MXXN Founder Carving Out Space for Cannabis Beverages
In an evolving landscape where wellness and alternative consumption methods are gaining unprecedented traction, cannabis beverages have emerged as a significant and rapidly growing category.
Once relegated to a niche, these drinks are now capturing the attention of a diverse consumer base, from seasoned cannabis enthusiasts to those seeking a healthier, hangover-free alternative to alcohol. With their discreet nature, precise dosing and increasingly sophisticated flavor profiles, THC beverages are poised to redefine social sipping and become a mainstream staple.
And while hemp-derived THC seltzers are popping up like weeds, MXXN (pronounced moon) is standing out from the rest.
Founded by an alcohol industry veteran, MXXN boasts craft hemp THC-infused spirits that are made to be mixed and serve as a 1:1 replacement for any liquor. MXXN’s portfolio includes Jalisco Agave, Kentucky Oak, London Dry and newly introduced Barbados Blanco.
“Most innovation is born out of personal need, and this is no different,” says MXXN CEO and founder Darnell Smith. “It started with me wanting to cut back on my alcohol intake. So, I started making THC tinctures, ordering a tonic and lime at the bar and putting three drops of my tincture into my drink.”
Smith’s wife knew he could do something with this idea. And after years of experimenting, MXXN was born.
Perfecting the Flavor
According to Smith, getting the flavor just right in MXXN spirits was the hardest thing he had to accomplish.
“We have a sister brand called BARE Zero Proof Spirits, and they have the base technology that both brands utilize for the flavor system,” he says. “Most other brands will ferment and then remove the alcohol with heat. This process is not delicate enough for our flavor system, and it was destroying our batches every time.”
These difficulties led Smith to use a different method called component blending, which uses nano emulsion technology to create the fermented spirit while removing the alcohol and still keep the flavoring.
“Most nano emulsion beverages are very bitter and have a terpene-forward profile, so it took us a year and a half to come up with some of our own custom formulations that would work with our flavor system,” Smith explains. “We don’t want our spirits to be too overpowering, so there’s a lot of boxes we need to check, but the nano emulsion technology has been great.”
Cannabis Beverages and the Three-Tier System
Once Smith perfected the flavors and bottled the spirits, it was then time to begin distributing. And since MXXN is made with hemp-derived THC, the brand is sold through the three-tier system.
“We’ve taken a measured approach with our three-tier relationships,” Smith explains. “We have three-tier relationships in many states including Tennessee, North Carolina, Ohio and New Jersey. We also have a lot of regional liquor chains that are selling our product.”
MXXN made its first debut in the regulated cannabis space, meaning that Smith was extracting the THC from marijuana plants, which are bred to have significantly higher concentrations of Delta-9 THC and often exceeding 0.3%.
As the 2018 Farm Bill became more well-known in the industry, Smith started to toy with the idea of extracting the THC molecule from industrial hemp. Extracting THC this way allowed MXXN to be distributed across state lines, since hemp-derived THC containing 0.3% or less Delta-9 THC on a dry weight basis is federally legal under the Farm Bill.
“Now, we can sell to about 40 states through the three-tier system with hemp-derived THC,” Smith says. “Coming from such a highly regulated market, we were able to keep all our regular processes, standards and packaging the same, which was an easy enough transition.”
Carving Out Space for Cannabis Beverages
As the stigma surrounding cannabis continues to dissipate and more consumers become open to these products, Smith hopes that one day it will be completely normal to find cannabis beverages alongside alcohol on liquor store shelves.
“We also hope that some of the biggest champions we will have on our side are the alcohol distributors,” he says. “We need to offer consumers options, and this is something that everyone can get behind in terms of cocktail service.”
Smith is currently working on several relationships with businesses to open up on-premise cannabis consumption alongside alcohol at bars and restaurants.
“WSWA is a big organization that’s also behind this and on consuming cannabis responsibly,” Smith notes. “There are also retailers like Total Wine that are selling cannabis nationally, but some restaurant chains are starting to come out and say they want to do this responsibly, as well. So, my hope is that we can all do this responsibly and carve out an area for low-dose cannabis beverages in the industry.”
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