#079 - Launching a THC Beverage with Hippie Water ft. CEO, Sasha Pieterse Sheaffer, and CPO, Taylor Eileen Sewell - High Spirits: The Cannabis Business Podcast

Episode Transcript
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Ben Larson (00:53):
Hey everybody, welcome to episode 79 of High
Spirits.
I'm Ben Larson and, as always,I'm joined by my co-host, annery
Grabstein, recording ThursdayMarch 13th 2025.
Got a great show for you.
Today.
We're going to be covering theentrance into the THC beverage
space through the journey ofhippie water.
We've got the two co-foundersReally excited to jump in Before

(01:17):
we get there.
Anna Rae, hello from Telluridehey Ben.

For people that are not tuning on video,
Ben is wearing a rustic flanneland he looks very much like he
belongs in Telluride right now.
Very rustic, I'm very proud ofyour style it feels so soft.

Ben Larson (01:34):
I forgot how soft flannel was.
I think the last time I trulywore flannel is probably junior
high and I was probablybuttoning up at the top of the
collar.

Well, welcome to 2025.
It's been kind of a rough weekwith daylight savings.
I'm having a hard time being asup in the morning as I usually
am.
It has been tough.

Ben Larson (01:56):
I'm doing okay.
It was tough.
I don't know why they don't dodaylight savings, time changes
on like Saturday, so that youactually have an extra day to
try to get your kids adjusted,because Monday was hellish.
But yeah, my travel's been allmessed up.
I had a 5 am flight onWednesday, so I think I'm back
on track.

Nice, nice, nice.
Well, let's jump into a fewquick news updates and then
bring on the Hippie Waterfounders.
Yeah, so I wanted to talk aboutIdaho.
I don't know if we evermentioned Idaho on the podcast.

Ben Larson (02:29):
What's Idaho?
They don't like cannabis.

They don't like cannabis.
Yeah, idaho is one of the laststates that has zero medical or
recreational cannabis laws, andright now the Idaho legislator
is putting an amendment for thevoters to vote on onto the
ballot that is going to blockthe voters from being able to
ever legalize marijuana in thefuture themselves.

(02:55):
It is the strangest voterinitiative or voter amendment I
have ever read the voters aregoing to vote to not have a vote
.
Voters are going to vote to nothave a vote.
The language is very simple.
It says shall the certainsection of the Constitution be
amended to provide that only theIdaho legislator shall have the

(03:15):
power and authority to legalize, manufacture, grow, produce,
sell marijuana and otherpsychoactive substances?
So what they're saying isplease, voters, vote yes to only
allow the legislator, not you,to be able to legalize marijuana
.
And, um, this is just one ofthe strangest things that I have

(03:37):
ever seen.
But the bottom line is that theIdaho legislator is really
putting the stake in the ground,that they are reinforcing their
state's anti-cannabis stanceand is seeking to make future
legalization nearly impossible,if passed.
This is just not a goodprecedent, and I wanted to bring

(04:00):
it up because, while Idaho isnot a major, major state and I
don't think many brands that Italk about are, uh, targeting it
the people of idaho do deserveaccess and hopefully, by talking
about this, we're going to begetting the word out that voters
should not vote for this likewho in the right mind would vote
for this?

Ben Larson (04:20):
like, even if you don't want cannabis, you'd still
want the voice.

Yeah, the right to make a choice.

Ben Larson (04:26):
Man, Idaho's gone full Trump.

It's very strange.
Yeah, yeah, sorry, idaho.

Ben Larson (04:33):
Interesting, questionable about what all our
state governments are up tothese days.
In California, we just got wordthat the emergency ban was
extended.
Coincidentally, I think, thattimeline falls in line with the
broader legislative session, andso you know, any of the
assembly bills or Senate billsthat are surfacing right now in

(04:55):
Sacramento probably will takeinto consideration.
You know what the future ofhemp and cannabis looks like in
California, but emergency bancontinued, so no soup for you.

Does it have an expiration date, like the
last one?

Ben Larson (05:13):
I do believe it's September sometime.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
I need to make time to getcloser to it.
There hasn't been a ton ofreceptivity and I know there's a
lot of people pushing for itand talking about it making
sense.
But we really have to convincethe people at the top, and that
means the governor, the DCC, thespeaker's office and the

(05:38):
majority leaders.
So if you have relationships,go educate those folks, not just
social media.

Absolutely.
And what about Texas?
Also looking at a hemp banthere since last week.

Ben Larson (05:52):
Yeah, I don't know if we have any more updates on
Texas.
I think it's getting battedback and forth.
Everyone's looking at what'sgoing to happen in the House.
It seems like getting throughthe Senate is not going to be a
problem for the bill, so we'llsee.
But there's also been movementin Florida.
No ban, just furtherregulations and clarification.

(06:12):
I think one that caughtpeople's eyes was that there is
no more direct mailing, sodirect-to-consumer is kind of
being blocked in Florida.
There's also been a bunch ofingredients that have been
banned, so flavors and hopefullyour guests can elucidate this a
little bit when they come on.
But yeah, there's a ton ofactive ingredients and then also

(06:34):
colors that have been bannedfrom products.
So if you're selling in Florida, look closely.
I think there's a lot ofpackaging stuff as well.
The binds are coming on.

Cool.
Well, let's just stay hopefulthat this incredible industry is
going to be able to keepgrowing in the face of all of
this new complicated policychange.
It's part of the game, right?

Ben Larson (06:58):
Just paying attention to it all.
Honestly, it is a constantbattle, but from our vantage
point at Virtosa at least, itdoes seem like everything is
continuing to grow.
So is the conversation.
We've been having moreconversations lately with the
leaders of the cannabis movementand the hemp movement and

(07:20):
trying to bring it a little bitcloser and trying to bring it a
little bit closer, and so thisyear I think there'll be a big
push to get the leaders of theUSM Roundtable, us Cannabis
Council, both sides attached,and CIA, everyone just talking a
little bit more and talkingabout what we're actually trying
to achieve as an industry,because if we don't, we're just

(07:40):
pulling it in all sorts ofdifferent directions.

