*By Jacqueline Corba*
This summer season, CBD-infused beverages were among the hottest new drinks on the market. The drinks, said Dirty Lemon's CEO Zak Normandin, offer an alternative way for some to just chill ー sans alcohol, and sans the traditional marijuana-induced high.
"A lot of consumers are actually replacing ... an alcoholic beverage \[with this\]. So at the end of the day you've had a long day at work incorporating this product into your daily routine to just relax," Normandin, also a co-founder of the beverage company, told Cheddar's CannaBiz on Tuesday.
Dirty Lemon, which launched in 2015 with a charcoal-infused lemon-flavored beverage called a detox "elixir," introduced its first CBD drink this July. The new product sold out of the first batch, roughly 20,000 bottles, in only two days.
"It's been challenging for us to keep up with demand," Normandin said. "People want to experience it for themselves."
Normandin said the combination of ingredients in a ready-to-drink format is driving the success of his company's beverage products and his new CBD drink, which uses cannabidiol produced by cannabis brand [Beboe](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-hermes-of-marijuana-wants-to-bring-you-cannabis).
Dirty Lemon is just one example of many companies that want to capitalize on the benefits of this marijuana extract, which does not actually contain THC or produce a high.
"It's a very crowded field and there is a lot of competition," Green Market Report CEO and editor-in-chief Debra Borchardt told Cheddar Tuesday.
CBD maker Charlotte's Web went public on the Canadian Securities Exchange [last week](https://www.newcannabisventures.com/charlottes-web-ipo-and-secondary-offering-boosted-to-16-45-million-shares-as-underwriters-exercise-over-allotment-option/). Its products are sold in 2,700 retail locations and the company is looking to triple its annual revenue this year. Borchardt said the company has already been able to capture 14 percent of the market.
And investors are taking note ー the stock surged more than 13 percent Tuesday, its third day of trading on the public market.
This is only the beginning for CBD products on the market, Borchardt said.
"You're going to be seeing people buying CBD water, and they are going to feel good. It's a wellness thing."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/dirty-lemon-adds-cbd-to-its-beverage-menu).
The U.S. is sending more aid to Ukraine, Tom Brady is un-retiring, and Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson are Instagram official. Here is all the news you Need2Know for Monday, March 14, 2022.
U.S. stocks ended Thursday's session lower as new CPI data show inflation continues to rise and the Russia-Ukraine war continues. Philip Palumbo, founder, CEO, & Chief Investment Officer of Palumbo Wealth Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
It's been an eventful past few weeks for the WNBA. One of the league's top players, Brittney Griner, remains in Russian custody after being detained at an airport last month. The league is also dealing with a scandal after fining a team for providing charter flights to their players. Emily Caron, sports business reporter for Sportico, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Auction-based advertising infrastructure startup Topsort
raised $8 million in a seed funding round. Topsort says companies like Google and Amazon have been making huge profits from auction-based advertising for decades, but that the technology is complicated, exclusive, and hard to build. The company is trying to be a solution, by offering an auction-based advertising API to smaller retailers and marketplaces. Regina Ye, CEO and co-founder of Topsort, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Former "Real Housewife of Atlanta" Kandi Burruss is back with a spinoff on Bravo. The singer-songwriter is starring in the new reality series "Kandi and the Gang" featuring the staff at her restaurant, The Old Lady Gang. Burruss joined Cheddar News Wrap to talk about opening the Atlanta eatery with her husband Todd Tucker, the series' premiere this week, and how it compares with another Real Housewife's restaurant reality show. "I think the only thing that's the same is that both Lsa Vanderpump and I are Real Housewives and we both have restaurants," she said. "The fact is, my restaurant, I have family that works in my restaurant, so that gives it a totally different spin."
With real estate being a largely male-dominated industry, Stephanie Shojaee, vice president and chief marketing officer at development company Shoma Group, joined Cheddar News to discuss how she took on the gender gap for women to achieve leadership roles, starting at her own company. “It's been very important to teach all the women that work here, especially the younger ones, that they shouldn't change themselves," she said. "You need to be happy with who you are and just keep breaking barriers."
Rachel O'Neill is a licensed therapist and vice president, clinical & quality at Talkspace. She joins Cheddar News to discuss how the spring blues impact our mental health.
