A NEW CRAFT

As THC drinks hit shelves across the US, one Asheville-based cannabis beverage is raising the bar and forging ahead

Inspired by the craft beer revolution and sold by 100 independent retailers throughout Asheville, St.Rains craft cannabis beverages are expanding across the Carolinas in spite of looming federal re-prohibition.

The Next Generation of Asheville Craft Beverage.

With more breweries per capita than any other American city, Asheville has more than earned its “Beer City USA” moniker over the last three decades. Now, a new generation of craft adult beverages is setting roots here in the mountains.

“There’s no better place to build and prove out a craft cannabis beverage than right here,” says Bennett Christian, founder of St.Rains.

The seeds for St.Rains were planted a decade ago in Denver, Colorado, where Christian worked for a pioneer of whole plant cannabis extraction, eventually acquired by Florida’s Trulieve, the country’s largest marijuana retailer.

“I’ll never forget the first time I consumed real whole plant extract… the aromas, taste and sensation. It was life-changing.” And when Christian started St.Rains in late 2021, he insisted on working with real whole plant cannabis in beverages too.

“It’s easier, faster to go to a flavor house, ask for what’s trending, inject THC and mask the cannabis flavors. I wasn’t interested in that. I like a challenge. We’re making first-of-their-kind flavors and showing that cannabis tastes great.”

St.Rains starts with aromatics from the cannabis plant known as terpenes. “There’s a remarkably wide array in cannabis from myrcene, caryophyllene, and ocimene rich profiles, to terpinolene and limonene which we're working with this year, and plenty more.” St.Rains then pairs a particular terpene profile with a particular fruit juice. “We’re going for taste, effect, and ultimately, I think, instilling a preference to experience the fruit with those floral elements.”

Moving back to Asheville in 2023, Christian’s plan was to launch here in late 2024. Hurricane Helene blew that plan off course, and St.Rains instead launched in New Orleans, successfully leading to Louisiana-wide distribution.

Returning to Asheville in May 2025, St.Rains is now sold through 100 independent retailers across greater Asheville – bars, restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores and more – and working to distribute throughout the Carolinas and Georgia next.

“My team has done a hell of a job. Self-distribution is not easy, but Asheville is the kind of place that respects building organically like this.”

Made for Asheville. Now Made in Asheville.

This was the vision for St.Rains since day 1, to be produced in Asheville.

“Mountain water matters. Closer to the source, the minerals... That’s why so many brewers establish themselves here.”

Christian started to familiarize himself with Asheville as a college student in Greensboro, popping in to see Toubab Krewe at the Orange Peel and bluegrass jams at Warren Wilson. He first moved here in 2019 to take a break from startup businesses and record music while selling olive oil downtown.

“When we first got started with St.Rains there were only like 3 manufacturers in the whole country who could technically work with organic juices (through a process called tunnel pasteurization) and also willing to work with THC.”

After several years, there are finally options for local production. St.Rains will start manufacturing locally this Spring with a brewer in town.

“We’re really excited. They’re proven, process-focused and have a great culture and work environment from what I hear. That matters a lot to us too.”

A Looming Federal Ban and Much Needed North Carolina Regulations.

In November 2025, the hemp world was rocked by DC politics when a last-second provision added to the bill reopening the government threatened to recriminalize nearly all consumable hemp products nationwide.

“It’s comparable to waking up one morning and learning that any alcoholic beverage above 0.4 ABV will be a Schedule I narcotic in a year. Everything except kombucha basically. We were all floored.”

Hemp cannabis was widely cultivated in America until the 1930s, when the timber-based paper industry spun hemp into Reefer Madness sensationalism, leading to its criminalization. In 2014, hemp cultivation was re-legalized, followed by consumable hemp in 2018, paving the way for what is now a $30 billion industry in the US with North Carolina playing a big part in this renaissance.

“This time around, the competition is on the supply side of big alcohol (spirits and wine mostly) along with certain big marijuana companies. It’s the same story, spinning narratives about hemp… just with different actors. It’s also half a million American jobs on the line today, including thousands of businesses in North Carolina.”

At the state level, while legal in North Carolina, Christian believes the state needs to pass 21+ legislation and protect on-premise sales through regulation, as most consumable hemp markets regionally already do.

“Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana and Texas all have licensed on-premise sales. The median license cost is $250 per year, enabling small businesses to participate. In North Carolina, thousands of on-premise retailers already sell hemp. It’s the majority of our business in Asheville, and it’s an important and responsible revenue stream for retailers, particularly with lower-dose products.”

In terms of how things will play out legally, Christian will be the first to tell you he has no clue, but he built St.Rains to pivot based on whatever comes next.

“If 0.4mg THC does become law federally, if only temporarily… as a flavor-first, whole plant cannabis beverage that’s not dependent on any particular level of THC, we’ll remain on menus, bars and shelves.”

Posted on 02/26/2026

For press inquiries and photo usage, please contact Bennett Christian at b.christian@drinkstrains.com