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Conference and Festival in review

It’s been a little over a month since our inaugural Hemp Beverage Conference & Festival. Looking back, it’s amazing what we achieved as an organization and as an industry.

More than 250 people attended the June 7 conference, some coming from as far away as Arizona and California. And while the agenda was packed with great information from industry leaders, the key takeaway was the positivity, collaboration, support and camaraderie on display throughout the whole event.

The festival took place on June 8 at Minneapolis Cider Co, home of Trail Magic. More than 500 people showed up to celebrate the category with food, music, and more than 30 hemp beverage brands from across the state and the country. The feedback from guests was wonderful with the top comments being about both quality and quantity of brands, the feeling of safety at the event, and the excitement that such an event existed.

Thank you to everyone who participated, volunteered, played the banjo, served the beignets, and otherwise helped create such a successful event. And of course, special thank you to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for proclaiming June 8 “Hemp Beverage Day” in the city.

Group photo in Minneapolis
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Christopher Lackner Christopher Lackner

PRESS RELEASE: ILLINOIS LEGISLATION WILL ELIMINATE NON-ALCOHOLIC OPTIONS FOR ADULTS, THREATEN CRAFT BREWERS & INDEPENDENT VENUES

Two bills in Springfield could have disastrous ramifications for Illinois adult beverage consumers, the breweries that make them and the venues that want to sell them.

Across the country and around the world, adults are exploring alcohol alternatives, and many are turning to hemp beverages: alcohol-free seltzers, teas, sodas and mocktails that create an adult beverage experience without the booze.

Senate bills 3926 and 0776 would make these adult beverages illegal in the state.

”Hemp-derived adult beverages represent an important new vertical and powerful source of revenue for craft breweries who are still rebounding from COVID and the resulting shift in consumer behavior,” said Ray Stout, executive director, Illinois Craft Brewers Guild. “Hemp beverages are a market innovation that is in great demand, one that dozens of our members are already tapping into to help keep their breweries open and profitable.

“Instead of pulling the rug out from underneath these breweries by banning them from the marketplace, the legislature should create a regulatory framework that allows hemp drinks to be manufactured and sold safely and properly."

Hemp beverages are significantly lower in potency than marijuana cigarettes found in dispensaries and provide a mild experience similar to that of a glass of beer or wine. Marketed as adult beverages and sold only to people 21 years old or older, these products emphasize flavor and experience rather than “getting high.”

In addition to the craft beer industry, Chicago-area venues will benefit from having safe, legal, low-dose hemp beverages available to adults. Most small venues make very little money from ticket sales. Revenue actually comes from bar tabs. Hemp beverages can help improve bar sales and ensure Illinois venues stay open and the performing arts can continue to thrive.

“We need to be able to adapt to changes in consumer habits. That means providing in-demand non-alcoholic options like hemp beverages,” said Katie Tuten, co-owner, the Hideout.

Finally, for Illinois residents, hemp beverages can be a significant contributor to state and local coffers. Reasonable taxation on hemp beverages could result in significant windfalls, which is especially important as revenues from liquor taxes decline.

“The hemp beverage industry strongly supports a regulatory framework that makes these products available to adults only, taxes them appropriately, provides reasonable serving sizes, and allows them to be sold anywhere other adult beverages like beer, wine and hard seltzer are sold,” said Christopher Lackner, president and CEO, Hemp Beverage Alliance.

Hemp beverages are already regulated in several states across the country. Minnesota currently gathers around $1.5 million in taxes per month from consumable hemp products. That is only expected to grow as the market expands.

“Hemp beverages can bring a lot of revenue to the state, keep brewers employed, keep our stages open, and give adults a non-alcoholic option they never had before. It’s a win-win-win-win that the legislature can’t afford to pass up,” said Stout

“If Minnesota can do it, so can we.”

ABOUT
The mission of the Hemp Beverage Alliance is to create a safe and thriving industry through education, advocacy, best practices and partnership. We achieve this mission by providing consumers, retailers, and distributors with the information they need to better understand the industry; developing best practices to create consistency in labeling and manufacturing; working with elected officials and regulators to encourage common-sense regulation; and collaborating with cannabis and alcohol industries to create a marketplace that benefits everyone. More at hempbeveragealliance.org.

The Illinois Craft Brewers Guild (ICBG) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the development and expansion of the craft beer industry in Illinois. Founded in 1997, ICBG focuses its efforts on member and consumer education, legislative and regulatory advocacy, and the promotion of its member craft breweries. Learn more at www.illinoisbeer.org.

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Christopher Lackner Christopher Lackner

Conference Agenda

THE HEMP BEVERAGE CONFERENCE
Friday, June 7
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Royal Sonesta Hotel
35 S 7th St, Minneapolis, MN 55402

CALL TO ORDER
9:00 Light breakfast & networking
9:30 Welcome and introductions

THE MINNESOTA EXPERIENCE
10:00 How Minnesota works for hemp beverages - Minnesota Department of Health

10:30 The Minnesota distributor experience - Minn. distributor panel discussion
11:00 Retailer experience - Minn. liquor retailer panel discussion
11:30 On-premise experience - Minn. restaurateur panel discussion

LUNCH
12:00 Lunch, networking, sampling

THE NATIONAL OPPORTUNITY
1:00 National regulatory landscape - State updates, Farm Bill & more
1:30 Midwest markets panel discussion - IL, MO, IA, WI, SD, OH
2:00 National markets panel discussion - Where is the next Minnesota?

