ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Noble Brands Inc., the parent company of the Black-founded hemp beverage brand Plift—already with a presence in over 100 retail stores in Minnesota, Texas, and Missouri—is partnering with GPO Plus to stock Plift in 325+ Yesway and Allsup’s convenience stores in multiple states including Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.
“Plift’s mission is to make cannabinoid products more readily accessible,” said Cofounder Todd Harris. “It’s so important to provide people and communities with acceptable ways to unwind without alcohol. We’ve seen the positive effect that it has had in Texas and Minnesota since Plift launched. Partnering with GPO Plus and Yesway/Allsup’s puts us in stores around the country where people can easily connect with these alternatives.”
Plift is a flavor-forward hemp beverage that contains 4mg of hemp-derived Delta-9 THC per 12-ounce can. Because this product is derived from hemp and contains less than .3% Delta-9 THC, it is manufactured in accordance with the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (SEC 12619) and can be sold in 37 states, including some states where medical and adult-use cannabis is not yet legalized.
“We couldn’t be more excited to bring Plift’s products to our customers,” said Yesway CMO Derek Gaskins. “We have a long history of caring for the communities in which our employees and customers live and work, and we’re proud to share those values with Plift. It was a natural fit for us to work together. It was equally intuitive to include such a quality product from a fast-growing industry in our array of food and beverage offerings.”
“Our goal at GPO Plus is to connect retailers with premium quality brands. This partnership is an exciting opportunity to showcase what consumers can expect from best-in-class hemp beverages. Plift was the perfect addition to our curated selection of specialty products and hemp-based offerings,” said Dorsey Sparks of GPO Plus.
The partnership comes on the heels of the GPO Plus launch of the Feel Good Shop+, a store-within-a-store concept in Yesway and Allsup’s locations, which will feature CBD beverages, snacks, and vape products. Both partnerships reflect Americans’ changing attitudes toward cannabis. Pew Research Center reports that 90% of U.S. adults feel cannabis should be legalized to some extent.
It’s challenging, however, for consumers to form an opinion on a category of products that have only been legal since 2018. That’s why Plift hopes that expanding the market for legal hemp cannabis beverages will help earn the trust of consumers, even in states throughout the Southwest and Midwest where medical and recreational markets have recently been voted down.
About Noble Brands Inc.: Noble Brands Inc. is headquartered in Minnesota to create new connections between cannabis and other industries, and to expand the accessibility of legal cannabinoid products. It is the parent company of Plift, a flavor-forward hemp beverage brand, and Perfectly Dosed, a cannabis emulsions white label partner for the food, beverage and CPG industries that aims to increase and support entrepreneurial equity.
About Yesway: Yesway is one of the fastest-growing convenience store operators in the United States. Established in 2015, Yesway is a multi-branded platform headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, which operates 438 stores located in Texas, New Mexico, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Wyoming, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. Yesway operates its portfolio primarily under two successful brands, Yesway and Allsup's, with sites that are differentiated through a leading food service offering, featuring Allsup's famous deep-fried burrito, and a wide variety of high-quality grocery items and private-label products. Yesway's geographic footprint consists of stores located in attractive rural and suburban markets across the Midwest and Southwest, where it is often the convenience retail destination of choice and effectively the local grocer. The Yesway team has a successful track record of growing through acquisitions and believes it is well positioned to continue to solidify its market position and grow its store count. Yesway has received numerous industry awards for its growth initiatives, management team, loyalty program, and employees' contributions to the industry.
About GPO Plus: GPO Plus is a manufacturing and distribution specialist focused on developing consumer-branded products for specialty retailers and eCommerce. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, GPO Plus has a unique focus on underserved markets, including group purchasing for the hemp and CBD industry.
