markets.
But when you're dealing with a small, but mighty beverage category of about 1, 2%, you know, any attention to beverage is good. And we believe in the rising tides opportunity, which is a brand having success somewhere. particularly in beverage is an opportunity for another brand to also have success in that area.
So that's, um, where the hemp D9 beverages came from. Um, in Minnesota, they have a number of other regulations that were passed through that allowed for the dual consumption. So the consumption of cannabis infused beverages, [00:15:00] also in conjunction with alcohol beverages on premise at the same spot. So you'd go to your favorite restaurant, you would see Beer, wine, spirits, and THC beverages listed on the same menu.
And for someone like me working in beverages, who's kind of dreamed of this, this was like the equivalent to going to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory and having the ability to pick and choose what you wanted. Um, and it would be more weird there now. It's so socially acceptable there. It would be more bizarre now to go to a restaurant that didn't offer it then, then not.
It's, it is so interesting. I mean, when I ordered my first, um, THC beverage at a bar, I looked around like I was a kid who had just turned 21 and got their first beer at a bar. Like I was like beaming. I looked left to right. And the people I was with who were from Minnesota and very gracious hosts kind of like laughed at me like, girl, like actually you've been here before because that's their every day.
And you know, At the time I was living in [00:16:00] Washington state, which is a high dose market, a hundred milligram, two ounce shots, pretty much run that market. And it was hard for me to go back there because that lifestyle, the low dose beverages are hard for me to attain there anyway. But that lifestyle of being able to go to a restaurant and not be like, okay, I guess I'm drinking alcohol tonight because I really don't want to mock tail.
You know, I want to be social. I want to feel part of the group and there's something to that. Um, and that's why, you know, I feel like that's what's missing in the gummy arena. You know, you pop one and it's done. You don't have that celebration, that experience, the same way you do with a beverage where you're sipping on it, you cheers, like no one's cheersing with gummies and you can't
make that clink noise that we all love. Yeah. It doesn't feel ceremonial either. Correct. Yeah. And what's happened in Minnesota. I mean, it's like I said, it's watching. the craft brewers, um, group there, their [00:17:00] guild actually helped write the regulation for the cannabis, uh, legalization as they started moving forward with that, it expedited that process for Minnesota, but it also got, you know.
Let's face it, beers lobbied in D. C. and across the U. S. for a long time. They're experienced with how to get things pushed across, how to work those systems. Not only that, they're professional beverage manufacturers. So they're able to scale at a much different rate, which is why when you look at Minnesota's market, if you go to their stores, 150 SKUs.
Of beverage on their shelves and when you're talking about going into California, which is considered, I would consider a relatively legacy beverage market. A lot of big beverages were founded there, you know, there might be 20, but that's pretty much it. And, and, you know, you go to some other smaller stores, they're going to have the top 3 to 5 brands.
You're not going to see all the, you know, more niche, uh, beverages on the shelves, but you go to, you know, you can go to a liquor store and you'll see it, you [00:18:00] know, right there in its own. A huge wall, it feels like you're in the functional beverage aisle at a, you know, a Whole Foods or a grocery store because it's a massive option and there's something for everybody.
That's so interesting. Okay. So we're here to talk about funding. So for any listeners out there who are looking to raise money for a cannabis beverage, what is this, what is the landscape like and what recommendations do you have for how to position the offering and where to look for money? It's a tough marker out there right now.
I mean, in general. In cannabis and beverages is small, but mighty, but I think there's a lot of people that understand the opportunity. Um, ultimately, I believe that selling that opportunity is where you'll find the money. Um, it is a difficult space and you need a really robust marketing plan to be able to show how you're going to get these products to move because in the short term, [00:19:00] um, You know, you need to be getting distribution.
You need to have all your partners aligned and you need to have, you know, all of your. Dollars and cents in a row as well, but you need to have good, solid partners. You need to have backup partners. Um, I can't tell you how many of my brands, uh, and partners that I've worked with. I know I've been through three or four co packers and that's just because of the way the market is, particularly on the REC THC side, a lot of, um, investors right now are asking brands if they are going to get into the hemp D9 space.
