The Evolution of an Industry: Cannabis Companies You Should Know, Pt. 3

This is the third installment in a cannabusiness series by financial expert Jeff Siegel. Please find Part 1 HERE and Part 2 HERE. 

I’m not a big drinker.

Typically, I cut myself off after three beers or hard ciders, as my tolerance for alcohol isn’t what it used to be.

In fact, a couple of years ago, I got hit with a nasty virus while on a trip to Mexico. It was so bad it actually affected my liver enzymes. My primary care doctor sent me to a specialist who did a series of tests on me. Fortunately, after about six months, my liver functions returned to normal. But I discovered something very interesting during this process.

The specialist I was seeing told me I had a small liver. Who knew?

In any event, I don’t drink much anymore. I like a beer or two with pizza or steamed crabs, and I love enjoying a hard cider with some good cheese. My favorite combination is some local hard cider with a hunk of Montgomery’s cheddar. It’s a winning combination, to be sure.

Of course, from time to time, I still overdo it. And I always regret those times. Especially since I’ve come to appreciate cannabis much more than alcohol when I just want something to help me relax.

And one of the reasons for this is that cannabis never gives me a hangover.

I actually had this conversation with a friend of mine back in January while attending a private cannabis finance meeting. As it turns out, this friend is actually in both the cannabis and alcohol businesses. And while we were talking, he told me that his company had developed a new kind of alcohol that offers all the relaxing and psychoactive benefits one would expect, but without the hangover or negative health issues associated with alcohol consumption.

And the secret is, well, cannabis.

Now technically speaking, what he’s making is not actually alcohol, but offers similar results as alcohol, yet without the negative side effects.

I know, it sounds a bit confusing. But bear with me, because this is a very interesting concept that I know a lot of cannabis consumers will like.

Introducing Province Brands

Province Brands is a premium adult beverage company that makes something very unique.

It’s not alcohol, and it’s not drinkable weed either. It’s something completely different: A fully-legal premium psychoactive beverage made from cannabis.

The flagship product is called Province Grand.

Province Grand is an ultra-premium London-Dry Gin distilled from cannabis and delivers a sensation the company calls “Evolved Cannabis.”  It’s basically the secret sauce.

The second flagship product is called Cambridge Bay Grand, which is an ultra-premium pilsner, also brewed from cannabis.

I like this whole concept because it enables a certain level of social equity for the cannabis consumer. It’s about allowing the cannabis enthusiast to sit at the same restaurant or bar as an alcohol drinker. This is something we really haven’t seen yet, but it really is a very normal concept. It’s just that no one’s been able to capitalize on it successfully.

And that’s where I see Province having a very distinct opportunity.

I actually believe that Province could also give the alcohol industry a real run for its money. After all, unlike the competition in the alcohol space, Province’s products are …

• Brewed from cannabis
• Low calorie
• Capable of delivering a short onset time
• Capable of delivering a short duration of effect

And they actually taste great. Of course, this is a premium brand, so you can’t expect anything less.

Interestingly, just a few weeks ago, a new report from the Cannabiz Consumer Group found that more than 25 percent of U.S. beer drinkers have switched to cannabis.

The sample size was only 40,000, so you have to take the results with a grain of salt.  However, if there is truth to the suggestion that alcohol companies could lose market share to cannabis companies, don’t think for a second that the big beer brewers in the U.S. are just going to sit by and let that happen.

And that, dear reader, is a very big opportunity for Province.

Quite frankly, based on IP alone, Province’s technology could be worth millions to a company like Anheuser-Busch or Diageo. So while Province is certainly a cannabis company to watch in 2017, don’t be surprised if it quickly gets acquired by a major player in the distilled spirits industry.

Of course, even if a billion-dollar brewery looks to scoop up Province, the company will still be launched to stardom thanks to some very smart people and that glorious plant we love so much.