Molson and Hexo backed cannabis drinks company launches five new brands

Competition in the cannabis beverage market is due to heat up as a company backed by Molson Coors Canada launches a group of pot drinks brands over the next few months.

Truss Beverage Co., a joint venture between the brewer and Ottawa-based cannabis company Hexo Corp., unveiled five brands today that it hopes will conquer the market and appeal to emerging tastes.

Truss chief executive Scott Cooper says his company's new brands include Little Victory naturally-flavoured sparkling beverages and House of Terpenes sparkling tonics with botanically-sourced terpenes. All the brands will offer beverages infused with either CBD or THC.

Veryvell, an existing Truss brand that currently offers cannabis extract drops, will centre around cannabidiol products and wellness, while XMG and Mollo will focus on drinks that are perfect for special occasions.

Truss entered the pot drink space in December, when it partnered with Flow Alkaline Spring Water to launch goji-grapefruit and raspberry-lemon waters infused with cannabidiol, a cannabis compound.

Other cannabis retailers are already selling infused drinks from Canopy Growth Corp.'s Tweed, Aurora Cannabis Inc., A1 Cannabis Co., actor Seth Rogen's Houseplant brand and Fluent Beverage Co., a joint venture between Anheuser-Busch InBev and B.C. pot company Tilray Inc.