Meeting Marc Ross, Co-founder of the Cannabis Infused Sweet Justice Beverages
Understanding Beverages
Earth’s Own Naturals had the incredible opportunity to sit down with Marc Ross, Co-Founder of the cannabis-infused Sweet Justice Beverages. As fellow admirers and professionals in the industry, we were eager to delve into Marc’s journey – from his foundational years in the beverage sector to his seamless transition into the world of BC cannabis store offerings. In this exclusive chat, we discuss what truly sets Sweet Justice beverages apart, the challenges and misconceptions surrounding cannabis, and much more. So, pour yourself a cup of your favourite beverage, perhaps a Sweet Justice? and join us in uncovering the captivating story behind one of the industry’s trailblazers.
Meet the Man Behind the Cannabis Beverages
Marc Ross is one of the co-founders of the infused beverage brand Sweet Justice. Prior to the legalization of cannabis, Marc worked on the Venturing & Emerging Brands team at Coca-Cola. There, he led the sales teams with the launch of several brands, including Vitaminwater, Smart Water, and ZICO Coconut Water. Out of the four Sweet Justice founders, three of them met while working at Coca-Cola in various roles.
Cut to today, and Sweet Justice is the #1 beverage brand in BC, with their Cherry Cola remaining as the #1 SKU since its launch in March 2022. Marc currently resides in North Vancouver, spending his free time in the mountains, most likely sipping a Cherry Cola.
Founders of Sweet Justice (Left to Right) Marc Ross, Eric Frape, David Pilchuk and Jocelyn Tse
What is the science behind the making of Sweet Justice beverages? What is the process?
It starts with Ethanol Extraction, then the distillation which strips the terpenes from the cannabinoids to remove the cannabis taste and aroma. Because cannabis is fat soluble, you require a carrier oil which can be sunflower, MCT, or Sweet Justice’s carrier of choice, pure coconut oil. The Nano-emulsion Technology plays a crucial role in crafting the perfect cannabis drink. This technology ensures that cannabis extracts can mix seamlessly into water, providing higher bioavailability and faster onset of effects compared to traditional edibles. This helps maintain uniformity, preventing separation and improving the overall texture of the drink.
What technology has been uncovered in the past year, if any, to make cannabis drinks taste better?
During the extraction process, you’re stripping out everything as much as possible. Because the terpenes in a strain will give you that taste and smell of cannabis, the more terpenes and flavonoids you strip out, the less cannabis taste there will be.
Elements of taste include:
- THC. The purity of the THC will impact the taste. The less pure the THC, the more you will taste the cannabis flavour.
- Oil. The carrier oil you emulsify the THC with will also impact the flavour. The most familiar carrier oils are sunflower, pure coconut, and MCT oil. Sweet Justice will test all carrier oils with their base flavours to ensure the taste is perfect. In terms of product development, testing different carrier oils is essential, as the results could lead to a drink that is either awesome or one that is bitter, has a weird aftertaste, or has an unpleasant mouthfeel.
- Bitterness. Lastly, the size of the nano molecule plays a huge role. The smaller the nano molecule, the more bitter the beverage, generally.
If it doesn’t taste good, we will not launch it! After all, we cater to a world where taste is everything.
How would you describe the onset/offset of the beverages?
There are levers that determine the size of the nanobubble or nanomolecule. So, as a general rule, the smaller the bubble, the faster the onset. And when we say onset, we’re referring to how fast the consumer will feel the effects of the beverage. Our goal is typically a 20-minute onset which is close to about 400 nanometers.
We could easily go down to 200 to produce a 7-minute or 8-minute onset drink, but here’s the problem: the smaller the bubble size or molecule, the more your tongue picks it up due to its many receptors. Remember, the smaller the bubble, the more bitter the drink. And so ultimately, you have to make a call as a brand and go, “Is someone going to value a 10-minute faster onset than a pleasurable drink experience?” Our answer as a brand was no, so 20 minutes was a reasonable goal. For the sake of comparison, the general onset for a beer is about 20 minutes.
Offset, which refers to the duration of the effects, is typically 60 to 90 minutes for Sweet Justice Beverages. But bear in mind, there is no conclusive medical science regarding how long the effects will last for each individual due to:
- Their experience levels with cannabis;
- Their endocannabinoid system;
- And how they process it, among other things.
