Jones Soda Gets Into Cannabis With Mary Jones Drinks, Syrups and Gummies

Jones Soda is known for its fan-created labels and outrageously colorful craft sodas. Now, the company is bringing the color and funk to the cannabis market with the launch of Mary Jones, a line of cannabis-infused drinks, gummies and syrup.

"It's a perfect time to enter the cannabis space," says Bohb Blair, chief brand officer of Mary Jones Cannabis. "Cannabis marketing is maturing, but not matured. Public sentiment has never been higher, yet mainstream brands are still shy to go into this space."

Mary Jones will launch next month in California in multiple formats: 12-ounce single-serve glass bottles with 10 mg of THC per bottle; 16-ounce cans with 100 mg of THC per can, or 10 servings; 4-ounce syrup bottles—for use as a food topping or taken in small doses—and bottle-shaped gummies. Each option is available in four traditional Jones Soda flavors: Orange & Cream, Green Apple, Root Beer and Berry Lemonade.

When deciding on flavors, the brand began with its six top soda flavors, then looked at flavors other brands in the market were using to make the final decision.

"Beverages are harder to make. You need the manufacturing know-how. We know that and understand that. It plays to our strength," Blair tells Muse. "Edibles, whether you eat or drink them, are in a moment of evolution. They're starting to get better. They don't have to mask cannabis flavor. They can be their own craveable flavor."

Similar to Jones Soda, Mary Jones will release seasonal, limited-edition flavors throughout the year. One seasonal Mary Jones flavor will be heavily influenced by a fan-favorite flavor resurrected by Jones Soda later this year: Crushed Melon.

Here's hoping for a Mary Jones Turkey & Gravy mashup later in the year.

Noting the challenges faced by cannabis marketers, Mary Jones will conduct paid media buys using a psychographic target rather than demographics to identify and target flavor-driven audiences.

Mary Jones bottles will also use wacky, user-created content for its labels. Sixteen were selected from the Jones Soda database for the debut launch.

The cans differentiate using mirrored stickers accompanied by the line, "Objects in the mirror are higher than they appear."

"We want to become the biggest national cannabis brand," concludes Blair. "Our aspirations are big but grounded in results."