The Hemp Beverage Alliance (HBA) released what it says is the first independently verified wholesale sales dataset for the hemp beverage category, based on wholesale depletion data collected from participating brands during 2024 and 2025.
The report, The Future of Drinking: Hemp Beverage Marketplace 2024–2025, uses anonymized depletion data gathered by VIP from 26 participating brands. According to the HBA, the dataset represents a portion of the hemp beverage market but is the first to rely on actual wholesale depletion data rather than estimates.
The report examines national, regional and state-level sales trends during the two-year period.
According to the report, the hemp beverage industry recorded 133% year-over-year growth. Total case equivalent volume increased from 692,435 cases in 2024 to 1,616,075 cases in 2025.
The report also found that products containing 6-10 milligrams of THC gained market share and surpassed products containing more than 10 milligrams of THC in 2025.
Sales patterns also mirrored those of traditional alcoholic beverages, with higher sales during the summer months and toward the end of the year.
“While the category is still young, we are seeing indications of category maturation,” said Anna Edgren, director of operations for the Hemp Beverage Alliance and lead author of the report. “Hemp beverages are no longer a novelty. Consumers are incorporating them into the buying patterns they currently follow for alcohol.”
The dataset includes information from suppliers that maintain active VIP accounts and belong to the Hemp Beverage Alliance. The organization said it did not require contributors to meet minimum thresholds for sales volume, revenue or operating history.
The organization also said hemp beverages have contributed to local economies as craft brewers, wine and spirits distributors and liquor retailers have added the products while sales of some traditional beverage alcohol categories have declined. It added that states with hemp beverage regulatory frameworks have generated tax revenue from the category.
The Hemp Beverage Alliance said the industry could face legal uncertainty later this year if Congress does not take action.
“Unless Congress acts soon, this economic success story is going to end tragically, with job losses, bankruptcies, and defaults,” said Christopher Lackner, founder and president of the Hemp Beverage Alliance.