Yeah, for the last 18 months or so, it's
really felt like there have beentwo industries that we've been
talking about, like are youtalking about the regulated
cannabis side, or are youtalking about the hemp side?
And more and more, as I see thefuture, it's a cannabinoid
industry and it's a cannabinoidopportunity and there's
different channels right now.
But it feels like theinevitability is the policy ball

(08:06):
keeps rolling.
It's just going to get closerand closer in terms of mirrors,
of expectations, of productsacross lines and who knows when
it will all be one industry, butI'm convinced that it will be
before my lifetime is over.

Ben Larson (08:21):
Yeah, I think that the big leap forward is kind of
this understanding thatdifferent channels, yes,
different product and formfactors in different channels.
So and that's germane to theconversation today Beverage is
obviously at the forefront ofthat conversation and kind of
bridging the gap a little bit inbetween the hemp and cannabis

(08:42):
side.

Yeah.
So Hipp um, check it out, guys.
We are going to bring on theco-founders um, two co-founders
Sasha uh, co-founder and CEO,actress, entrepreneur and
cannabis advocate.
Um Sasha is best known for herrole in pretty little liars.

(09:03):
You might recognize her face,but she has transitioned from
Hollywood to business, bringingher passion for wellness and
innovation to the cannabis space.
And she's here to destigmatizecannabis, empower women and
build a great tasting THCbeverage.
And her co-founder Taylor,chief product officer, known as

(09:24):
the beverage queen.
And she is a food scientist andindustry disruptor and has
developed beverages for manycompanies behind the scenes all
around the world, blendingscience and flavor and
innovation to create productsthat you would recognize and
hold dear.
So, with Hippie Water, she'scrafting the drinks and setting
a new standard for an elevatedsocial experience.

(09:47):
I'm really excited to welcomeyou both.
Welcome to the show.

Sasha Pieterse Sheaffer (09:51):
Thank you.
Thank you, that was a beautifulintroduction.
I appreciate it.
Also, come on Idaho.
That's so disappointing.

Right, I know Well, so let's just jump right
in.
Cannabis beverages are fillinga gap.
They're providing an alcoholalternative, and I know that
that is close to both of yourhearts.
Sasha, why don't you just tellus a little bit about the
journey?
Why create a THC beverage?

(10:21):
What got you here?

Health honestly.
I mean I like to call hippiewater selfish products, getting
high on your own supply, if youwill.
I have struggled with healthissues much of my adult life and
I was looking for analternative to alcohol.
Alcohol is everywhere.
It's how you celebrate forholidays, it's at every work
event.

(10:44):
It's how you celebrate forholidays.
It's at every work event.
It's bringing friends over fordinner.
It was just so ritualistic and Iloved it in so many ways, but
it was not working with mylifestyle anymore, not just
health-related, but when I hadmy son.
You can't have a hangover whenyou're trying to take care of a
baby.

(11:04):
It does not hit the same as itused to, um, and so I was
desperately looking forsomething else, something that
wasn't just having a sparklingwater, um, at an event.
It was.
It was something that still, um, kind of did the trick, helped
me wind down, um, helped mesocialize, uh, in in the ways
that I I'd like to and I'm usedto, helped me socialize in the

(11:27):
ways that I like to and I'm usedto.
And so Taylor, who I have beenfriends with for over 10 years I
married her and her husband,alex, is also one of our
co-founders.
I turned to her because we werejust chatting one day and we
were living in different statesand we'd have little dates over
Zoom, and she was like, well,why don't you try cannabis?
And cannabis had not been apart of my life.

(11:47):
I had friends who smoked andthat sort of thing, but it was
never really an option for me.
I think I grew up thinking, youknow, having those guard rails
is like no, it's like the sameas that.
And yeah, you know, I signedthere and it was very serious,
and so I hadn't really openedthat door for myself.
When she said I could have acannabis beverage, I was shocked

(12:08):
.
I had no idea that that waseven possible, and so I
definitely fall under thecanicurious side, which I think
is really important for ourbusiness.
But when I tried them, I just Ididn't find one that I liked.
They were too sugary for myhealth or they just I could
still taste the weed.
It was just not my thing.
And so, taylor, being thebeverage queen that she is, we

(12:30):
just decided, well, why don't wemake our own?
And we realized, when we lookedat all four of us my husband
included, who is our otherco-founder we realized we
actually have the perfectcombination to start this
business.
I've been an actress for over25 years.
I've been really lucky togarner a lot of amazing fans and
reach all over the world, whichhappened to be in our
demographic for the company,which is even more spectacular.

(12:52):
Taylor obviously has anincredible career over 10 years
experience in the industry.
My husband, hudson, as our CMO.
He has had lots of mediaexperience, both in Hollywood
space, behind the camera, socialmedia, all of the things and
Alex has been in startups andscaling his whole career and is
just such an incredible expertin his field the way he talks

(13:16):
you could listen to him all day.
So we realized we could actuallybootstrap this thing with some
of our favorite people in ourlife and we did just that.
I'm super proud of us.
We're we're seven months in,we're in 11 States and total
wine and and we're just, we'rejust rocking it and it's been an
amazing journey and I'm sothankful to be in a business um
with Taylor as my co-founder.

(13:37):
You know female founded isreally important to me, so I'm
going to stop talking and I'm tolet you ask me questions.
Sorry about that Big intro.

Ben Larson (13:44):
It's wild.
It's wild to have a crazy ideaand to jump in and do it.
It's another thing to say, hey,three best friends, you're
coming with me.
And so, taylor, as Sasha said,you have this mainstream
experience developing beveragesall around the world, and she
comes to you with this concept.
What was it that compelled youto say, yeah, this is a great

(14:08):
idea.
I'm going to risk my career andjump into this emerging
category.

Sasha Pieterse Shea (14:13):
Technically , taylor, it was her.
Yeah, at the end of the day.

