Lukas Southard

Lukas Southard

Senior Reporter, BevNET & NOSH

Lukas Southard is a Reporter covering the food and beverage industries across BevNET and NOSH.

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Posts by Lukas Southard

‘Too Good To Pass Up’: Not Beer Launches THC Drinks

‘Too Good To Pass Up’: Not Beer Launches THC Drinks

It’s still Not Beer, but now with a buzz. Dallas-based beverage brand Not Beer is expanding beyond alcohol-free sparkling water for the first time with Not Beer Vibed, a 10mg THC/10mg CBD seltzer available online in 12 oz. slim cans.

Jones Soda Exits THC Drinks, Offloads Mary Jones Brand

Jones Soda Exits THC Drinks, Offloads Mary Jones Brand

Jones Soda is offloading its Mary Jones marijuana beverage brand to privately held cannabis business MJ Reg Disrupters LLC as the drink maker “streamlines operations” and “focuses on core soda offerings.”

Amazon Moves Whole Foods Leadership In-House

Amazon Moves Whole Foods Leadership In-House

Almost exactly eight years since acquiring Whole Foods Market, Amazon is on the verge of restructuring the natural grocery chain’s leadership.

Beer Run: Can THC Brands Find Safety in Three-Tier System?

Beer Run: Can THC Brands Find Safety in Three-Tier System?

What’s the best route from online to on-shelf sales? For many intoxicating hemp brands, the solution appears to be finding space with beer and liquor distributors. Having leveraged DTC distribution to meet the unique needs of the category, hemp brands are now considering how to marry online sales with the larger opportunity within beverage-alcohol retail.

Web Weed: THC Drinks Crush It Online – But For How Long?

Web Weed: THC Drinks Crush It Online – But For How Long?

Not that long ago, the idea of buying cannabis online – especially in a drinkable format – would have seemed like an unlikely pipe dream. Now, order-by-mail has become a primary mechanism for distributing intoxicating hemp beverages.

A Round With …Ty Gilmore, President Tilray Beverages, North America

A Round With …Ty Gilmore, President Tilray Beverages, North America

In the latest edition of A Round With … – a weekly Q&A with industry leaders exclusively for Insiders – Tilray Brands North America president Ty Gilmore talked with Brewbound’s sibling publication BevNET about how the company intends to leverage its scale to go deep in hemp-derived delta-9 drinks and how it is navigating the evolving regulatory landscape for hemp products in the U.S.

Hemp Industry Responds To California ‘Readopting’ Emergency Ban

Hemp Industry Responds To California ‘Readopting’ Emergency Ban

Dealing with droughts is part of life in California, but an extension to the state’s self-imposed ban on hemp-derived THC drinks looks set to further stress an already reeling industry. Prior to their scheduled expiration this month, California’s Department of Public Health extended a six-month ban on “intoxicating hemp products” imposed in September for another three months. Now set to expire on June 24, the emergency measure can be readopted only one more time, according to California law.

‘The Other White Wine’: Arkansas Sake Maker Plots Future Growth

‘The Other White Wine’: Arkansas Sake Maker Plots Future Growth

Sake is a staple of drinking culture in Japan, but in the U.S. bringing the category to new consumers takes a variety of approaches. Arkansas-based Origami Sake is attempting to make the traditional rice wine more approachable to American drinkers by pairing its premium-positioned products with transparent packaging callouts and a new non-alc variety that caters to moderating consumers.

Weathering The Storm: Hurricane Helene’s Impact On CPG Companies

Weathering The Storm: Hurricane Helene’s Impact On CPG Companies

What was it like for CPG businesses to bear the brunt of a once-in-a-thousand-year hurricane? In the wake of Hurricane Helene’s devastating impact in September, we spoke with a handful of brands from North Carolina to hear how they are rebuilding from loss through communal support and entrepreneurial resilience.