• ✅ NJ Cannabis Bill May Legalize Liquor Store Sales 
  
• 📚 Uncle Nearest Launches Mentorship Program
• 👀 Walgreens Unveils New Private Label Offerings
• 🌴 Kamoti’s Leafy Refresh
• ⏸️ Kroger/Albertsons Notch Win Against FTC
• 🥤 Pepsi CMO Moves To Kraft Heinz
• 😉 A WYNK to the Wise

One of the East Coast’s biggest cannabis markets is on the brink of change, as New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy prepares to decide on a new bill that would allow liquor stores to legally sell hemp-infused products, according to a recent report in the New Jersey Monitor. 

📛 Like in other states, the flashpoint is who’s in charge of THC -- both derived from state-registered cannabis growers or from industrial hemp. This bill puts control in the hands of NJ’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission, which grants licenses to suppliers and develops rules on packaging, sales, taxation and other factors.

🥃 The bill has been received warmly by liquor stores; if passed, it would allow them to apply for a license to sell intoxicating hemp products. 

• But that horizon seems far off, as the Commission and the Division of Alcohol Beverage Control would spend 12 months creating rules around packaging, labeling, product testing and safety standards, THC levels, purchasing limits and associated fees.

⚖️ The bill reflects the near-impossible task facing state regulators across the country: how to balance protecting business with protecting consumers within a highly fluid and uncertain industry. Unlocking answers to tough questions takes time – a big ask for a community already gridlocked by slow progress on basic issues. 

• Well-intentioned rules often create new issues: For example, the New Jersey bill would require all hemp to be grown within state lines, where high land costs could choke production.

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How to get bartenders on board with your brand? Support their careers for the long-haul, according to one industry pro.  

🏏 Fast-growing whiskey company Uncle Nearest has launched a unique trade mentorship program, pairing up to 20 bartenders with heavy hitters in the spirits industry to support a sixth-month personal project. 

🧠 The program was spearheaded by Lucia Creed, Uncle Nearest head of trade advocacy, who saw a gap for brand-sponsored membership programs open to anyone in the industry. 

⏩ Creed is confident that the program is a long-term strategy to build relationships with the bar community, aligning with a more modern approach of supporting bartenders’ longevity and wellbeing versus mixology education. 

Read the full story on BevNET.

Walgreens is the latest retailer to revamp its private label offerings with the introduction of Nice! For You, a new tier of better-for-you food and beverage products.

🍿 The Nice! For You line includes over 150 items spanning snacks, coffee, beverage, frozen food, baking staples and more that are free from artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, synthetic dyes and high-fructose corn syrup, with many organic and gluten-free options.

👏 Walgreens’ Nice! store brand debuted in 2011 and features more than 300 products. With this latest evolution, the pharmacy and healthcare provider joins Walmart, CVS and others that have overhauled their private label programs in recent months.

Go Deeper: Listen to the CPG Week podcast to learn about the latest private label trends.

Alcoholic green tea shot brand Kamoti is looking to make its name with a refreshed brand identity, reformulation and expansion into six new states.

🍵 The company showcased a new tropical bottle design and updated formulation, dropping artificial dyes and stripping its 20% ABV drinks down to just natural flavors and spirits (in whiskey and vodka varieties). The ready-to-pour libation comes in 750 mL bottles.

🇺🇲 Kamoti is also expanding into six new states: Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Tennessee.

🧠 Behind the scenes, the company has also brought on industry talent for its beverage alcohol advisory board, including spirits marketer Douglas Brundage, The Industry Collective founder and CEO Taylor Foxman, and The Fuel Brands CEO Danny Saltzman.

The FTC’s case against Kroger and Albertsons proposed mega-merger has been put on a momentary pause while the grocery giants fight it out in other courtrooms around the country. 

🧑‍⚖️ The companies requested the delay last week, which has been “granted in part,” meaning the case will resume after a hearing for a preliminary injunction against the deal wraps on September 13 in an Oregon federal court. 

📆 The evidentiary hearing, scheduled for July 31, will still be held despite K + A’s push for a delay; further proceedings will be recessed until after the two grocery giant’s clear their docket of other, merger-related hearings scheduled throughout the summer.

💻 The July 31 proceedings will be held via video conference as requested by both parties and will be accessible to the public. 

Former Pepsi CMO Todd Kaplan has moved on to another major player, announcing via LinkedIn this week he is now serving as CMO of Kraft Heinz North America. 

🪜 Kaplan has served on Pepsi’s marketing team for over 17 years moving up the ranks where he began as an assistant marketing manager; he has served as the company’s CMO for the past two and a half years. 

🤝 In his new role, Kaplan will work across all Kraft Heinz food and beverage brands; additionally, he will oversee the company’s joint ventures with NotCo and Just Spices. 

🗣️ What he said: “I look forward to leading the team to unleash the potential of these incredible brands through elevated creativity, a deeper connection to culture, and best in class marketing, media, and digital capabilities that can fuel the company’s next wave of growth.” 

In other people move news: Former Tacombi president and COO Johnny Hill announced via LinkedIn this week he has joined Cha Cha Matcha as CEO. 

Wherehouse Beverage Co. is hoping to nudge adult beverage consumers into giving THC drinks a sip, debuting a new 360 degree marketing campaign today for WYNK seltzer.

🤗  Dubbed “Get Together,” the THC-infused drink brand’s marketing campaign includes both digital and out-of-home ads, including billboards with the slogan “It’s seltzer, with a WYNK of THC.”

👁️‍🗨️ Chicago has become the campaign’s primary regional focus. The company said WYNK has seen 75% quarter-over-quarter growth in the Chicagoland area, but highlighted that the ads will be targeted to multiple states.

🃏 The brand’s also employing guerilla tactics with “wild postings” in Chicago, New York City and Northern New Jersey, as well as giveaway sweepstakes.