Taylor Eileen Sewell (14:17):
I was the one going, sash I found
something exciting, but what itreally was is that I have been
fortunate enough in my career tolaunch for so many big brands
and that has been amazing.
And you know, my favoritephrase is I fed you, you just
didn't know it.
And so I I got to fill thatspace and what that meant for

(14:38):
the world.
But at the same time, I wasnever developing with myself in
mind, and alongside with Sasha'shealth journey, I've had my own
.
There was a point when I was ina hospital and I was told you
have two more call-outs withyour kidneys and you're on the
donor list and I thought, oh,things have to change.

(14:59):
Okay, so if things have tochange, I need to make it happen
, because I'm not satisfied withwhat's out there.
So I said, sash, let's try theseout, let's see what we think of
the cannabis beverage world.
And we went, wow, most of thesearen't for us and that's okay
because they can be for otherindividuals.

(15:21):
But we wanted something thatreally catered to us and also
showed other women like us thatit was an option, because
traditionally it's very sodaoriented, it's very simple
flavors, and we were like let'sturn that on its head.
Let's give this the care thatthe rest of the world gets and
and bring it to life.
And and that's really whathappened, it was solely a

(15:42):
selfish project that we said ohwait, this is real.
Oh wait, people actually likeit.
Oh, we have a business.
So it sort of just reallystumbled upon itself.
But, at the end of the day,this is what I wanted to create,
and so when you taste it, it'sjust from our hearts.

Ben Larson (16:00):
I love how you guys are bringing in this kind of
like health and wellness aspectto everything.
And when I'm havingconversations with policymakers
and different organizations, alot of the focus of the
conversation kind of positionsthe category as like a true

(16:21):
alcohol replacement for partying, for, like doing all this kind
of stuff, a true alcoholreplacement for partying, for
doing all this kind of stuff.
But there's this big disconnectto the story that you guys are
telling and the positioning ofthe product versus how the
regulators are perceiving thiscategory.
So I'm curious like and whoeverwants to kind of tackle this is
like how are you seeing thetrajectory of this category or

(16:44):
your product line amidst thisconversation and how do we
actually bridge that gap?

I mean, I think both Taylor and I have
great answers for this.
I think she's traveling a bit.
Do you want to answer?
Do you want me to?

answer it from my lens, but I want Sasha
to speak on this as well.
A little bit, and essentiallyto give you a broader sight, is
my role creating items for thiscountry?
The involvement is who are youcreating for?
And traditionally, I think thatthis category has been very
segmented into the party spaceand into that sort of

(17:19):
personality and we're here to go.
Well, this should be broadenedto a bigger scope.
And what does that look like?
And if you're at a grocerystore, everything is created for
the five foot four right-handedfemale.
That is the optimal customerand we are simply taking that in
mind and developing somethingfor that and essentially for us.

(17:40):
We're not doing this to party.
The whole idea of Hippie Wateris mostly your moment to unwind
at home.
I mean, most of our audience isjust a woman trying to find
time for herself and space forherself, and that's what we're
catering for and to and that'swhy Hipp a we are.
Hippie Water is a beveragecompany and a wellness forward

(18:03):
company that simply uses hemp asan ingredient.
So that's kind of our ouroverall broad scope and how
we're choosing to position this.

Yes, and actually to touch on what
you said, taylor, about theconsumer at the grocery store,
the reason it's also that typeof demographic is because women
are the ones that purchase themajority of things in the
country.
Whether it's for their family,for themselves, for their kids,
whatever it is, they're the onesat the grocery store most of
the time picking those options,and whether it's for their

(18:34):
partner or themselves or theirkids, they are the ones looking
at all of those products.
So it's kind of an interestingthing to think about when we
think about how things aremarketed.
But yes, ben, I wouldcompletely agree, there is a
disconnect there.
We also, initially, when westarted the company, thought,
wow, this is amazing, gen Z arenot drinking as much alcohol.

(18:54):
They are trying to find analternative.
We initially thought that theywould be our market, not
necessarily to party, just tofill this space of like.
Look, you can have both worlds.
And it turned out that ourdemographic is mainly ourselves.
It is those hard workers, thosecaregivers, those parents or
entrepreneurs that are justlooking for a moment to unwind

(19:17):
at the end of the night thatisn't going to torture them the
next day or the next couple ofdays or the next week and I know
just based on my own personalexperience I was shocked to find
that I could have all of thosethings that I could have a low
sugar, low carb product, lowcalorie product that was clean.
That would also give me thatrelief, that would also help my

(19:39):
sleep, that would also make mefeel good in the morning, and
the fact that we can have all ofthose things without compromise
is glorious.
And that's also what makes meso passionate about trying to
destigmatize the product andtrying to bring that disconnect,
you know, trying to unravel itreally, because I think there's
giant opportunity here.
You know where.
You know newsflash finallyfinding out that cancer or that

(20:02):
alcohol causes cancer Wow, whowould have known?
Who would have thought?
And I think it's just soimportant that we position this
and showcase that this is notscary.
It's a controlled substance.
It's still a vice.
Children should not have accessto it.
But look at how great this isand and this is the direction
that we should be going and ifwe want to keep our population

(20:23):
healthier, this is the optionand and I'm excited to be a part
of that movement, and it's alsowhy I'm really excited to use
my platform for that because Itruly believe in it.
I wouldn't want to put my faceon it if I didn't believe in it
and and I think it's importantfor the world, americans to kind

(20:45):
of hear that, like we have beentold that this is one thing and
only for a certain category andonly for a certain demographic,
but that it's a lie.
It's a lie.
You can enjoy this product andget relief from it and and, and
you know, just relax in a waythat is actually really good for

(21:05):
you.
It's giving you that, thatpiece, that that self-care
aspect that I think a lot of usare missing.
Most Americans have high stresslives.
Take gender out of it.
Most of us have a big stressorin our life and it is really
crucial what we turn to, thatthat we all turn to something,
and a lot of the things that weturn to are not great.

(21:26):
So here's an option where youcan have everything that you
need and move forward.