Um, if they aren't already in there. Um, I think a lot of people see the opportunity of getting involved in Hempty Nine as a way of getting your brand awareness up and early. That way, when those markets do turn wreck, you know, you have a consumer base there already. There's obviously less red tape and you have more co packing options.
Um, I think that that's a huge area that investors are trying to get their head around wrapped around. Also, how big is that [00:20:00] market? And because it's not regulated. There's no BDSA or headset data coming out about how big the Hemp D9 beverage is. Um, that said, the opportunity I think we can outline, which is, okay, look at the seltzer category.
We can put dollars to that. We know it's in demand by consumers, and this offers a similar experience. Um, you might not consume it in the same volume, because I think a lot of low dose consumers are going to have three or four. And feel pretty good. And it's different. The consumption method or behavior of a consumer with alcohol versus cannabis is different.
Uh, you know, when you're drinking alcohol, it's. You know, by the fourth glass, you're like, Oh, my God, it's empty. I need a refill. It's habitual when you're consuming cannabis and you hit that high where you feel good. You don't have that craving to have more. And I think that's a really huge distinction. So you have to be cognizant of the beverage you're building.
Who your target audience [00:21:00] is and how you're going to get in front of them very early on and quite frankly, that target demo that you plan on hitting. That's going to tell you what ingredients are in your product. Everything is based around who that target demographic is. So you really need to have that story really clearly outlined.
And it's ultimately going to come down to who your partners are. Um, because you know, distribution is key. Um, I think there's a lot of collaboration in the beverage space in particular. There's people out there willing to share resources, the Cannabis Beverage Association being one of them. Um, the Hemp Beverage Alliance group is another one that is willing to share that information because like I said, an opportunity and a win for one brand.
Is more opportunities for the others to get on board, but also distributors are more likely to move 6 beverage brands than pick up 1 and try to sell that into their stores that the beverages sell better next to other beverages. And that's the same, whether you're a distributor. or you're selling into, you know, selling into [00:22:00] mainstream or you're going into the dispensary channel.
Interesting. So the Cannabis Beverage Association, if I am an entrepreneur and I'm thinking about launching a cannabis beverage, is that the right place for me to go? Or do I need to already be established? Is that, is that a place that's going to help me understand my category better? Yeah. Funds and funding potentially.
Legacy, new brands, um, we have a lot of service providers, uh, we, we consider ourselves a network, uh, that brings everyone together and is trying to fill those gaps. Um, so whether you're a startup just getting into the space and, you know, looking for funding, we even have investors that are members as well.
So there's definitely a community and we're all looking to help each other. Again, we, this is in particular with beverage. I know we hear rising tides, I think across all of cannabis, but beverage being such a small category and there being such limited partners in different markets, it's really important that we come together and start building out [00:23:00] those networks.
And I always say, I like to connect good people with good people. Cause it's the only way we're going to grow this industry the right way versus just growing it. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Okay, so let's change topics a little bit. Do you think that rescheduling cannabis to a schedule three substance will be good for the beverage market?
And will it have an impact on that vertical? Unlike it will with edibles or vapes, for instance, I have no idea. I'm just asking this question. If there's anything there that, you know, if I'm looking to launch a cannabis beverage, maybe this rescheduling could hit me in a different way. Then an edible or a vape company.
Sure. Um, and what I will say first is this is not like an official statement from the CBA. I'm going to give my opinion on what I see, but I want to make sure that that's clear. Um, rescheduling is good for a couple reasons. There's also things that I have questions about and. This is why I, I regularly make the cheesy dad joke of, I wish [00:24:00] anyone in the crystal ball business, if you are, please meet me after the show, like, you know, dad joke.