SUPPLY CHAIN
2:30 Ingredient manufacturing panel discussion
3:00 Cans & labels, production panel discussion
3:30 Finance and data discussion

ROUNDUP & RECEPTION
4:00 Closing remarks
4:15 Sampling, networking
5:00 Event ends

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HEMP BEVERAGE ALLIANCE ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL  FESTIVAL AND CONFERENCE

The Hemp Beverage Alliance announced the first-ever Hemp Beverage Festival & Conference to be held on June 7th & 8th in Minneapolis.

THE FESTIVAL - SATURDAY, JUNE 8
The Festival is open to the public and will celebrate the category with music, food, and the opportunity to sample hemp-derived THC drinks from more than 30 companies. Guests will have the chance to meet the people behind the brands and learn how hemp beverages are made.

The Festival will take place on Saturday, June 8th from 1-6 pm at Minneapolis Cider Co., 701 SE Ninth Street, Minneapolis, MN 55414. Tickets are $40-$50.

Hemp beverages are non-alcoholic drinks infused with THC derived from hemp. Minnesota was the first state to create a regulated marketplace for hemp beverages. The response from consumers has been nothing short of amazing.

"Low-dose hemp beverages provide adults with a delightful alternative to alcohol," said Christopher Lackner, president of the Hemp Beverage Alliance. "This Festival will showcase more than 30 Hemp Beverage Alliance brands that are creating the highest quality, tastiest and most exciting drinks in the category."

THE CONFERENCE - FRIDAY, JUNE 7
The Conference will precede the festival and bring together brands, supply chain members, retailers, distributors, regulators and other stakeholders to better understand this rapidly expanding category. The Conference will include discussions with retailers and distributors who currently sell these products, presentations from regulatory experts, product sampling, and networking to help create stronger relationships up and down the supply chain.

"Minnesota is the center of the THC drinks universe. There's no better place to bring the industry together to learn how to expand hemp beverages into all 50 states," said Jason Dayton, owner of Minneapolis-based hemp beverage brand Trail Magic and Minneapolis Cider Co. "On behalf of the dozens of Minnesota brands, supply chain partners, distributors and retailers, we welcome you to the future of drinking." 

The Conference will take place Friday, June 7th and is not open to the general public. More information at hempbeveragealliance.org/conference.

ABOUT
The mission of the Hemp Beverage Alliance is to create a safe and thriving industry through education, advocacy, best practices and partnership. We achieve this mission by providing consumers, retailers, and distributors with the information they need to better understand the industry; developing best practices to create consistency in labeling and manufacturing; working with elected officials and regulators to encourage common-sense regulation; and collaborating with cannabis and alcohol industries to create a marketplace that benefits everyone. More at hempbeveragealliance.org.

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Christopher Lackner Christopher Lackner

Hemp Beverage Alliance announces inaugural Board of Directors

The Hemp Beverage Alliance today announced the formation of its inaugural board of directors.

"The Hemp Beverage Alliance is honored to have the strongest leaders in the industry on our board. Each one of them is committed to creating a safe, transparent and thriving hemp beverage industry, and elevating the category into the mainstream," said Christopher Lackner, president and CEO.

Founded in 2023, the Hemp Beverage Alliance is the trade association of the burgeoning hemp beverage industry. With more than 180 members in the United States and Canada, the Alliance works with brands, retailers, and distributors to create a self-regulated industry that restricts hemp beverages to adults, establishes reasonable serving size standards, requires strong testing for cannabinoids and contaminants, and creates labeling standards to empower consumers to make informed choices.

The Hemp Beverage Alliance board of directors includes:

"The Hemp Beverage Alliance is building a foundation of quality, safety, self-regulation and responsibility that will allow this industry to thrive in coming years," said Ted Whitney, board chairman. "On behalf of all the board members, we look forward to working with stakeholders from every sector to make hemp beverages as ubiquitous as beer, wine, and hard seltzer."

The Hemp Beverage Alliance will be at Benzinga Capital Conference on April 16-17 in Fort Lauderdale, and the Craft Brewers Conference & Expo on April 21-24 in Las Vegas.



ABOUT

The mission of the Hemp Beverage Alliance is to create a safe and thriving industry through education, advocacy, best practices and partnership. We achieve this mission by providing consumers, retailers, and distributors with the information they need to better understand the industry; developing best practices to create consistency in labeling and manufacturing; working with elected officials and regulators to encourage common-sense regulation; and collaborating with cannabis and alcohol industries to create a marketplace that benefits everyone. More at hempbeveragealliance.org.



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