So, sasha, I love how you're talking about
sort of this moment in timewhere we are of a consumer
transitioning, but there's aninevitability within that
context that eventually there isa new option for consumers.
They know that this THCbeverage option exists.
It isn't as much abouteducation.
What does five to 10 years intothe future look like for the

(21:56):
category?
What do you see this turninginto?
Is it fully normalized and thisis just more popular than
alcohol?
What does the category looklike in five to 10 years?

I mean, that's definitely my hope.
I think this year is crucialfor that as well.
I think a lot is going tohinder on coming together and
making that unified voice.
Ben, you were touching on thatearlier as well.
I want to see this product ingrocery stores and bars and
liquor stores and have it be asaccessible as alcohol.

(22:32):
I think that being able to getthe alcohol industry interested
in this space is also reallyimportant, not just for
distribution on a convenienceand logistics side, but also to
kind of level the playing fieldhere, where we can, in a lot of
ways, you know, help each other.
It can be in those same spacesand we it doesn't have to be so.

(22:55):
So I don't know what the what,the right word is.
We don't have to like becombative with each other.
Let's let's kind of create anoption for our consumer.
Um, and I think that's reallyreally important as well.
You know we don't want tonecessarily crush anybody.
I think it's just more aboutimplementing this in a way that

(23:16):
um just gives consumers another,another option and just gives
consumers another option andmakes it not scary.
There's a long history withcannabis and so much pain.
Honestly, that was sounnecessary and so unfair, and
so we have normalized alcohol somuch that we ignore all of the

(23:38):
toxic things that come with it,and it's kind of ironic that we
are still in this position withcannabis.
I think we're in the rightdirection and, and I think you
know, we just need people tokeep fighting the good fight in
so many ways.
But I really am optimistic forthat, that five, seven, 10 years
from now, where all of this hashas truly paid off.

Ben Larson (24:01):
So, sasha, from now where, um, all of this has has
truly paid off.
So, sasha, you talked about aproduct that you are willing to
apply your name and face to yeahum, and I want to talk about
what celebrity branding means toyou in this particular case.
we've seen some products out inthe market and historically in
the cannabis industry actuallyhasn't worked quite well where,

(24:23):
like, it's the, the name, thatis forward, but that's not the
case in in, in how you guys haveapproached it.
And so how have you thoughtabout leveraging kind of your,
your, you know your professionalhistory and to help it
accelerate your growth?
But also, like, what are someof the pitfalls you're you're

(24:43):
trying to avoid?

I think we also.
We got asked a lot of thesequestions really early on and I
think that was was great becausewe know what our message is.
I wanted to come and start thiscompany knowing that I want the
product to be able to standalone.
I want you know I had fullfaith in Taylor to create an
incredible product, which shedid One that can be its own

(25:06):
brand and stand by itself anddoesn't need a face in order to
be the product.
We didn't want to white labelanything.
I didn't want to be a part ofthe company.
That was just kind of the faceand kind of a facade or that.
You know that token celebrity,celebrity branded product.
I wanted to to make sure that wehad a harmony between the two.

(25:27):
I truly believe in this company.
It's very much a baby of mine.
I I want to see it succeed forso many reasons, not just
because I believe in it, butbecause I also really believe in
the message of female foundedcompanies and and putting the
work in and what that takes.
I also wanted to go with thiscompany because it fits my brand

(25:48):
, not in that agenda sense, butjust because it's part of my
voice.
It's natural I have a podcastthat is all about females' voice
and amplifying them and tellingtheir stories, and women's
health is a huge part of that.
Women in business is a hugepart of that, so everything
really harmonizes well.
But I truly did want to ensureand we take every precaution

(26:09):
moving forward to make sure that, as much as I want this to be
on my platform, I want to use myvoice to to to not only
destigmatize the industry butalso, obviously, promote hippie
water.
I want to make sure that thiscompany is successful by itself,
that everything that it standsfor is what we believe in moving
forward, that it can be scaled,that we can start our media arm

(26:33):
and really influence our spacein a positive direction, create
education in the space, utilizeeverything at our disposal when
it comes to the mainstreamaudience, and I think it all
plays really nicely together.
But I do want to throw it toTaylor, because if we had a
crappy product, it wouldn't bepossible, and and I'm really

(26:54):
proud that our products stand ontheir own and fulfill
everything that I was was hopingfor for the product itself, and
I think it's it's um, it'sawesome to be able to kind of
put our product where our mouthis, and so I'm.
I'm so thankful that we we havesomebody like Taylor um in this
company that just kind of justknows her shit.

(27:16):
Can I swear on this one?
I don't know.
Sorry, linkedin, you can dowhatever you want.

Ben Larson (27:20):
Can I swear on this one?
I don't know.

Sorry, linkedin, you can do whatever
you want Awesome.
I love that and I think thatit's brave too, and that there
is a stigma around cannabis andwhile it might be a part of your
brand, I'm sure that you musthave considered like is this
also a risk for my personalbrand?
Or, like so many of us, whenwe've come into cannabis
professionally, people are likewell, if I work in cannabis, can

(27:48):
I ever go back to not workingin cannabis?
And I think, over and over,people have proven yes, but
there is a fear of just how youmight get labeled and put in a
box.
But let's dive into thebeverage, because we keep
talking about it.
And, taylor, you've mentionedthat you have a background in
food science.
What was the process like ofdeveloping your first
formulation?

Well, my very first formulation, I was so
green that I'm sure my head wasspinning.
But over time and for peoplewho might be new to us, hippie
Water has three beverages out.
We have Garden Party, islandGetaway and Winter Groove, and
they all are their own concepts.
Overall, they're all meant tohit certain segments.

(28:28):
So my very first project wasactually a cocktail sauce for
Dairy Queen Really odd one tothrow out there for you.
That was the first item I evercommercialized.
But fast forward to now andlearning that beverages are my
absolute favorite thing todevelop.
I think it's fun to come intothis space because there's not a
lot of other food scientists,which I hope there is one day.

