Featured Brand: Uncle Arnie’s
At a Glance
Category: Beverages
Type: Nanotechnology
Region: Walnut, CA
Heritage: Life-long cannabis consumers, entrepreneurs, and, beverage industry veterans
People: Ave Miller and Matt McGinn (Co-Founders), Theo Terris (CEO), Alberto Esquenazi (President and COO)
Ethos: To change the way that everyday people consume, perceive and enjoy cannabis
Overview
Everyone knows a “cool uncle”. He radiates positivity, gives off nothing but good vibes and always has a smile on his face. That’s Uncle Arnie. And that’s Uncle Arnie’s, the cannabis beverage company. Their mission is to change the way people consume, perceive and enjoy cannabis, and they are doing so one beverage at a time.
The Heritage
Uncle Arnie’s is the brainchild of co-founders Ave Miller and Matt McGinn. The brand was formed in 2020, but the history goes further back than that. Ave entered the cannabis industry in 2017 with Select Oil, and he never turned back. He and Matt met in 2019 at a demo where Matt and his partners were displaying a cannabis beverage called Nectr. Ave helped Matt scale the brand and land their first sale to a dispensary in early 2020. Matt pitched the idea of Uncle Arnie’s, an affordable high dose beverage, and the two spent the next few months consulting and interviewing buyers to find out what they truly wanted to see from a beverage brand. There were three common criteria that most buyers were looking for in a cannabis beverage: the effects needed to be consistent, the price point had to be affordable, and it had to taste delicious.
Fast forward two months, and Uncle Arnie’s first (and currently most popular) product, Iced Tea Lemonade, was born. The product was a labor of love. Together, Ave and Matt mixed the first 300 gallon batch, and they did the bottling, shrink-wrapping and boxing all on their own. They secured relationships with two dispensaries in Sacramento, Mainstage and Vibe by California, then stickered, loaded and dropped off the first order themselves. They decided that the best marketing tool was getting their product in the hands of budtenders so that they could educate their customers on the benefits of the product. That, along with some word of mouth marketing and a light Instagram presence was all it took for this company to get their feet on the ground, and they haven’t looked back since. As the brand grew, Ave and Matt brought on a team to help them with all of the day to day business of the brand. Among this team are Theo Terris (CEO), Alberto Esquenazi (President and COO) and Gabriella Valle (California Director of Sales).
The Ethos
The ethos of Uncle Arnie’s is straightforward: to create a tasty, affordable and effective cannabis beverage that could appeal to everyday consumers. They want cannabis to be available to the masses, whether you are a medical patient in need of relief, a consumer on a budget with only $10 to spend, or just someone who enjoys a tasty beverage.
One of the things that sets Uncle Arnie’s apart from other cannabis beverage brands is the use of something called sonification to produce their oils. It is a process that agitates the oil and breaks down the THC into smaller particles leading to faster onset of effects and a smoother, more enjoyable experience. This is important in a day and age where consumers are very cautious about overdosing on edibles. Having a fast acting product that can help the consumer determine quickly whether or not they need to take more is both safe and useful.
Another benefit that Uncle Arnie’s has that many cannabis beverages lack is a high dose formula. With many products containing 10mg of THC or fewer per beverage, these are not an option for the high dose / high tolerance consumer. It might be too expensive, or it might be difficult for a high dose consumer to be able to drink the proper amount to get the desired effects. The majority of Uncle Arnie’s products come in 100mg THC formulas, with a few 10mg THC cans as their most recent releases. This doesn’t mean that the 100mg flavors are only for high dose consumers. The dosing instructions on the bottle are very clear and simple, and Uncle Arnie’s products are just as good as mixers as they are on their own.
The Products
Each Uncle Arnie’s product is more delicious than the last, with so many different flavors from which to choose. Their first and best selling flavor, Iced Tea Lemonade, is only one of seven of the top ten best selling cannabis beverages in California. Their four 8 oz 100mg THC flavors top the list, with Pineapple Punch coming in at #2, Apple Juice at #3 and Sweet Peach Iced Tea at #4. In late 2022, Uncle Arnie’s introduced their new line of 2 oz 100mg THC shots, and three of those flavors quickly joined the top ten best sellers as well. Their Strawberry Kiwi shot comes in at #6, the Blueberry Night Cap shot with CBN is #8 and the Sunrise Orange shot with caffeine (one of my favorites) comes in at #10. More recently, Uncle Arnie’s expanded their product line to include 7.5 oz 10mg THC cans of their flagship Iced Tea Lemonade, as well as flavors like Cherry Limeade, Zen Green Tea and Watermelon Wave. These products can be enjoyed singularly for those with a lower tolerance, or as a substitute for beer at a party where those with a higher tolerance can drink five or six (or more) over the course of an event.
What does the future hold for Uncle Arnie’s? After launching in California, the company moved into the Oregon market in October of 2022. In 2023, they signed expansion deals in Michigan, Nevada and Washington, and they plan to expand to Colorado, Arizona, New York and New Jersey as well. The goal is to become the #1 cannabis beverage brand in the country, and considering their trajectory since inception, I would not put anything past this amazing team.
Visit the Uncle Arnie’s website to learn more!