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Wine and especially spirits feature heavily on the trade show floor, in branded meeting rooms and at evening tasting receptions at Wine & Spirits Wholesalers Assn's Access LIVE convention in Las Vegas this wk. But hemp bevs are also on the floor and remain a hot topic, with additional panel discussions digging into category movement throughout. Navigating their growth was a "big part" of 2025, Allied Bev Group vp Sara Harmelin commented, kicking off panel of wholesaler execs with Badger Liquor prexy Lacey Sadoff and Southern Crown Partners chief admin officer Justin Ashby. Hemp comes with "a lot of uncertainty," Sara acknowledged, and "we don't know" what'll happen federally. But the "consumer is driving it forward," she said, echoing comments from the main state that we reported earlier this wk (BBI, Feb 3). And it's "not a flash in the pan," in her view. Hemp bevs are "poised to be much bigger." Pull in All Channels from Wide Range of Consumers; Minn, NJ, SC Top States "Everything is working" right now, Lacey commented about her co's hemp bev sales in Wis, with a lot of pull obviously in the off-premise" but also in on-premise accounts too. And consumer demand "is totally across the board from what I see." Based on data shared by the Hemp Bev Alliance, Minn was top state for hemp bevs, Justin shared, followed by NJ. But one of his co's core states of SC was #3, ahead of much larger states like Fla and Texas, he commented.Both distribs carry large-format bottles more akin to spirits for on-premise operators, which show up in more and more bars and restaurants, too, they explained. But in SC, insurance remains a key barrier for on-premise accts looking to sell hemp bevs, Justin noted. And he hates seeing THC drinks listed under the "non-alcoholic" heading on menus. Still 5 mg and 10 mg cans for the off-premise are the key drivers of the biz and where Justin's co is focused. Lacey has some 50 mg cans, which are "doing very well for us," but she's not sure "that'll last much longer" and believes the low-dose, 5/10 mg segment "is the future."Separate Entity, But Same Team; Replacement for Rep Revs, Too In Wis, Lacey's biz can sell hemp to any liquor licensee, so co initially began by having current sales folks sell to existing accounts. She's been working on ways to better service additional accounts that can't sell wine & spirits, but can sell hemp bevs, including potential for splitting off to build a standalone THC-focused team. Justin's co established a "separate entity" to handle hemp bevs, given legal questions and potential risk to TTB basic permit. Yet the sales team is the same: "we have everyone sell the full book," and then "overlay that with experts in the field."Both execs pointed out hemp bevs offered a way for existing sales reps to replace revs lost from declining alc bev biz. The category "came at a perfect time," Lacey said, since reps "had gaps in their sales" thru "no fault of their own," and hemp bevs "kept their paychecks full." Plus, hemp-based THC products often offer profit margins that are "significantly better than what we're typically used to," Justin added, which definitely help "offset" declines in the core biz. He sees THC as a "natural extension of what we do," that's "extremely complementary" and helps fill "consumer and retailer demand."Self-Regulation Key; Gotta Help Legislature Draft Rules, Akin to Post-Prohibition In this uncertain moment as regs for hemp change rapidly, Justin believes it's "important for us to self-regulate, at this point." Gotta ensure alc bev distribs working in this space are "doing the right things, that we're being the good actors," choosing products and programs responsibly. It's also "incumbent on us to help our legislature figure out what that regulation ought to be. Because if we're not the ones drafting it, someone else will do it for us and we might not like it," he commented, comparing it to the post-Prohibition period when beer was deemed "less intoxicating" and subject to less stringent regs. It's "on us all" to "take this process and own it," he said of this period of establishing the rules of the road at state and federal levels. (This article ran yesterday in our sibling beer publication Insights Express.)

WSWA CONFERENCE: Bullish Wholesalers See Hemp Growth 'Across the Board'; Gotta 'Self-Regulate,' Guide Lawmakers

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