(28:52):
I hope to kind of help pavethat way.
So so more people want to comehere because it's so new and
innovating.
And you also mentioned what doyou think it's going to look
like five, 10 years from now?
Well, I fully believe that,similar to the White Claws,
seltzers are going to be thebare minimum and I think that
there's going to be room whereso much more is elevated and

(29:13):
created, and because of that, Ithink that's how it's going to
really become more common, andwe're seeing those items in
different cocktail mixers andthings of that sort.
But to come back to developingthese products, there's multiple
layers to this and I would saythe very first one is who are
you developing for?
If you don't know your audience, you don't really have a

(29:34):
direction to fully fit in whatyou want.
And I said well, that's Sashaand I.
That's generally a female whois generally trying to be health
conscious not perfect neverneeds to be perfect but it's
just trying to find the betteroptions out there without the BS
.
I think that in the wellnessspace, there's a lot of
adaptogens and there's a lot ofhoopla around certain

(29:57):
ingredients.
Mushrooms are a really goodexample right now and I want us
to be mindful in thatdevelopment and going okay, how
big of a scope do we want to bein health?
And our focus in that term waswell, adaptogens don't have
enough scientific backing mostof the time, so let's set that
aside for now.
But what is wellness?
Well, that's 15% fruit juicefrom Italy.

(30:19):
That's choosing to have a veryflavor, forward and light
product.
That's choosing to.
You know, if our competition inour space is essentially trying
to fit into the wine downroutine, typically it's for
someone after work who's like,oh, I can't wait to just like
pop that bottle open and pour aglass of wine.
Okay, well then, what wouldmake them turn to this instead?

(30:41):
Okay, well, knowing that aglass of wine is roughly 125
calories, how do I beat that?
Okay, 30 calories or less.
Okay, what else would a womanlook for?
Low carb?
Yeah, sure, let's make thathappen.
No added sugar, easy, andreally just trying to leverage
what that audience would lookfor.
And another portion of that, too, was color.
I think a lot of people in ourspace aren't utilizing color

(31:04):
efficiently and what that means.
So if you crack open a can ofhippie water and let's use
Island Getaway for reference,that's watermelon with lime and
chili.
That is the most beautifulBarbie pink you can imagine.
Now let's say you wantsomething closer to sangria.
That's going to be wintergroove.
You want something that's morelike a champagne.
You reach for garden party andjust really trying to leverage

(31:27):
what does this audience want?
And how do I influence everysingle one of their senses,
versus just making a flavor thatI think sounds good and I know
I'm rambling a little bit here,but we're also messing with it.
You're not messing with.
We're using an ingredient thatis very earthy.
Hemp is a plant.
It's going to taste like aplant.
So how do you work alongsidethat?

(31:49):
I think a lot of people arechoosing to counteract it with
sweetness.
Well, I think that's inherentlyincorrect and so developing
that to to bring it.
So you're actually enhancingwhat's there versus masking.

What's?
There was a stipulation.
I didn't want bong water.

I want to like dive in a little bit on
this, on this wine concept of,like, the woman after work
pouring the glass, because, um,we look at lots of beverages on
the show, we talked to lots ofbeverage people and, and, um,
there's so much focus on the canand I always picture people
drinking it straight from thecan and there's all the branding
on the can and then you kind ofmiss the color, you miss what

(32:30):
the, what the product looks likeand, um, you're inspiring me
and making me think huh, shouldI be pouring this stuff into a
glass so that I can see it?
How do you envision peopledrinking the product out of the
can, pouring it over a glass,over ice?
What is the vision?
Is it a choose your ownadventure?

Taylor Eileen Sewel (32:50):
Essentially it is.
There's two sides to this andI'd like to dive into them a
little bit.
One of them is straightconvenience.
If you're heading to a barbecueor a baby shower, you should
absolutely just drop it intoyour purse and get out the door
and have it in that can, or,after a long day, exactly have
it from that can if that's whatyou want.
And the idea is ease, isn't it?

(33:11):
And I like that and that'sthere.
But we need to go beyond that,especially if we're trying to
say this is a competitor or analternative to alcohol.
I think that there is anexperience, and you know, from
really reducing alcohol in mylife.
The part that I missed the mostwas walking up to a bar and
getting a beautiful drink, andthere's something about that

(33:33):
that just feels special andfeels really enticing and you
feel really good about it.
You can envision that.
You know that bartender usingthe juices and mixing the things
and presenting it to you.
Well, you shouldn't have tolose that just by having an item
, and so that's what HippieWater is intended to be.
That's why you know our gardenparty is peach with lemon and

(33:54):
ginger.
It's not just peach, it's meantto truly be a mixed cocktail
for you to enhance your moment,and so I highly, I highly
encourage you to to pour it in aglass and also, like rim the
glass, throw something there.
If you ever have Island getaway, I always rim the glass with
tajin and stick a cucumber inthere, and all of a sudden

(34:16):
you're like oh, I'm not missingout anymore.
I think that's the thing is inthis space people feel like
they're missing out, and we'rehere to not let that be the case
anymore.

Ben Larson (34:26):
Taylor, I love how intentional you've been with it
and they truly are great.
I should know We've tried tonsof beverages and it is always at
the top of the list when we'rerecommending this category,
which I didn't realize.

It had 15 juice and so it's like it's
seltzer plus right and yeah,we're actually considered if
we're, if we're going off ofterms of my old word world, we
are a sparkling juice beverage,we're not a seltzer sparkling
juice beverage.

Ben Larson (34:56):
okay, so let's dig into that that a little bit like
you weren't first to market,and what I'm hearing is that you
knew who and how to build thisproduct.
But while you're doing that,was it intimidating seeing how
much competition was floodingthe space and was trying to get
on the shelves of Total Wine andyou guys somehow nailed it.

(35:18):
But was it because youidentified a gap or was it just
that because you were sointentional about building for
your customer?

