Welcome Note

Welcome back Gardeners!

The Free Spirits Podcast with David Gonzalez and myself is back for Season 2 and episode 5 dropped featuring Douglas Fulton! We will have episode 6 dropping soon. The final week of May.

So be sure to subscribe and rate/review the show! It really does help us grow!

You can find us on Youtube, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts!

I hope you enjoy this week’s newsletter

And as always, my email is open!

-Lars

Any comments or questions? Leave comment on this post or shoot me an email. Would love to hear from you!

News Round Up

• Boston Beer Company Expands Cannabis Beverage Lineup for Summer With New TeaPot Iced Teas and Emerald Hour Cocktails

  Boston Beer Company unveiled new cannabis-infused beverages for summer under its TeaPot and Loma Linda brands, including a Ginger Peach Tea and Emerald Hour canned cocktails. The beverages are expected to hit the Canadian market starting this month.

• Using Marijuana Reduces Alcohol Cravings In People Who Drink A Lot, Federally Funded Study Shows

  A federally funded study published in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors found that marijuana use is associated with reduced alcohol cravings among people who drink heavily. Researchers observed less interest in alcohol on days participants used cannabis.

• Chef-Founded Cannabis-Infused Food & Beverage Company, Squier’s Specialty Elixirs, Launches New Range of Innovative Seltzers, Bottled Cocktails, Mixers, and Gummies

  Squier’s Specialty Elixirs debuted a new line of cannabis-infused products including sparkling seltzers, ready-to-drink cocktails, syrups, and gummies. The chef-led brand emphasizes culinary quality and precise dosing.

• Cronos Group Reports 2025 First Quarter Results

  Cronos Group reported Q1 2025 net revenue of $26.4 million, a 30% increase year-over-year. The company saw strong growth in infused pre-rolls and continued performance from its Spinach® brand edibles and beverages.

• Green Thumb Industries Reports First Quarter 2025 Results

  Green Thumb Industries posted Q1 2025 revenue of $278 million, marking a 5% year-over-year increase. The company also reported adjusted EBITDA of $85 million and noted a 26% rise in branded retail revenue.

• Florida Holds Off on THC Beverage Crackdown Again

  Florida lawmakers have opted not to advance legislation that would impose stricter regulations on hemp-derived THC beverages, granting the industry another year without increased oversight.

• Tennessee Amends Hemp Bill

  Tennessee lawmakers amended a proposed bill to regulate hemp-derived THC, introducing licensing, testing, and labeling rules without banning beverage products.

• Organigram’s Collective Project Wins Awards

  Collective Project, Organigram’s THC beverage brand, received multiple honors at the 2025 High Spirits Awards, highlighting strength in flavor and branding.

📰 Got news? Submit it here! 📰

Any other questions or inquiries you can respond to this email or DM me on Twitter 

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Growth bottleneck alert: You’re no longer a scrappy startup… but you’re not built for scale yet.

If your beverage brand is hovering around $15M in revenue, the next move is critical. They hire tacticians without strategy, chase digital hype, and ignore the one function that drives in-store velocity.

Here’s how to avoid the missteps:

• ✅ The exact roles to hire (and when)

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This guide breaks down the structure, sequencing, and strategy behind building a marketing team that scales your brand and your sales.

Garage Formulas to Turnkey Ops: Troy Brosnan’s Journey with Monarch Beverage

For Troy Brosnan, entrepreneurship wasn’t a career pivot—it was in his DNA. Raised by two small business owners, he knew early on that he didn’t want to work for anyone else. But it took years of experience in media, ad tech, and app development before he found the right moment—and the right product—to go all in.

That product? A zero-sugar cannabis beverage that would become Levia.

Troy’s entry into the cannabis space began with frustration. The early medical market in Massachusetts was difficult to access, and fundraising as a newcomer to the industry proved nearly impossible. But once adult-use legalization opened new doors, Troy and his partner Eric set out on a research trip across California and Washington. What they found surprised them: infused beverages were already gaining traction—but the products were packed with sugar.

So they built something different.

Working above a garage, Troy and Eric developed a zero-sugar formulation that hit the market in 2021. Levia was the first to launch in Massachusetts, and it quickly gained traction thanks to smart branding, a clean formula, and wide distribution—eventually reaching 90% of dispensaries in the state. It was a rare win in a notoriously tough category, and it led to a $60M acquisition by Ayr Wellness.

But Troy didn’t stop there.

After a consulting stint helping other infused startups scale, he returned to full-time leadership with Monarch Beverage, a company he helped build from the inside as a formulation partner. What drew him back was more than just the product—it was the emulsion tech itself. Monarch’s proprietary solution not only cut costs dramatically but also delivered clean flavor without the need for bitter blockers or enhancers.

Now CEO, Troy is helping build Monarch into more than just a beverage brand. With a 26-state distribution network on the horizon, a growing portfolio of co-packers, and a creative studio to support emerging brands, Monarch is positioning itself as a turnkey solution for operators in the hemp-derived beverage space.

For Troy, the big goal is to fix what he saw broken during his first go-round: high costs, poor margins, and siloed operations. By leveraging economies of scale and integrated services—from emulsion and formulation to branding and placement—Monarch is helping new brands launch smarter and grow faster.

The house brands are coming soon too. A zero-sugar sparkling water, Sodas (root beer, ginger ale, orange), and a low-THC energy drink featuring THCV are all on the roadmap. But if customer demand keeps surging, Troy’s happy to hit pause on his own lines to help others get to market.

His biggest advice to founders thinking about launching in a regulatory gray zone? “If you have a good idea and you believe in it, you’ve got to go for it. Or you’ll just be left with regret.”