California-Based Mood33 Targets Wellness Market With THC Drinks Range
May 7, 2019In contrast to products like Ceria Brewing’s Grainwave IPA or Lagunitas HiFi Hops—THC-infused beverages that straddle craft beer and cannabis-style branding—the lineup from Santa Monica, California-based cannabis beverage producer Mood33 features brand names like Joy, Passion, and Calm.
Billed as “cannabis-infused sparkling tonics,” Mood33’s brands are marketed as wellness products. “We wanted to create better, healthier, smoke-free cannabis experiences via beverages that are more in the vein of kombucha, green tea, and herbal tonics,” says Mood33 co-founder Michael Christopher. “We see health-conscious consumers purchasing these drinks to supplement their existing wellness routine, and to put themselves in the right mind state for exercise or daily activities.”
The wellness market—a loosely defined concept revolving around non-medicinal treatments, mindfulness, and self-care—has become big business over the past decade, and the advent of adult-use cannabis looks primed to push it into overdrive. But most pot products in the category—like lotions, face masks, and bath bombs—are almost exclusively CBD. The CBD market alone, it was recently projected, will be worth $22 billion annually by 2022, driven in large part by adding CBD to health, sports, and beauty products, which can then be sold at a significant mark-up. In light of that trend, Mood33 is betting on THC rather than CBD, on the hunch that followers of more active lifestyles are seeking a product with the psychoactive effects of full-THC cannabis in addition to the more passive effects of CBD.
Mood33 launched in California dispensaries last June. Its three varieties carry different formulations to promote various “functional benefits and usage occasions,” Christopher explains. “Each formula provides its own unique mood-based effect, thanks to tailored cannabinoid ratios, natural tea and fruit ingredients, and signature terpene profiles inspired by the aromas and effects of the cannabis plant.”
Among the core brands, Joy (10mg THC) contains an infusion of yerba mate leaves, peppermint, and lemon peel said to inspire positivity and elation, while Passion (10mg THC/2.5mg CBD) contains green tea, passion fruit, and lime to stimulate “desire and enthusiasm.” Calm (10mg THC/5mg CBD) uses chamomile buds, rose hibiscus flowers, and raspberries to promote “harmony and peace of mind.”
The range is now sold in about 55 California dispensaries and in all MedMen stores in the state, with an individual 12-ounce bottle retailing for a suggested $8. On April 20, Mood33 released a new line extension, Peace, carrying a 10:1 ratio of CBD to THC, which they expect to be their best seller. Their next offering, Energy, designed as an energy drink replacement, hits the market on July 4.—Danny Sullivan
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