The THC industry is constantly changing, especially as many consumers turn away from alcoholic beverages and toward THC-infused drinks. Online retailer, Nothing But Hemp, is leading the charge for more innovative drinks with its line of THC-infused seltzers.
Steven Brown, owner of the Minnesota-based brand, has been in this business long before THC-infused cocktails became popular and is using his business to push the industry forward. For him, it’s about more than just selling hemp products. Through the brand, Brown and his employees have gotten to know their clients and their lives and have been able to help many consumers along the way.
“Nothing But Hemp was started to help people find alternative medicine outside of harmful pharmaceuticals. Our goal is to educate the public about cannabinoids and to feel better using cannabis products,” he says. “We’re committed to helping our consumers find what works best for them when it comes to finding relief.”
Keeping Up With Changing Regulations
The process of opening and running any business can be quite tiresome, but cannabis brands have an especially difficult time. Brown says that while opening Nothing But Hemp, the uncertainty of hemp and cannabis regulations made the process difficult. There is still a lot of confusion in the market in Minnesota, which is the case in many legal states.
While keeping up with changing regulations can be annoying, Brown has processes in place to help. “We have a great legal team and lobby group in our corner that keeps us compliant and updates us about changes in the law. We are so grateful for their assistance so we can run the best business we can,” he says.
The Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management will not be ready until 2025, which is another downside of keeping up with industry regulations. Until then, Browns say he is in a holding pattern while they wait.
“Unfortunately, we believe it will take even longer. Nothing But Hemp brought on a legal group that has helped cannabis businesses in getting a license. We will continue to leverage the legal team and start transitioning our hemp businesses to a recreational business,” Brown says.
Vibing Out to Cannabis Beverages
When the low dose bill passed in Minnesota, which essentially legalized recreational low-dose, hemp-derived cannabis edibles for adults, the Nothing But Hemp team wanted to create a strain-based beverage that matched their edible strategy. The goal was to give a cannabis experience when drinking a beverage.
“Through our analysis, we found all of the major THC beverages were only THC, without any of the superpowers of blended terpenes. We felt that THC beverages are the future of cannabis. Smoking feels dirty and eating a gummy feels sneaky to some consumers. Beverages solve that problem,” Brown says.
Thus came the creation of Vibes — Nothing But Hemp’s line of Delta-9 THC seltzer beverages. It comes in four delicious flavors, including Pineapple, Mango, Grapefruit and Black Cherry. But they didn’t stop there.
Trying to be as innovative as possible, Nothing But Hemp also boasts THC-infused sparkling wine, cocktails, sodas and lemonade lines. Just with their THC-infused beverages alone, the brand is in over 700 points of distribution.
“We use true Nano technology that we make in house,” Brown says, explaining the beverage-making process. “Our nano THC is 29 nanometers and we are not experiencing any loss. Our competition, water soluble THC, is around 500 nanometers, which means it takes much longer to feel the effects. Our beverages are truly fast acting and our terpenes give our beverages a cannabis smoker’s experience without lighting the cannabis on fire.”
Nothing But Hemp is currently going through a rebrand to Nothing But Canna, which should be complete in the near future. Brown says there are also plans to further invest in the beverage category and expand their THC-infused brands.
“Nothing But Hemp currently owns over 18 different cannabis hemp derived brands, 150 skus, 10 retail stores and a THC beverage distribution company. We are currently in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Florida, and our goal is to expand to other states,” Brown says.