It's like, I need one. Um, and I think we'd all like one at this point, um, rescheduling and the hint that that happens. Um, and whether that happens in three months or likely right before an election where people need swing votes. Um, You know, I think ultimately it changes the stigma and the look of cannabis as a whole.
So I think there is some benefit there, um, obviously, particularly for beverage, but also, I mean, 280, the tax codes and the cash that it can bring to the market and the opportunity for more capital and banking solutions to approach this category. Those are all huge wins. Um, when I think about. Beverage in particular with low dose beverages.
We've for a long time had the conversation of how we would prefer low dose beverages to be regulated by the TTB. So the same group that [00:25:00] regulates beer, wine, uh, tobacco, things like that, because they already stand for, uh, that is so funny that you're asking me that question, uh, taxation of tobacco and it's.
Uh, hold on. Hold on. We'll edit this one. Okay, alcohol and tobacco tax and trade Bureau. Okay. Um, so they, they regulate alcohol and that category. And because we've always said this should be regulated very similarly to alcohol and available and. Convenience store stores. We would like to see, you know, a can, for example, sitting next to a white claw, very similar experiences.
That would be like the future dream of cannabis for the low dose beverages. I do not believe the TTB has any experience working with a scheduled drug, even if it is schedule three. I don't know if that is something that can be changed. Um, obviously [00:26:00] the government can do anything, but how they go about things is generally slower and drawn out and very methodical.
It's never that easy. Um, so I don't know if, if de scheduling allows or, or rescheduling rather. allows us an easier path to that TTB solution that we've proposed in the past. Obviously, de scheduling, um, would be great. Um, and I think a lot of people feel like it's patient over profit when you de schedule things and give people full accessibility.
Um, but I think, you know, this is a business and, and this is political. And obviously, to get... Make their dollars from it, and that's why we're seeing schedule three. I also feel like it's just a big jump for something to go from schedule one to de scheduled, and that's not something our government's used to doing.
Um, so, you know, I think schedule three is a win in many, many ways. Um, I think the cash will certainly help [00:27:00] beverage brands entering the space or people who have already been in the space in terms of the write offs that they would be able to finally make. And it's expensive to be in beverage. I mean, Co packers buying bottling lines.
Bottling lines are expensive. If they could finally, you know, write off some of those, um, expenses, it adds a lot of opportunity for those brands to grow versus kind of hang in there. And I've kind of referred to the last year as a hang in there market and seeing who can survive a survival of the fittest, um, but this would make it a little bit easier.
I guess for those brands to be the fittest. Um, yeah, but it's, you know, there's a lot of nuances to these things. And my initial gut reaction was, yes, this is a pathway towards legalization. But the more I dig into it, um, I do wonder about what this will mean for other paths that we've outlined as potential, um, paths for cannabis beverages in particular, I think in general, you know, you de schedule something, it changes the perspective of the masses.
And people [00:28:00] who might've been anti cannabis or went through DARE like me, I think not having it be Schedule 3, along with medications and things that they've been taking from their doctor and that have helped their lives, I think that helps the whole cannabis category from a perspective standpoint, an image standpoint, it's certainly being helped by de scheduled from Schedule 1, and as someone who is dating someone who works for the government, That changes a lot of things for them as well, because currently the question on that form is, have you consumed any schedule one drugs?
And so that opens up a lot of opportunity for people who maybe are former military that work for the government might have PTSD injuries, things like that, that might not have been able to look at cannabis as a solution that opens up an opportunity for accessibility to those people. And that's a community that could really use it.
And it also, um, isn't it a disqualifier for a security clearance? Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. It's [00:29:00] amazing how that, just that scheduling is so prohibitive. And people were saying like, you know, you can remove cannabis from certain things, but if you don't change the way that question's written, they still have to answer it a certain way.
So de scheduling it. You know, or rescheduling it rather to schedule three really would help that community. And that's, uh, maybe a larger community than people realize. Um, but there's a lot of support, you know, now I'm based in Virginia. There's a lot of support for cannabis here. And, you know, the politicians might be, you know, conservative in many areas, but you get connected to those, uh, military groups, those, uh, government officials, people working in high stress jobs.
