• 🤝 JuneShine Acquires Flying Embers
• 👋 Cann Names New CRO, COO
• 🌧️ Connecticut Harshing the Buzz?
• 🍌 Howler Head Down Under

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JuneShine is growing its presence in the hard kombucha space through M&A: the San Diego-based brewer and canned cocktail maker announced yesterday it will acquire Flying Embers in an all-stock transaction, bringing the combined companies’ market share to well over half the entire category. 

🛍️ The deal is an asset purchase agreement for the Flying Embers brand, trademarks and distribution rights (parent company Fermented Sciences and the company’s production facility are not included) in exchange for stock in JuneShine. The deal is expected to close later this week.

🙋‍♂️ As part of the acquisition, Flying Embers co-founder and CEO Bill Moses will join JuneShine’s board of directors, which includes Dein, JuneShine co-founder and CEO Greg Serrao and two other large investors. 

📶 JuneShine and Flying Embers combined will account for 63% of all hard kombucha sold in the U.S., according to Dein. The combined portfolio will exceed 116,000 barrels and 1.6 million cases.

🗣️ “It really levels us up in that top list of breweries in the country and gets us very The opportunity Dein and Serrao see is to be Southern California’s affordable light beer brand in the $15.99 to $16.99 range for a 12-pack,” Dein said.

Read the full story on BevNET.

As it continues to expand its reach across channels, THC-infused drink Cann is adding some seasoned industry operators to its team, with Travis Tharp and Nick Fasano named the brand’s new Chief Operating Officer and Chief Revenue Officer, respectively. 

🚗 Fasano was previously at cannabis delivery platform Eaze, while Tharp was president and CEO of infused beverage brand Keef Brands.

📈 Per a press release, Fasano will “drive national expansion through traditional social beverage retailers and the adult-use cannabis ecosystem,” while Tharp will be “responsible for scaling Cann’s operations in order to meet the rapid growth.”

🗣️ “As demand for Cann skyrockets, we are extremely fortunate to have two industry veterans joining the team to professionalize the company and meet the moment,” said Jake Bullock, Cann’s Co-Founder & CEO.

Go Deeper: Jake Bullock Talks Hemp D9, Cannabis Beverages At BevNET Live

Delta-9 beverages are booming across the country thanks to the carve out for hemp-derived THC in the 2018 Farm Bill, and Connecticut is no different. But some state lawmakers are now concerned about the rapid rise of the format and are weighing whether to cut the allowed amount of THC in drinks and edibles from 5 mg to 0.5 mg.

🛒 Connecticut liquor store owners are saying that THC-infused seltzers are “flying off Connecticut shelves,” according to a report last week by local CT news network WTNH, with some stores claiming they have to restock products “almost every other day.”

🧪 But some lawmakers believe the industry is taking advantage of a loophole in the state’s serving size restrictions, as brands list single cans as containing multiple servings, CT Insider reported. State representatives are now hearing testimony as they consider a revised law restricting products sold in mainstream retail to just .5 mg of THC per container.

❌ Connecticut’s no stranger to legal cannabis – the state legalized adult use sales in 2021. However, these reps would prefer to contain intoxicating THC doses to the dispensary channel.

🥤 The state’s Department of Consumer Protection is also taking issue with labeling, and in January reached out to liquor stores to remind owners that although hemp-derived THC drinks are legal, they can’t be called “cannabis.” That includes “Canna-Beverage” and similar branding terms.

Catalyst Spirits is stepping into the Octagon of ready-to-drink cocktails with a new Howler Head & Cola line, bringing its premium banana-flavored bourbon brand (the official flavored bourbon of UFC) to cans in the Australian market. 

🐒 Howler Head & Cola will be available in 4-packs of 330mL cans with a retail price of AU$29. 

🥊 Howler Head has strong ties to the Ultimate Fighting Championship – UFC founder Dana White is a partner in the business. With the brand now deepening its Australian business, Aussie fighter Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker has been enlisted as a global brand ambassador.

🇦🇺 Howler Head’s standard flavored bourbon line is available in the U.S., but there was no word on whether the RTD will be coming out stateside any time soon. The brand debuted in America in 2021, but only expanded into Australia in February 2023. 

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