# 311 - Beyond Beers: How THC Drinks Are Disrupting the Beverage Market w/ Josh and Shea from Green Street Beverages

- Show: [People of Packaging](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging)
- Published: 2025-05-20
- Length: 40m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-05-20-311-beyond-beers-how-thc-drinks-are-disrupting-the-beverage-market-w-josh-and-sh
- Listen: https://encase.substack.com/p/311-beyond-beers-how-thc-drinks-are

## Summary

Shea Coakley, CEO, and Josh Grab, CRO of Green Street Beverages, discuss their transition from the traditional alcohol industry to leading the hemp-derived THC beverage market. They detail the operational challenges of scaling production through co-packers, navigating complex state-by-state regulatory frameworks, and solving technical packaging issues like THC leaching and child-resistant closures. The founders emphasize how packaging has evolved from a functional necessity in the regulated cannabis space to a critical brand-building tool in the emerging THC beverage category.

## Chapters

- [0:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-05-20-311-beyond-beers-how-thc-drinks-are-disrupting-the-beverage-market-w-josh-and-sh#t=1) Introduction and Industry Context
- [6:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-05-20-311-beyond-beers-how-thc-drinks-are-disrupting-the-beverage-market-w-josh-and-sh#t=385) Green Street Beverages and the THC Opportunity
- [15:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-05-20-311-beyond-beers-how-thc-drinks-are-disrupting-the-beverage-market-w-josh-and-sh#t=928) Co-packer Selection and Quality Control
- [25:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-05-20-311-beyond-beers-how-thc-drinks-are-disrupting-the-beverage-market-w-josh-and-sh#t=1551) Regulatory Fragmentation and Scaling Challenges
- [29:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-05-20-311-beyond-beers-how-thc-drinks-are-disrupting-the-beverage-market-w-josh-and-sh#t=1741) Packaging Technical Issues: Leaching and CR Lids
- [34:56](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-05-20-311-beyond-beers-how-thc-drinks-are-disrupting-the-beverage-market-w-josh-and-sh#t=2096) Distribution Strategy and Retail Expansion

## Topics

- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Packaging design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/packaging-design)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Certification & compliance](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/certification-and-compliance)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Green Street Beverages (company)
- Label King (company)
- GSBevs.com (other)
- Total Wine (company)
- Diageo (company)
- Pernod Ricard (company)
- Coca-Cola (company)
- Sam Adams (company)
- New Belgium (company)
- Ball Corp (company)
- High Tide (product)
- XO lid (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [#165 - The Rise of BRĒZ with Aaron Nosbisch](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-10-15-165-the-rise-of-brez-with-aaron-nosbisch) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Feature: Todd Harris of Plift](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-07-19-founder-feature-todd-harris-of-plift) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [#113 Brewing Crooked Owl Hard Tepache with Founders Cam & Dave Bailey](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2023-11-07-113-brewing-crooked-owl-hard-tepache-with-founders-cam-dave-bailey) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [#202 - Buyer Spotlight: Total Wine & More](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-06-24-202-buyer-spotlight-total-wine-more) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Feature: Spencer Hoddeson, Gay Water](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-12-27-founder-feature-spencer-hoddeson-gay-water) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-05-20-311-beyond-beers-how-thc-drinks-are-disrupting-the-beverage-market-w-josh-and-sh. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to People of Packaging.