• Keychain Unlocks $30M Series B
• Cracking The CPG Collaboration Equation
• Spindrift Says Goodbye to Spiked
• Non-Alc Drinks for Dummies
• LoadUP: “First Beverage-Only” Freight Broker?
• Taste Radio: Scaling Salt Into An Iconic Cult Food Brand

If beverage entrepreneurs somehow thought the THC drink business would be more “chill” than the non-infused side, they might soon learn a hard lesson. 

To be clear, we’re not saying things are slowing down – far from it, judging by the volume of new products and brands arriving in my inbox every day. But there are a couple indicators that suggest we’re in the midst of a transition to a new phase, one in which multi-state operators (MSOs) and large retailers – and a handful of high-performing indie brands – hope they emerge as the big winners.

Big Weed Turns Up: Once the big companies throw their weight behind a beverage trend, the landscape begins to shift; we’re currently seeing that play out in prebiotic sodas, and it’s beginning to happen in THC now, too.

• Billion-dollar cannabis brands Trulieve, Curaleaf, Green Thumb Industries (Rythm) and Tilray have all deepened their beverage portfolios since the start of 2025 with additional products and distribution. Meanwhile, other MSOs like Ayr (Levia) have fallen off.

• There’s also the threat of disruption from private label: after seeding the market for hemp drinks with a dedicated in-store set, Total Wine & More has quietly introduced a 5 mg THC-infused, citrus-flavored spirit called Time Off in 750mL bottles. In an emerging, price sensitive category with lots of runway for growing awareness still ahead, high-margin private label products seem like a potent weapon.

Investors Easing In: Despite the murky regulatory waters, investors have decided they’re ready to jump into THC drinks. Last week, Uncle Arnie’s closed a $7.5 million round – but perhaps more significantly, has attracted experienced beverage operators like CMO Brian Miesieski and Boston Beer Co. founding partner Harry Rubin (investor & board member) to its cause.

Tracking: Backed by a recently expanded product portfolio, Brez (tracking at $60 million in revenue for the year) is now conducting its “first and only” fundraise with a target of $25 million, per founder Aaron Nosbich. If the money starts flowing, Nowadays which has been on a tear this summer, could be an attractive target as well. 

🗣️ “It’s one of the first times in food and beverage history that none of the big players can enter,” said Flyers Cocktail Co. CEO Craig Lewis of the THC category at BevNET Live this summer. “The timing is now for these early brands to get in and build market share and when those big players do get in, [those brands] will be a lot easier to acquire.” 

Go Deeper: Contact High: Delta 9 THC Thrives in the States

Insiders can read the story on BevNET.

Innovation never slows down—and neither do we. From concept to shelf, we accelerate your success. While others catch up, you're already launching. Ready to outpace the rest? Learn more

AI-powered manufacturing platform Keychain has closed a $30 million Series B funding round led by Wellington Management and BoxGroup. 

The company plans to use the proceeds from the round to launch KeychainOS, a SaaS-based AI operating system that builds on its flagship search-and-discovery offering.

Since its launch last year, the network has grown to more than 30,000 manufacturers and over 20,000 brands and retailers, facilitating more than $1 billion in manufacturing projects monthly.

Read the full story for more details.

Collaborations are integral to any CPG marketing strategy, especially at the startup level, where building brand awareness and establishing a viable business is a delicate balancing act. 

That dynamic has pushed many early-stage brands to look beyond their own audience, seeking out collaborations with other companies as well as content creators to accelerate awareness as they work to build beyond their own niches.

We recently sat down with Kendall Dickieson, a social marketing strategist who supported brands such as Graza, Laoban, Olipop and more through their early stages via her firm Flexible Creative. Dickieson broke down the key elements that contribute to an effective collaboration, where to start and what it takes to make each post and product a success.

Insiders can access the full story to go deep into the growth stories of companies that have mastered the art of collaborative product drops.

After four years, Spindrift is sunsetting its Spiked line of hard seltzers to focus on its flagship non-alcoholic, fruit-infused sparkling water. 

• The move was driven, in part, by consumers “reassess[ing] their relationship with alcohol,” per an online post. 
• Spiked marked Spindrift’s first foray into the then-burgeoning hard seltzer market, but the brand quickly realized building a bev-alc business demands “substantial resources and time,” dedicated manufacturing and regulatory compliance, per the post. 

💬 “This is a difficult decision, but the right one to better serve the needs of our customers, supporting the tremendous momentum of the current business and strong consumer trends towards non-alc beverages,” said Dave Burwick, CEO, in a statement. 

Related Reading: RTD Spirits Growth Not Slowing; High ABV Is Future Battleground

There are few surer signs that a trend has truly arrived than receiving a coveted entry in the For Dummies how-to guide series. Introducing: Non-Alcoholic Drinks for Dummies, a history and recipe book for newcomers to the NA space.

Written by Bartender Magazine publisher Ryan Foley, the book appears to focus more on the home bar side of the NA trend with over 300 recipes for zero proof cocktails, complete with ingredient and flavor breakdowns.

Non-alc beer, wine and spirits are all covered in the book, though it’s unclear how much CPG brands factor in. Given the prevalence of brands like Ritual Zero Proof, Seedlip and more in the mixing space we’d find it hard not to acknowledge their impact on the home bar.

Related Reading: New Adult Non-Alc Entries Challenging Top Brands

A new freight brokerage company is catering solely to beverages. Touting its expertise in avoiding retailer chargebacks, bloated per-case costs and other margin killers, LoadUP Solutions is currently seeking clients.

• The company claims it “exists for beverage operators, founders, and supply chain leads who are tired of brokers who vanish after the BOL and acted shocked when Walmart or KeHE dings them for showing up early, late, or dirty.”
• The firm was founded by Brian Kelly, a former supply chain executive.

Read the full release on BevNET’s newswire.

Have news of your own? Submit it here. 

Ben Jacobsen, founder of Jacobsen Salt Co., shares how an entrepreneurial journey that began with a few flakes of sea salt led him to creating one of the country’s most iconic artisanal food brands. He explains how he bootstrapped the business from scratch and speaks candidly about the deep creative drive that continues to fuel his work.

Tune into the episode here. Also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.