The Hemp Beverage Expo (HBE) heads into its second show this June in Austin, Texas,
and the energy is full speed ahead — even with November 12th looming over the industry.
With policy updates shifting rapidly and operators scrambling to brainstorm contingency plans, getting in the room with businesses and advocates from across the beverage sector has never felt more urgent. The November 12th deadline is a genuine threat to the industry’s survival, and the show is positioning itself as the place where the people fighting for this category can share knowledge, compare notes, and figure out their next moves together.
Leaders from the Hemp Beverage Alliance, Coalition for Adult Beverage Alternatives, Beverage Wholesalers for Responsible Regulation, and Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America will all take the stage in Austin to discuss their latest efforts to shape policy and educate lawmakers.
The Data Is Building
Now that hemp beverages have been on the market for a few years and revenue is growing year over year, major enterprise market research firms are starting to dedicate real resources to tracking the sector. According to NielsenIQ’s April 2026 report “Buzz Worthy: The High Rise of THC Beverages,” THC drinks generated $239 million in sales over the past 52 weeks — a striking 135% year-over-year increase.
Market research companies MoreBetter and Vermont Information Processing (VIP) will be on hand to present insights into national and regional sales trends, consumer behavior, and emerging opportunities across the category. They’ll dig into questions such as: What outcomes do hemp beverage consumers report? At what THC level do adverse events become predictable? Do the data support regulatory THC caps? What cut-off protocols should on-premise operators follow? And how can brands legally market using clinical evidence? For anyone making data-driven strategic decisions in this space, this session alone is worth the trip.
Selling What Sells
Across grocery, liquor, convenience, and on-demand platforms, operators are expanding their hemp beverage selections as demand for the category grows. But selling effectively in each of those channels requires a completely different approach.
Art Mossollo, who helped build Cycling Frog into one of the top 10 hemp THC beverage brands, will lead a panel digging into exactly that. John Horton, Head of North America Public Policy at DoorDash, will discuss their strategy in the delivery channel. Thomas Winstanley, GM at edibles.com, will share how they are building an online marketplace for hemp products. And Blake Row, VP of SSCP Management — a restaurant group overseeing more than 600 locations nationwide — will walk through how hemp beverages are fitting into the on-premise channel, which many alcohol industry veterans consider the most effective launchpad for a new beverage brand.
The panel will cover what each channel is seeing in the market, how they are managing compliance and risk, and why consumer behavior will ultimately be the deciding factor in the category’s long-term trajectory.
What’s the Path to Retail?
There is no unified national distribution system for emerging beverage brands to follow. The infrastructure for THC is being built and negotiated on the fly.
Distributors from grocery, beer, and retail channels will join the “Distributing Through Uncertainty” panel to discuss how they are approaching hemp beverages while continuing to build portfolios, service accounts, and meet demand in spite of an uncertain regulatory environment. How are they evaluating risk? What are they hearing from retail partners? And what does it actually take to operate in a category that could change overnight? From route-to-market strategy and supplier selection to compliance and contingency planning, this session offers a candid look at how distributors are keeping the wheels turning—and positioning for whatever comes next.
You’re in Retail. Now What?
Landing on a shelf is just the beginning. Generating sales velocity is the real job, and every retail channel demands its own playbook.
Mary Eggers Beruth, CEO of Pharos Premium Infused Beverages, will lead the session “How to Win with Hemp Beverages at Retail,” joined by Laura Romero of Hire Dragon, a trade marketing firm; CJ Watson from TradeWorks, specialists in the convenience store channel; and Marissa Kinsey from Nowadays, who previously held a leadership role at BeatBox Beverages, a sales record breaking RTD brand in the alcohol industry.
The panel will break down what is actually working on the floor: merchandising strategies that drive visibility, simple ways to educate shoppers, and proven tactics like sampling and storytelling to introduce the category without overwhelming customers. They will provide plug-and-play ideas attendees can easily implement to build trial, loyalty, and long-term sell-through.
Know Your Supply Chain
Behind every successful THC beverage is a repeatable, predictable experience. Without that consistency, customers do not come back.
Building an infused beverage is more complex than most people realize, and the stakes for getting it wrong are high. Retailers, wholesalers, and CPG buyers need to know how to identify products that are GMP-certified, operationally sound, and capable of delivering a reliable experience every time.
Kim Rael Sanchez, co-founder of the emulsion lab, Azuca, will moderate the panel “Know Your Supply Chain,” with Aaron Owens from Teja Tonics, Alexa Wilson from Omega Equipment, and Vanessa Snyder from SC Labs. Together, they will walk through the supply chain realities behind product manufacturing and ingredient sourcing to quality assurance, compliance, and scalability. Attendees will learn how to evaluate brand partners more intelligently and reduce downstream risk.
Navigating the Legal Landscape
The patchwork of state laws governing hemp-derived THC beverages is unlike anything most beverage professionals have dealt with before, and the rules look different depending on whether you are a brand, a distributor, a retailer, or a platform.
The legal community is working in overdrive to help operators navigate the chaos and stay compliant as legal frameworks evolve.
One legal panel at HBE brings together a mix of voices: a brand operator navigating real growth decisions, a legal expert interpreting the regulatory landscape, and an actual regulator helping shape the policy conversation.
Shawn Hauser, Partner at Vicente, will moderate a discussion with Thomas Graham, Executive Director of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission; Angus Rittenburg, Co-Founder and CEO of Wynk; and Andrea Steel, Principal at The Banks Law Firm. Together, they will dig into how companies are making strategic decisions right now, where the biggest compliance risks exist, and what businesses should be doing today to stay adaptable no matter which way the regulatory winds blow.
The second session is an open Ask Me Anything with some of the sharpest lawyers working in the THC beverage space. Michelle Bodian, Strategic Advisor at the Hemp Beverage Alliance, will moderate, with Shauna Barnes of Barnes Beverage Group, Jim Ickes, Partner at Frantz Ward, and Alyssa Samuel, Senior Counsel at Husch Blackwell, fielding questions from the floor. Come with your most pressing legal questions — or, as the organizers put it, come with a bag of popcorn. Either way, you will leave with answers.
The Hemp Beverage Expo is bringing leaders together at a moment when the industry genuinely needs it. The regulatory clock is ticking, consumer demand is escalating, and the infrastructure is being built on the fly. Austin is the place to be this June.
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