The Hemp Beverage Playbook | Paulo Sobral, Lolli Soda

On this episode, we’re joined by Paulo Lacerda Sobral, the CEO of Lolli Soda - classic soda, remixed with cannabis. Lolli focuses on legacy flavors like Cherry Cola, Grape Soda, and Orange Soda.Paulo honed his beverage chops at big names like PepsiCo and Sierra Nevada Brewing before diving into the cannabis beverage space.He brings deep expertise in beverage manufacturing, distribution strategy, and regulatory navigation - plus a clear-eyed take on what it’s really going to take to make THC drinks go mainstream.Paulo shares what inspired the creation of Lolli, why he isn’t trying to disrupt soda, and the future of cannabis beverages in retail. We talk through the real costs behind hemp beverage ops and why so many brands fail to focus on quality.—---------------Episode Highlights: 🥤 Why Lolli is “classics remixed,” not wellness-forward 🏭 Lessons from Pepsi and Sierra Nevada in scaling ops 🌱 The challenge of THC beverage regulation state-by-state 💸 Real talk: tolling costs, margins, and cold-chain myths 🛒 Why convenience stores are a sleeping giant for cannabis 📦 The importance of shelf stability and flavor-first development 🧠 Navigating burnout and founder identity in the cannabis world 📈 How to get distributors and retailers to actually care 🎯 Why beverages require IRL sampling, not just DTC funnels—---------------Table of Contents: 00:00 – Intro & Texas hemp regulation discussion 03:00 – What inspired Lolli + Paulo’s journey from Pepsi to pot 07:00 – The state of cannabis and hemp beverage 13:00 – “Traditional” beverage vs cannabis and hemp beverage 17:00 – What makes a great THC soda (formulation + flavor) 19:10 – C-stores 23:19 – The on-premise channel 24:45 – DTC 30:00 – Who should your first hire be in cannabis and hemp beverage?—---------------Links:Lolli - https://www.drinklolli.com Follow Paulo on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulo-l-sobral/ Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/  For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out KitPrint.Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.