I'm glad you're asking this.
I think that maybe a lot ofpeople are intimidated with the
competition out there, but I wasgoing something's here.
I'm not here to be the first,but I am here to be the best,
and that's kind of how HippieWater is really positioning
itself.
I don't want to be the first.
I wouldn't want our team to bethe first, because if you're the
first to lead, you're the firstto bleed, and inherently, I'm

(35:47):
not here to do that.
However, I am here to make itbetter and I am here to ensure
that this is being positioned.
I mean truly choosing to go intothis world.
It is true, I am risking mycareer.
I came from the largest brandsand this is not what they would
inherently want me to be workingon, but knowing that, then it's

(36:10):
got to be worth it, and so it'smaking it worth it.
And there's also a thing, too,in finding market gaps.
It is not about being first.
It's simply seeing what isavailable and seeing what's not
being met yet and then adding it.
I never want to say that I'mthe person who's the first to
come here, because I'm not.
However, I think that as thisgrows, we'll get more people

(36:32):
from different professions,building this up, and that's
what we're trying to do.

Ben Larson (36:38):
Yeah, I love that.
The result is there.
Right, you mentioned 11 states,seven months, that's very fast.
And so let's talk about thatjourney for you guys a little
bit.
That's a rapid growth.
You know, you're building theplane as it is, it's flying,
keeping the wheels on the car asit's rolling, whatever you want
metaphor you want to use, I canonly imagine and you're doing

(37:02):
it with four co-founders.
Yeah, How's the last sevenmonths been?

Sasha Pieterse Sheaffe (37:08):
Honestly , yeah, I mean it's been so fun,
it's been really exciting.
Of course, it's been scary andwork and it's been all the
things.
I think when we initiallylaunched, we did not expect to
be in total wine that early.
I mean that was a dream.
We were thinking, okay, six,seven months, maybe a year,
realistically, before we get tothat stage.

(37:29):
We were, we were, you know,starting D to C and kind of
navigating honestly who ourpersonas were, and that was
really really unexpected.
We got a contact.
We were so lucky.
We were like maybe they'll likeit, maybe they'll put it into
one store.
They tried it and they wantedto launch in three states, not

(37:51):
just three stores.
Problem to have.
But now, how do we fulfill thisorder?
And I'm really proud of ourteam for making it happen.
And I think something that Iwanted to mention about Taylor

(38:11):
is, while she might have comefrom a different industry, she's
so prepared with thedocumentation and things that
she knows that we need to meetand things that she wants to
meet.
And so, taylor, I just want tosay I'm so thankful that you are
so prepared as well, because wewant to create this safe space
for our consumer and we knowthat our product meets that and

(38:33):
surpasses that.
And I think going into a placelike Total Wine with that
confidence and knowing that ourproduct meets those standards is
really important.
So as much as we were scared,in the best ways we knew that
our product would hold its own.
We just need people to try it,and I think that's always been

(38:55):
our thing is like meeting thedemand that we were not
expecting to come so quicklywith also this determination to
make it happen.
We're not worried about ourproduct, we're worried about
getting it into your hands.
And Taylor was mentioning kindof digging deep into certain

(39:16):
states, like that is definitelysomething that we are looking
for.
That is definitely somethingthat we are looking for as much
as we are in 11 states in sevenmonths.
We also want to make sure thatwe are not stretching ourselves
too thin.
We want to really amplify andfoster those relationships in
the states that hippie water isreally resonating with and, of
course, with legislation.

(39:37):
That has become a challengedepending on the state.
But we are, we're making surethat we're.
We're doing our part.
I think just early on it was, itwas kind of just sidestepping
and I think we made a promise toourselves that we will continue
to just do everything that wecan to be ready to adapt, no

(39:58):
matter what comes our way.
And I think, knowing theindustry and how rapidly it
changes and how there might becurveballs thrown when you're
not expecting them, I think it'simportant to always be ready
for those things as best as wecan.
And Taylor, you know Taylorstudied in food law before she
went into her space, and so Ithink having somebody like her

(40:21):
who is so well versed in allsides of the space really make a
difference coming into anindustry like this, especially
one that's still being developed.
So I really feel like as muchas we have done a lot in our
seven months, we've also done asmuch as we can to be prepared
for it, and that luck is alwaysopportunity needs a hard work,

(40:45):
and so I think that we were justkind of at the right place at
the right time, with the righttool set to grow this quickly.

One of the things that seems like you are
hinting at is is the differencebetween States when it comes to
policy and regulations, andyou're talking about preparation
.
I'm hearing like compliance andwhat are the rules and how do
we, how do we navigate them?
And?
And navigating rules is one ofthe key unlocks when you're

(41:12):
operating in the cannabinoidspace.
Rules is one of the key unlockswhen you're operating in the
cannabinoid space, and it'schanging a lot on the hemp
beverage side.
Whereas people used to talkabout it being unregulated, now
more and more there are state bystate regulations and, whereas
you can still manufacture in oneplace and there's interstate
commerce allowed different thanyou know an adult use or medical

(41:34):
marijuana space where you haveto set up a supply chain in
every state, you still mighthave to have different unique
packaging for certain markets,or there might be different
potency restrictions oringredient prohibitions that
have nothing to do with cannabisin certain states that aren't
in other states.
I'm wondering if you can helpus shed some light on how you

(41:57):
think about those things,especially as it relates to go
to market Like are you lookingat the states that your existing
packaging works for andfocusing on those, or are you
designing packaging specificallyfor states that you want to be
in because you see the marketopportunity so big.
I think this is a constant thatlots of brands are thinking

(42:20):
about.

So shedding light on your process
would be great.
Yeah, I want Taylor to answerthis question mainly, but one
thing that I just did want tosay with that really quick is
that we've already experiencedthat.
I mean, we were redesigning acan for California, about to
launch in Total Wine inCalifornia and it was like, oh
well, can't do that anymore, andso it is an example of that in
the industry that all brandshave to be aware of.

(42:42):
Please, taylor can definitelyanswer this question better than
me.

