The founders of LEVIA took opposite paths after selling the brand. What they learned on either side of the deal eventually brought them back together.
When Eric and Kristin Rogers built LEVIA, they were not exactly entering a market that was begging for another cannabis beverage. They were laughed out of rooms.
Then came 2018 and the “Summer of White Claw,” when hard seltzer went from novelty to cultural phenomenon. Suddenly, the idea of a cannabis-infused seltzer had a frame consumers already understood. LEVIA could offer a similar format without the alcohol, calories, or sugar. The early signal was hard to miss. Before the first production run was even in the can, the sales team had sold through the drinks. Then the reorders started coming.
“Fast forward to launch and pre-selling every drink in the dead of winter was a good indicator we were on the right path,” Eric said. “What was exciting was how quickly the re-orders started coming through. By the 6-week mark we knew we were on a rocket ship!”
The rocket eventually became something else: a company large enough to be acquired.
When the Ayr deal closed in 2022, the founders went in different directions. Kristin stayed inside the MSO, while Eric stepped away as the build had taken a toll and the family needed his attention. It was an unusual position for two people who were married, business partners, and founders of the same company. They were now learning what LEVIA had become from opposite sides of the same transaction.
For Eric, watching from the outside made the changes especially difficult. Kristin had a different view. She was inside the machine, watching an entrepreneurial brand become one small piece of a much larger public company.
“Decisions that make complete sense for an MSO don’t necessarily make …
Read More
Author: High Times Partners / High Times