One of the advantages of beverages [over other forms of cannabis] is that it doesn’t matter what’s in your stomach. Let’s take edibles, for example. As we know, you will get higher off an edible if you eat a fatty steak compared to a salad. However, in beverages, the particles are so small they get absorbed in your mouth, your tongue, and your esophagus, making the onset much faster and more consistent as a format. If you are new to cannabis, you can start slow and feel the effects better and more consistently than you would with an edible. Why? Because it’s being absorbed in a way that is subject to fewer variables that can influence how high you get.
How would you describe cannabis-infused beverages from a ‘Quality of Life’ perspective?
In terms of cannabis sales, we face a lot of restrictions with branding and marketing. One thing I’ve realized is how embedded alcohol is in our culture – and the regulators know it and have no problem selling it as a lifestyle. We look forward to the day when nurses and teachers can talk about consuming a cannabis drink as they can openly disclose drinking red wine. It’s common to hear, “Hey, I need a glass of wine,” yet there is still a stigma around cannabis. As we cut through the stigma and the perceptions of a ‘good quality of life,’ we understand the role that cannabis can play.
I think consuming [cannabis] beverages is a culturally [accepted and] effective way to achieve mood modulation compared to alcohol. It is an approachable format and much less intimidating and controllable that doesn’t alienate them in a social situation compared to lighting a joint. Everything from relaxing to celebrating and getting together with friends – there is a social aspect that comes with sipping beverages.
For example, the Elderflower Pom is a 5:5 (5mg THC/5mg CBD). Sharing this with a friend and experiencing the giggles is a fantastic experience for us to see. You know, from a research perspective, our perception is that [cannabis] is a much healthier alternative to alcohol. We are not medical doctors in that area, but I do encourage my friends and family to switch from alcohol to cannabis drinks. There is somewhat of a movement happening called “California Sober,” which calls for abstinence from alcohol and mood modulation with cannabis instead. These movements are real.
You asked about calories and sugar; one of the things that we did in our product development is [look at] what people loved about Coke, for example. [However, we also looked at] what they did not like, and one was artificial sweetener and a high fructose corn syrup content. A Coke or a Pepsi, for example, has 140 calories, while Sweet Justice Cannabis Beverages max out at 100 calories. We are in the lower range in terms of sweetened drinks. Sweet Justice’s portfolio is designed to appeal to different types of consumers for all kinds of occasions.
What is one way we can change the stigma of cannabis?
Cannabis beverages can be a relatable format for a new consumer. Getting more people familiar or acquainted with talking about enjoying a cannabis beverage is a great start. Walking around and carrying your favourite brands is very important for the cannabis industry because that’s what gets people aware and talking about what you are consuming, which can lead to de-stigmatizing. For example, gifting the host of a dinner party some cannabis drinks can be a great alternative to a bottle of wine. Bring a six-pack to the next party, and it will be THE topic of conversation as people gather around and ask to try them.
It’s all about awareness and education. Just this past summer, Sweet Justice participated in a Craft Beer Festival in Vancouver, and the most common question I received was: “What is the difference between THC and CBD?” I realized that we have a lot of work to do in terms of education.
Where do you see beverages going in the industry, future wise?
The future that we had envisioned is, in fact, starting to come to life. For all regions and countries, I see a future where you can order THC drinks anywhere alcohol is sold. Drinks up to 10mg will be purchased at grocery stores, liquor stores and on-premise in bars and restaurants. And would you believe this is happening already in the United States? Right now in Minnesota, (hemp-derived) THC drinks are being sold everywhere alcohol is sold. Beer distributors say that the category has done more in 1 year than it took craft beer 5-10 years to achieve. It’s incredibly exciting to see this. We see people consuming less alcohol and switching to infused drinks. We see these drinks attract folks to go out to bars and restaurants again, knowing that there is something exciting for them there other than alcohol-based drinks. We see restaurants happy as these beverage consumers tend to eat more food while they’re out. It’s an exciting time.
Overall, I believe that the familiarity and approachability of cannabis beverages will serve to recruit more people to the goodness of cannabis and the positive role that it can play in their lives.
“An important bridge between non-cannabis consumers in a non-intimidating way”
The market share can include: people who have not discovered cannabis and are non-smokers and a substitute for a socially familiar format that is to consume alcohol; this way, alcohol consumption will decrease naturally.
