According to co-founder and CEO Matt Johnston, the ethos of Canadian craft brewery and distillery Collective Arts is “putting creativity at the core of everything that we do.” And as it turned out, the company had a surplus.
Last month, the brewery marked the start of a new chapter with the launch of Collective Project, a Los Angeles-based sister brand that will develop CBD-infused beverages in the United States and THC-infused drinks north of the border in Canada. The brand’s three debut stateside releases — a sparkling tea (Raspberry & Hibiscus Rooibos) and two varieties of sparkling juices (Mango, Pineapple & Coconut and Cucumber, Lemon & Lime), each containing 20 mg of hemp-based CBD — are available now via the brand’s website, and are set to enter distributors early next year. A fourth flavor — Lemon, Pear and Schisandra Sparkling Tea — is due to arrive in December. The suggested retail price for a 4-pack is $17.99.
“We’re taking all of our creativity and innovation that we’ve built up over the last seven years and applying that to Collective Project,” said Johnston. “We are really excited to just play, because that’s what we’ve done in the beer space or in gin. Now we just get to have so much fun in developing drinks over here.”
That spirit of creativity is apparent from the product packaging: the tea and juices each feature original works from Canada-based visual artists Marion Griesse and Gallit Shaltiel, commissioned by Collective Project specifically for this release. For its beers, each quarter the company holds an open call for art, eventually narrowing down a list of over 2,000 submissions to around 70 pieces that are selected to be used on packaging.
“We are by nature a passionate, purpose driven company that believes a creative world is a better world,” he said. “And right now, the world needs a lot more creativity. All the artists we collaborate with inspire us, and we like to pay it forward.”
The brand’s true canvas, however, is the liquid itself. In contrast to flavored sparkling water, which has emerged as the preferred drink format for most brands working in the CBD space, Johnston said that creating a line of infused teas and juices allows Collective Project to “put our craft” in the liquid and create a more complex and engaging lifestyle beverage that can work anytime of day. For the CBD emulsion, the brand partnered with Oakland-based supplier Vertosa, which has also collaborated with infused beverage makers like Cann and Pabst Blue Ribbon.
“It’s a functional beverage, but it has so much more than just the functionality,” said Johnston, adding that four additional flavors have already been formulated. “Juices and teas are natural, multi-dimensional products, particularly these cocktail-inspired types. They fit different points in the day and we weren’t seeing anything like that on the market, so it was something that we were excited to develop.”
In Canada, where cannabis-infused beverages are more widely available, Collective Project will release the same flavors, but made with both THC and CBD in 1:1 ratios, ranging from 3 mg to 10 mg each. In the U.S., the products are being produced by Wisconsin-based craft beer maker Octopi Brewing.
Despite the pandemic-related challenges craft beer makers are currently facing, Johnston said that the timeline to launch Collective Project was not accelerated due to concerns over that part of the business. The two companies are mutually exclusive of each other.
“The CBD and THC worlds are intriguing to us and is something we are connected to, so it was always an area of great interest to us,” he said. “We like the challenge of how do you create something new and unique in this category, so we took on that challenge.”