#143 - How Eddie Brennan Built ayrloom’s $75M Empire (Plus DEA Hearing Update)

What happens when a 115-year-old family farm bets its entire legacy on the future of cannabis? You get New York’s top-selling beverage and vape brand, bringing in over $75M in retail sales. In this episode of High Spirits, host AnnaRae Grabstein holds down the fort while Ben Larson is away on paternity leave. She sits down with Eddie Brennan, CEO of ayrloom, to dissect their meteoric rise in the New York market and how they utilized centuries of agricultural and alcohol distribution expertise to dominate cannabis. Plus, the episode kicks off with an exclusive, boots-on-the-ground debrief from Laura Fogelman, Chief of Staff at PAX, who sharing her firsthand, unfiltered notes from inside day one of the historic DEA rescheduling hearings. What You’ll Learn The DEA Hearing Inside Scoop: Why the recent DEA hearings had tighter security than a fortress, who was actually in the room, and how the DEA is vigorously defending Schedule III. The Blueprint for $75M in Retail Sales: How ayrloom scaled to millions of units in New York by prioritizing true vertical integration and agricultural consistency. Borrowing from Big Alcohol: Why hiring from CPG giants like Anheuser-Busch and Proctor & Gamble beats relying solely on cannabis industry transplants. Navigating the Looming Hemp Cliff: Eddie’s candid, changing outlook on the future of the hemp-derived THC beverage market ahead of upcoming November regulations. Meet the Guests Eddie Brennan is the President of Beak & Skiff and the CEO of ayrloom. As a fifth-generation leader of a 1,000-acre New York apple orchard, Eddie successfully pivoted the legacy farm into a top 10 national hard cider brand (1911 Established) before betting the farm on regulated cannabis and hemp-derived beverages. Laura Fogelman is the Chief of Staff and Head of Strategic Communications at PAX. With a deep background in public affairs and brand strategy, Laura sits at the intersection of product innovation and federal cannabis policy reform. Why Tune In? Whether you are trying to navigate shifting state regulations or scale a beverage brand across state lines, this conversation delivers an essential masterclass in applying institutional CPG discipline to the chaotic realities of modern cannabis. -- High Spirits is brought to you by Vertosa and Wolf Meyer. Your hosts are Ben Larson and AnnaRae Grabstein. Follow High Spirits on LinkedIn. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Who would you like to see on the show? What topics would you like to have us cover? Visit our website www.highspiritspod.com and listen to all of our past shows. THANK YOU to our audience. Your engagement encourages us to keep bringing you these thought-provoking conversations. Remember to always stay curious, stay informed, and most importantly, keep your spirits high.