How THC-infused beverage brand Cann is capitalizing on Dry January

The Modern Retail Podcast

With New Year's resolutions in full force, brands are trying to cash in on Dry January.

Cannabis-infused beverage brand Cann, in fact, usually sees its sales jump every January due to more people teetotaling.

"I just got these numbers earlier today," co-founder and CEO Jake Bullock said on this week's Modern Retail Podcast. "So online -- where we get the data the fastest -- this first week of January is up 75% from where it was this week last year."

That's because the six-year-old company is investing in content related to Dry January -- or what the company likes to call Cannuary. But Cann has also been on a big growth streak. The company is now selling its beverages in liquor stores in about 20 states. A year ago, it was only in around three states with this channel.

Bullock explained that the reason for this growth is changing legislation and more people testing out THC-infused beverages. He also spoke more broadly about the state of cannabis products in the U.S. Cann, he said, has expanded to states "that we would have never imagined we would be selling -- Cann in North Carolina or Tennessee. And not only are we selling there, it's selling really well, and consumers love these products," he said.

Getting more people to try it out is another hurdle. While people who smoke marijuana may be comfortable with trying to drink, others might not be. That's why expanding to liquor stores has been so crucial to Cann's success.

"We've always said we sit at this intersection of sober curiosity and cannabis curiosity," Bullock said. "And that curious customer maybe isn't as comfortable going into a dispensary."