This is, you know, an area that they'd much rather do this than, than consume alcohol, which they can do freely. Yeah, and you know, I've come to understand that cannabis is not a partisan issue. No. It is, it, it really touches people on both sides of the political spectrum. So this is, this is something that we, we've really [00:30:00] wanted for a long time, I think.
Yeah. So, uh, well, okay. So that's really interesting. Thank you for that. Is there anything else that you would like us to know about source? We didn't really get a chance to talk much about source. So if you'd like to do so now, um, or the beverage market or what you have coming up in the next year that you'd like to talk about before we move on.
Sure. Um, I mean, I'll talk a little bit about source. We're water soluble emulsion technology company. So we're essentially, we're the active ingredient in a number of these great tasting beverages, uh, that people enjoy every day. We are international. We have. partnerships in Canada, as well as Thailand, uh, Columbia, a number of different locations.
Um, we work in the CBD, THC, hemp D9 space. Basically any of the cannabinoids we're willing to work with. Our technology is agnostic to the input. So we also experiment with other functional ingredients because ultimately we see cannabis and these cannabinoids as being. functional ingredients that will be paired with other adaptogens and other [00:31:00] vitamins and functional ingredients in the future that people have already been consuming through beverage.
So does that mean psychedelics? I'm sorry. Does that mean psychedelics? It might be, um, you know, our pillars have always been about. Safety for the consumer first, um, great tasting, great experience and consistency as well as safe ingredients. And quite honestly, our technology, those pillars still stand with psychedelics.
So if we can, again, I think you'd find a lot of people who work in cannabis in general. Cannabis is crazy. You got to have a passion to work in this space because it's always changing. And I used to say the industry or cannabis isn't addicting, but the industry is because you get in it and you, you have these wins where.
You realize a product you've created or been a part of has helped someone. You just want to keep going no matter how hard this space might be. And I think ultimately that's going to carry over into the psychedelic space because we're seeing a lot of these, um, you know, [00:32:00] other, uh, I refer to them as more homeopathic solutions and health and wellness tactics that people are interested in.
And more than ever, people are paying attention to those. And I really believe that CBD as well as cannabis as a whole was a big gateway for people being more open to what these other. Considered controversial solutions were everyone just took their doctor, you know, and their prescription for okay. Yep.
This is what they gave me and that perception is changed. And now people are more open to these other solutions and don't take this as me thinking doctors are reckless. I, I truly believe in Western medicine and I trust my doctor and take what they want. But I think we've all had experiences where we've been in somewhere and they're like, well, what would you like to take?
And I'm like, that's, that's not why I'm here. I don't know. I'm not a chemist. I don't know how these drugs interact with each other. And I want to feel things. I'm not looking for an escape. So I think that now people are more open to looking at other [00:33:00] solutions. And I think CBD and cannabis being more accepted is a big reason why that road's been paved for psychedelics and other things as well.
Yeah, I completely agree with you, completely agree with you. All right. So back to source technology, sorry for that diversion. No, absolutely. Uh, you know, we've, we're known for our clean flavor profile. We can custom build. Profiles for brands as well. I think, you know, what we're seeing now that these brands, um, you know, there's diversification, as I mentioned, a lot of people are looking for that cannabis herbaceous flavor.
Now there are obviously some people that would just like to not taste it and to have it taste like their regular lemonade. I think there's room for both. I really have come to appreciate that, uh, herbaceous note. But I also understand that that's not what everyone wants. So we've played a lot around with terpenes to kind of build in a flavor profile that can work alongside your other flavors that your beverages has.
So that it's complimentary. We're not trying to block it out. It's working with cannabis that I [00:34:00] think, um, makes it really nice to honor the plant that way. Um, and makes you feel closer to the roots of this, you know, um, industry. Uh, I think it's nice to be able to. To do both and offer both solutions for people who want that.
