Business of Drinks 28: How THC Drinks Brand WYNK Built to 150K Cases With Co-Founder Angus Rittenburg - Business of Drinks
WYNK is a cannabis drinks brand with a fascinating backstory. WYNK was founded in 2021 by Casey Parzych, Angus Rittenburg, and Shawn Sheehan, three friends
(a beverage distributor, mechanical engineer, and energy trader) looking for a new opportunity in the cannabis beverage market. Their challenge: find a way to dose the seltzer with THC legally, as current laws for dispensary distribution require dosing in the states where the drinks will be sold. Selling in Massachusetts? Dose in Massachusetts. Selling in Minnesota? Dose in Minnesota.
Enter Angus, a mechanical engineer who previously had worked on developing batteries for Tesla and rockets for SpaceX. The team decided the most efficient solution would be to build a mobile manufacturing facility on flatbed trucks that they could drive from state to state. With a $750,000 budget, Angus built WYNK 1.0 — a series of rigs (and a water truck) that, along with six people, traveled the country making WYNK. They sold 1 million cans in their first year.
But WYNK 1.0 was cumbersome and expensive. Angus then set out to find a better (and more compact) way to manufacture. WYNK 2.0 is now fully operational — and you can hear all about it in this episode, along with these insights:
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
How WYNK built its retail footprint to 13 states and DTC to 37 states
The challenge of building consumer awareness for low-dose THC drinks
How WYNK scaled its products to become price-comparable with alcohol-containing RTDs
Why Millennials are the core demographic for WYNK and other low-dose THC drinks
Why variety packs are key to product trial
Why the brand offers multiple THC dosage options
How hyperlocal sampling events have fueled the brand’s customer base
Why micro-influencers are moving the needle for social growth
Stay tuned for our next episode dropping on May 29.
About Erica Duecy, host:
Erica Duecy is host of Business of Drinks, and one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. She has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies. She also has led digital editorial teams at Architectural Digest and Saveur magazines. Her content, podcast, and video programs have won more than 40 digital and editorial awards. She is a WSET Advanced-certified wine and spirits communicator, and author of the cocktail book Storied Sips (Random House), about the real-life stories behind the world’s most famous cocktails.
To learn more about Erica Duecy:
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https://twitter.com/ericaduecy
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