Hemp beverages create community. That why he's creating a hemp beverage company.

A few years ago, Texas entrepreneur Brian Hart noticed how society was becoming less connected, especially as the pandemic wore on.

"I spent three and a half years traveling around the world and the one thing that became clear was a decline in community and communication here in America," said Hart. "It's something I think is really missing. And it's something I want to change,"

Brian's travels throughout Africa, Asia, North and South America, Australia and Europe was punctuated by shared experiences with strangers, young and old, who connected with him via the plant.

"You go around the world and enjoy cannabis with people, and I really feel it breaks down barriers. It creates shared experiences that deeply connect people," said Hart. "And so I thought, 'If I can create a product that makes the world just a little bit better, that would mean the world to me.’"

A businessman at heart (his MBA thesis focused on a neoclassical economic modular analysis of the Colorado cannabis industry), Brian ultimately identified hemp beverages as the industry that could achieve this goal. Although the product he affectionately calls “Project V” is still in development, he already has plans for working with community groups to help people connect.

“If I can create a product that makes the world just a little bit better, that would mean the world to me.”
Brian Hart, Hemp Beverage Alliance member

"Loneliness and mental health are a part of many big issues in our society. It's at a crisis level," said Hart. "That's why I'm going to donate 10% of my inventory to community groups that bring people together and help us regain that sense of community that we all miss."

Brian says he decided to focus on hemp instead of cannabis because "the hemp beverage industry seems to have endless possibilities, not only because of its legal status [under the 2018 Farm Bill] but because the market size is so much larger than cannabis."

And since becoming a member of the Hemp Beverage Alliance in July 2023, Brian is already seeing success in creating community and connections within the industry.

"Alliance members work together to create an industry that is solid and safe. I even have a blossoming mentor relationship with a guy who many would consider my competition. But right now, we're all interested in building each other up."

To learn more about Brian Hart, visit his LinkedIn page.