Yeah, well , I think there's a few topics
that we're covering here, and inmy background I've not only
developed products forinternational work or for
domestic work, but alsointernational work, so because
of that, I've had theopportunity to learn what it's
like to have certainrestrictions and to read those
food laws and to see what'scompliant and what's not, and

(43:08):
that's been nimble.
Before, though, it was on amuch grander scale.
So it's interesting.
I think a lot of people startin this space and they grow with
it.
Versus, I went from somethingso large to actually downscaling
when it came to creating hippiewater will say I'm surprised by
some of the restrictions inthis space, as I think a lot of
people are, but, that being said, I feel very familiar with that

(43:39):
being the case, and it's not asmuch of a shock, I think, for
our team because of that.
We're a little bit desensitized, but that also means being very
strategic in our raw materials,including our packaging right,
and so if a state decides youneed to have X logo, well,
that's why we've made certainpackaging decisions, so we can
be nimble and really facingthose moments and being very

(44:00):
mindful and knowledgeable asmuch as we can on the
ever-changing regulations andthen when it comes to the
question of how does that affectthe states that we are
targeting.
So I would say there's kind oftwo lenses with that.
We didn't expect to be in 11states this early.
That came to a surprise with us.

(44:21):
However, I think that there canbe some brands who are choosing
to go.
I want the widest scopepossible, I want to spread
myself out and just beeverywhere all at once.
Well, instead we're actuallygoing.
Let's target states at a time.
Let's take this whole whale andchew it in bites, right?

(44:41):
So instead of although we arein 11 states, we're going to
focus on certain states that wethink will really drive the
initiative and build that way.
So, instead of spreading thin,we're going to be very localized
and dig deeper, really buildthose market spaces and really
cater those and nurture thoseopportunities and then continue

(45:04):
to spread as it goes.

Yeah, if in those states regulation
changes, at least we know wehave a strong foundation of
consumers and so if we do haveto change our product, it's
going to be worth it, not justexperimenting with a state that
we hope it'll stick in.

I guess one thing I should mention too
is there's a lot of new lawswe're seeing with Florida about
color additives.
I don't, I don't believe it wasabout flavors.
I believe the focus was reallyon color additives, also coming
from the space.
It's learning how to understandthat and thus have an argument.
So one for example and maybethis will help other people out

(45:40):
in the space One of those coloradditives was listed as fruit
juice.
Well, okay.
Then people go oh no, I'mscrewed.
Well, no, because instead youcan have the argument of this
isn't here to be a coloradditive, this is here to be an
ingredient, and you go okay.
So it's learning how to readthat and not be completely
shocked and concerned and adjust.
But luckily, not having anyartificial sweeteners or colors

(46:05):
or flavors is also somethingthat I highly recommend.
If the states are choosing toget that honed in on the
ingredients yeah.
If the states are choosing toget that honed in on the
ingredients, yeah.

Ben Larson (46:14):
Yeah, this industry is a wild ride with new rules
dropping every week, every day.
I want to kind of go towards alittle bit more of the personal
side.
You know, anna Rae and I alwayslike to dive into kind of the

(46:36):
founder journey and thepsychology behind it all.
Y'all are in kind of a uniqueposition, working with your
partners as partners in thisparticular case.
And I remember when I used towork with a lot of startups and
I would run into like a couplefounder couple and it would
always be in my head we're likethis either going to work out
great or it's going to endreally badly yeah, yeah totally

(47:02):
fair.
Uh, maybe you know, hudson, alex, earmuffs, how has it been?
Like it's, it's just, yeah,it's like it's double for you
guys.
Um, yeah, how do you manage?

this like you, it must be all
encompassing well, yeah, becauseI mean, at the end of the day,
we're breaking multiple rules.
It's like, don't get into bedwith friends and family while
we're doing both of those things.
Um, and I, I agree with you itcould either be really great or
really bad.
Um, I think there's a couple ofthings that set us apart, which
is just an easy one.
Um, mainly, we're all indifferent spaces, we're all

(47:34):
cohesive, but we all own ourdifferent space, and so I think
we've always, from day one,really respected each other and
knowing, okay, this is Taylor'sspace and she's an expert in
this space and she's here forthat purpose.
It's not challenged, it'swelcomed.
And I feel that way about Alexand Hudson.
You know they have their fields, their experts in their own

(47:56):
separate fields, and so, insteadof you know, of course, healthy
challenges on perspectives, butlike, instead of it being a
competition in any way, it'smore of like a thank goodness we
have somebody that we trust ineach field.
And I think that's at leastfrom, in my opinion, the way

(48:18):
that I've looked at each one ofour founders, including myself.
You know it's like how can Ibest utilize my experience and
my relationships and bring thattogether?
I would also say I think Taylorand Alex and Hudson and myself
have been in our relationshipsfor a really long time.
We've known each other for areally long time and, taylor, I
can let you speak on this, but Iknow, for Hudson and I we

(48:38):
started as friends, not justlove interests.
We've known each other for solong and I think, speaking on
our marriage, it's like weprioritize communication and so
this is just an extra layer.
We are used to spending, youknow, almost 24 hours a day
together, just based on workingfrom home and raising our son,
and, and so that time togetherwasn't a shock.

(49:00):
It wasn't like, oh, we'releaving our our own jobs and now
we're coming together and we'venever spent this much time
together.
We are, we are already used tospending that much time together
, and now it's just using, um,our industries, uh, in in a
different way than we werebefore.
So I don't think that it was ahuge adjustment.
And then I would say the biggestadjustment is then going into

(49:23):
business with friends.
It's like, oh, okay, we don'tturn that off at any point.
It's like we're still friends,so it's like we don't clock out,
and I think that's theadjustment.
It's like we are all in itevery single day, working on
hippie water, and then it's like, oh, we're also talking about
kind of bullshit that hashappening in our lives and
Hendrix is like running acrossthe screen and only a diaper and

(49:45):
you just kind of you have adifferent perspective on
business because you are soinvolved with each other,
involved with each other, and Ithink businesses fail with this
type of dynamic when you stopbeing transparent and open with
each other.
So I think as long as that lineof communication is open and you
are open about your strugglesand your wins with each other

(50:11):
and in their department one witheach other and in their
department I think that is isthe best and highest standard
you can have.
Because if everybody'scommunication is good and we are
all understanding each otherand we are addressing the good,
the bad and the ugly in a waythat is safe and it's a safe
space, I think you'll be fine.
I think you'll be able to workthrough all of those problems

(50:32):
and those challenges that areinevitable as your business
grows.
Bigger things come along betterand worse, and if you can talk
about it and you can handle itas friends and business partners
, I think that's the only wayforward, but please, taylor,
speak on that.

