Boston Beer Co. launched the TeaPot line of infused teas in Canada in 2022.
Most multibillion-dollar American companies are exploring the cannabis business with a watchful eye, but a hands-off approach.
However, one of the largest brewers in the United States, The Boston Beer Company, with a market cap in excess of $4 billion, is stepping boldly into the cannabis arena — although U.S. consumers will, for now, have to wait for the TeaPot infused iced teas to be available domestically.
The Boston Beer Company launched TeaPot in Canada in 2022. Hopes of bringing the beverage stateside likely rest on the possibility of federal legalization or some major legislative change.
As a 40-year-old publicly traded company with institutional investors, “participating in cannabis is a very delicate topic,” says Paul Weaver, head of the cannabis division at The Boston Beer Company. “Cannabis in Canada was unequivocally illegal, so it allows us to do our R&D work, launch the product and learn.”
Although cannabis is a new category for The Boston Beer Company, TeaPot clearly fits within the company’s core competency. While The Boston Beer Company is well-known for a variety of brands, including Samuel Adams Beer, Truly Hard Seltzers and Angry Orchard Ciders, its best-selling product is Twisted Tea.
While cannabis is increasingly gaining acceptance across North America, consumers’ relationship with alcohol is also evolving.
“The mandate was to try and get in front of this consumer trend,” Weaver says, “and understand how The Boston Beer Company would do cannabis, how we would extend our craft sensibilities into the cannabis space.”
TeaPot has quickly become the best-selling cannabis tea in Canada and the top-selling edible in Quebec. In 2023, it was also voted the Best New Product in the low-dose infused beverage category.
“Our goal is to be the most accessible and welcoming cannabis brand in the industry, regardless of form factor,” Weaver says, “and I think we’re trying to demonstrate with our success in Canada that TeaPot is open to everybody, whether you’re a stoner that should be smoking less or a drinker who wants to drink less, we’ve got a great product that tastes good.”