And you look at tea herbal teas and historically, there's been a lot of herbal beverages in the past that have been wildly successful. So there's no reason that cannabis forward beverages can't also have a win. So we've done a lot of playing around with that. And, uh, I think, you know. Between working with brands that are like can, um, and, you know, high tide in Massachusetts.
And then we also have high dose beverages that we work with as well, like major and we've worked with St. Ides. There's a number of brands, uh, you know, low dose, high dose that are using source. And it's because of the consistency that we're able to offer market to market. Awesome. Well, thank you so much for all of this amazing information.
It is time for us to move on to our final segment, She Had My Back. [00:35:00] So this is the segment where we celebrate women who have supported other women. And I'm going to read two submissions from listeners, and then I'm going to come back and ask you, Diana, to share a woman in your life in the cannabis industry that has had your back.
and deserves some celebration. All right. So to start our first submission today is from Margo Holy and she wants to give kudos to Alice Oficialis. Margaret says, where do I start? She mentored me through the CCI program when I wanted to quit. And now she continues to guide and support me and has been helping indigenous women in Mexico with CBD and herbal remedies for diabetes and thyroid and more.
She is truly amazing. Call her. Thank you very much, Margo. And thank you, Alice, for the work that you do for indigenous women in Mexico. Next we have Michelle Artinian who wants to give a shout out to Adelia [00:36:00] Carilio. CMO and co founder of Event High and co founder of Blunt Brunch. We know Adelia very well, and I'm happy to see her being acknowledged today.
Michelle writes, Adelia has been a leader, supporter, and such an inspiring individual. Not only is my boss, but as a friend offering advice and mentorship, as I work on building my own business, she goes above and beyond. And all the time she puts, let's see, I'm going to do that again. She goes above and beyond in all she does and puts herself into.
She not only runs two businesses, but invests her time volunteering for many nonprofits. In and out of the cannabis industry. All right. Thank you ladies for acknowledging the good works of women. You are up next, Diana, who is a woman who's had your back. All right. Um, I'm going to mention Brie Smith. She's a senior brand strategist out of Minnesota.[00:37:00]
Her and I got connected back in April. Um, I had posted that I was going to go to Minnesota for 420 cause I wanted to see this beverage experience. She. Reached out to me, she made a dinner that brought all the beverage people together so that I can meet everyone while I was there. She, um, you know, took me around so I could go to the different 420 events.
We did a live stream podcast while we were there. I mean, she went above and beyond to not only make me feel welcome, but. Make, you know, the Cannabis Beverage Association and the category as a whole really shine on 420 in Minnesota. And I mean, I, I've met so many lovely people through her as a result of that event, and she's just a really great person to know in the space.
She's currently doing a really cool tour with Beer Grows. And driving from a few different markets to interview brands, kind of do some, uh, live streaming content and it's got a really cool opportunity going for her, but she's also a [00:38:00] beverage, uh, advocate and aficionado, if you will. So. She's really been supportive of the beverage category, but I can't believe how she opened her arms to essentially a complete stranger that we, we knew each other on LinkedIn.
So she really had my back and really showed me the Minnesota nice, if you will. Well, didn't you say the cannabis industry is addicting? And this is one of the reasons why, right? The incredible women in this industry. I'm low on my mind every day. Absolutely. Well, thank you for sharing that. And thank you, Brie Smith, for all the good work that you do to support women in the cannabis industry and the beverage industry.
And thank you so much, Diana, for your time and for sharing your wisdom with us today. Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me. And I would love to have you back once things change on the beverage front and get a new update on what's going on and what, who's being funded. I want to stay on top of that conversation as this, as this category explodes.
Absolutely. I will, I will happily come back. [00:39:00] Ladies, thank you for tuning in. If you haven't yet downloaded the Roadmap to Funding, the essential guide for starting your funding journey for success, go to thepanthergroup. co forward slash roadmap to funding and tune in again next week for another episode of Women Leading in Cannabis.
All right.