High Spirits: The Cannabis Business Podcast

#088 - Why C-Stores Could Shape the Future of Cannabis & Hemp Beverages w/ Melissa VonderHaar, Managing Director of iSee TradeWorks


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Convenience stores are positioned to introduce cannabis to a new wave of consumers with their unmatched retail footprint of 150,000 locations nationwide and accessibility to 90% of Americans within a 10-minute drive.

• Convenience stores have evolved from selling "gas, cokes, and smokes" to embracing new categories as tobacco sales decline
• Lower-dose (5mg) THC products outperform higher-dose options in convenience, indicating these stores attract cannabis newcomers
• The National Association of Convenience Stores now allows hemp-derived THC beverage companies to join as supplier partners
• Convenience retailers process more ID checks daily than the TSA, with strong age-verification technology to ensure compliance
• C-stores sell mostly single-serve beverages (over 60% of cold vault purchases), creating perfect entry points for cannabis trial
• Nielsen data tracking THC beverage sales in convenience shows 345% growth as the category establishes itself
• Brands succeeding in convenience demonstrate both brand leadership and category leadership with educational merchandising
• Legislative challenges remain with some states attempting to exclude convenience from hemp retail
• The convenience channel could become the largest retailer of hemp-derived cannabinoids with its established infrastructure
• Industry experts predict major convenience retailers will fully embrace THC products within the next six months


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Your hosts are Ben Larson and AnnaRae Grabstein.

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High Spirits: The Cannabis Business PodcastBy AnnaRae Grabstein and Ben Larson

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