Investing Billions - E172: How Cannabis Beverages are Disrupting the Alcohol Industry w/Sasha Pieterse

Episode Date: June 9, 2025

Sasha Pieterse might be best known for her acting career — but behind the scenes, she’s been building a beverage empire. In this episode, we dive deep into how Sasha's personal health journey led her to launch Hippie Water, a hemp-derived THC beverage brand that’s now in 140+ stores across 9 states. We talk about what it takes to transition from Hollywood to the CPG world, why Gen Z is drinking less alcohol, and how Sasha is redefining what it means to be a “celebrity founder.” This conversation goes beyond cannabis — it’s about leadership, authenticity, and building brands with staying power.

Why exactly why are you so passionate about cannabis infused beverages and why pick this space out of everything you could have done? I definitely could have picked an easier space I'll tell you that about cannabis because it really has changed my life. I was never a cannabis user My parents were like meth cannabis same thing which is so not the case and You know you get older and you realize wow, there's a lot more out there. I So not the case. And you get older and you realize, wow, there's a lot more out there. I was really negatively impacted by alcohol.

I love it in so many ways. And then I started mourning what it actually was as far as a loss goes, which was the social aspect. I missed the connection of let's grab some cocktails or people that is functional. The non-alcoholic space is huge, but there are not a lot of beverages there that are actually getting you to feel something. And that's...

Great. You know, but that's true. It's like, that's exciting. And it's not that it's not exciting. However, there is a bigger picture there and I feel like I'm always fighting the token. I never want to be the token. The token celebrity.

The token celebrity, the token CEO, the put in that position for face value versus actual value. And I think that is the fight that I'm fighting. And that's OK, because I would rather be underestimated and prove them wrong. You know, that's not a new saying, it's not a new sentiment, but it's the truth. I just feel like ultimately we have a long- Station, if you enjoyed this episode, please share with a friend.

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