I mean, you absolutely laid it out.
I would say the biggest thingsare communication.
We have always been 110% honestwith each other, so one that
always helps.
But I would say the biggestthing in what has helped make
the business so successful isthat we have positive
assumptions about each other andrightfully challenge each other

(51:09):
at the same time, I think,really maintaining that.
And, and the best part is, youknow, sasha and I, this is our
first business together and so,at the same time that it is
playing adults, it's alsoplaying well, if we were Barbies
, like what kind of companywould we want?
What kind of, what kind ofpeople would we want?

(51:31):
We'd want that happiness, we'dwant that positivity.
And so by working together andclearly showing that that, like
this, this is authentically usand you're recording, if you
like we, we just talk to eachother all the time and we just
we get along.
We have the same views andmorals and the same desires to
build a female-led company, andto me, that's the answer of

(51:52):
everything beyond thecommunication and all that is
just continuing to know that wealways assume the best of
ourselves, but we also have tocontinue to challenge ourselves
and learn together along the wayand that just feels really good
because I know that every day,even after this long, I hang up
the phone and we still go.
Okay, love you, bye and that'sjust our world and it feels

(52:15):
amazing.

I also wanted to highlight it's really
important when we're bringingnew people onto the team to keep
that structure.
So our employee, saisha, is aforce of nature.
She is incredible and shout outto her Her birthday was
yesterday, but I think that thatthat continues with hires.
You know it's important.
Obviously, business isimportant, that structure is

(52:39):
important, but that line ofcommunication should be the same
in lots of ways.
Just because we are a C-suitedoesn't mean that you can't come
to us with complaints and withaccomplishments and everything.
Let's celebrate together, let'scommunicate together, let's
work out problems together andlet's keep a good culture.
And that level of respectshould flow throughout the

(53:02):
company.
And we can be silly and seriousat the same time and I think
that's really important as well,this ethos.

it's the first time, I think, that we've
ever talked about Barbies on theshow and Barbie was mentioned
twice, both as Barbie Pink, butthen Taylor, you just said, if
we were Barbies, what would ourbusiness be like?
And I just love that so much.
It's so fun and you guys areBarbies, you're winning at it.
It's been a real pleasuregetting to hear this story and,

(53:34):
I think, just shed some light onfriends really trying to have a
big vision and do somethingexciting in THC beverage.
So we feel very grateful foreverything that you've shared
and I know our listeners haveenjoyed it.
It's time for our last call, soI'm hoping that you can share a
final message with ourlisteners some advice, a call to

(53:55):
action, a closing thought whatdo you want to leave them with
today?

I guess I could start.
I think my last call is reallythat you know, building a
business is hard.
It should never be taken assomething that is easily
attainable.
The founder life is sodifficult and I think, just
remembering that you have it allwithin you, you shouldn't be

(54:22):
the smartest person in the room.
So bring on team members thatyou know are experts in their
field, but believe that yourvision is right and make sure
that you are paying attention toeverything new coming your way,
whether it's cannabis or not.
Know that you can do it, thatyou have it in you, and find the
resources to fill the spaceswhere you know that you are

(54:42):
lacking.
And if you have thatcombination, you will always
find that market gap.
You will always find what'snext and what's new.
You're ready to innovate,you're ready to adapt, but at
the end of the day, believe inyourself and believe that you
can do it, because if you don't,you'll fail.
And please go to my hippiewater on Instagram at

(55:02):
hippiewatercom.
Follow along, and we can't waitto be in every state.

Yeah, I guess that if I could think of
my last call, you know if I, ifI was talking to the myself five
years ago, I never thought Iwould be here.
I never thought I could do it.
So I guess, if I could sayanything, it's if you are a
creator and you have anopportunity to create something
that you wish was in the world.

(55:27):
I hope you do it and I thinkthat's I hope you do it, because
is the choice of cannabis easy?
No, but do I really actuallybelieve how incredible this
sector is?
Yes, or I wouldn't be here.
So cheers to anyone who's evenwilling to give it a shot.

(55:48):
And if anyone also wants toknow how to develop a product,
just pretend it's you, pretendit's as important as you, and
then you're going to makesomething really great.

Ben Larson (55:58):
I love it.
I love it, Taylor Sasha.
Thank you so much.
This has been an amazingconversation and just a lot of
incredible nuggets about thejourney of launching beverages
in the space.
So thank you, Thank you forspending the last hour with us.

Thank you so much for having us
Absolutely, and thank you, thankyou for spending the last hour
with us.
Thank you so much for having usAbsolutely, and thank you for
your questions too.
I love your questions, theywere great, such a good time.
You two are awesome.

Ben Larson (56:21):
All right, anna Rae, we got to go crack open some
hippie waters.

I'm ready.
It's the morning, but it's allgood.

Ben Larson (56:29):
I'm an hour ahead of you.
It's almost time hour ahead ofyou.
It's almost time.
All right, everyone, what doyou think?
Another great episode in thebag.
Keep the conversation going.
We got a lot of great commentsin the middle of the show.
Uh, engage with us.
Let us know what you think, anyquestions that you might have,
let us know who you want to seeon the show, what topics we
should cover next.
Please like, subscribe, share,do all the things.

(56:51):
We got a lot of exciting newscoming up in in the not too
distant future.
We'll be sharing that with you.
This is your cliffhanger, withno details, but it'll be coming
soon.
Thank you to our teams atvirtosa, wolf meyer, our amazing
producer, eric rosetti.
Thank you for keeping this showrunning until next time.

(57:11):
Folks, stay curious, stayinformed and keep your spirits
high.
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#079 - Launching a THC Beverage with Hippie Water ft. CEO, Sasha Pieterse Sheaffer, and CPO, Taylor Eileen Sewell

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}#079 - Launching a THC Beverage with Hippie Water ft. CEO, Sasha Pieterse Sheaffer, and CPO, Taylor Eileen Sewell