OG Sodas at the Hemp Beverage Expo 2026 — Austin, TX
Last week, the OG Sodas crew packed up and headed to Austin, Texas for the 2026 Hemp Beverage Expo — and we came away fired up about what's ahead for this industry and for our brand.
Held June 17–18 at the Palmer Events Center, HBE is the only executive-level B2B trade show dedicated exclusively to hemp-derived beverages. With over 1,000 industry leaders, investors, retailers, and distributors in the building — and 100+ brands on the show floor — this was the room to be in.
Showing Up as the Premium Brand
From the moment we set up our booth, the response was clear: people could tell OG Sodas isn't just another hemp drink. Our craft cannabis, CBD, and kava sodas stood out on a floor full of brands competing for attention. We poured hundreds of samples over two days, and the conversations that followed — with buyers, distributors, and fellow founders — were exactly the kind that move the needle.
South Florida was well-represented at HBE, and we made sure everyone knew OG Sodas is the brand leading the charge from our market.
The Industry Is at a Turning Point
The theme of the expo was impossible to ignore: the hemp beverage category has crossed $1 billion in annual sales, but it's doing so while navigating real regulatory headwinds at the federal level. Sessions covered everything from state-by-state compliance to retail expansion strategy to contingency planning for potential policy shifts later this year.
As founders who've been in the beverage industry for over a decade, Jon and Jacob know how to read a room — and this room was full of people who believe in what we're building. Hemp beverages are moving into mainstream grocery, liquor stores, and specialty retail faster than most categories we've seen. The question isn't if, it's how.
What's Next for OG Sodas
Austin was a reminder of why we started OG Sodas: to give people something better to reach for. We came back with new connections, wholesale conversations in motion, and a lot of energy heading into the second half of 2026.
If you're a retailer or distributor and you were at the show — or you weren't but you want to carry OG Sodas — visit our Wholesale page or reach out directly at jon@ogsodas.com.
And if you haven't tried OG Sodas yet, there's no better time. Shop the lineup here.
