Monica Olano, Owner of Mélange by Cali Sober at Bamboula’s – Interview Series

Throughout the United States, overall alcohol consumption is dropping relative to cannabis, especially among the younger demographics. For either personal or health-related reasons or a mixture of both, alcohol consumption is becoming less popular. Another reason contributing to the decline of alcohol consumption is the vast market of alcohol-free alternative beverages, including cannabis and hemp-based beverages. One entrepreneur and advocate for alcohol-free alternatives is Monica Olano, who just opened a very classy establishment serving alcohol-free beverages at the historic Bamboula’s in New Orleans.

While obtaining your MBA from the University of New Orleans, what subjects and courses in business management became the most useful with your various business ventures?

The business management skill that’s served me the most across all my ventures is listening — real, active listening. People often call it “sales training,” but for me, it’s never been about scripts or persuasion. It’s about paying attention to what customers, suppliers, and partners are actually saying, and then adjusting how I negotiate, communicate, or build around those needs.

Even though I’ve technically been in sales leadership most of my career, what made me good at sales wasn’t selling — it was understanding how every department connects. You cannot sell something that doesn’t function operationally, and you sell a lot better when your operational partners are supported and happy.

Now that I’m the one wearing most of the departmental hats myself, that cross-functional awareness has become essential. I’m constantly listening across the entire ecosystem — customers, vendors, partners — to understand what they need and how to make the whole system work better for them.

Prior to founding the Cali Sober Market and becoming an advocate for cannabis, what roles and industries did you work in? How did those roles better strengthen your business and professional relationship-building acumen?

Before entering the cannabis and hemp space, I built my career inside Fortune 500 environments across three very different but complementary industries. I worked at Greystar in property management, CORT Furniture (a Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B ) company) in logistics and operational services, and CoStar (CSGP ) Group in data and digital advertising. I happened to sell into the property management sector at CORT and CoStar — but the companies themselves operated in completely different worlds.

That range gave me a unique foundation. I learned how to bridge marketing, sales leadership, operations, logistics, and data-driven strategy — often simultaneously. I also learned how to adapt big national corporate playbooks to the realities of working in Louisiana, where on-the-ground execution rarely matches the boardroom version.

That experience mirrors the hemp and cannabis ecosystem almost perfectly. This industry sits at the intersection of grassroots entrepreneurs, corporate interests, and government regulators — three groups that rarely speak the same language. My background trained me to move between those worlds, translate across departments and priorities, and keep the consumer at the center.

Navigating competing operational, legal, financial, and sales pressures is something I learned long before entrepreneurship — I just didn’t realize it was preparing me to run Cali Sober Market, Cali Sober Distribution, and Mélange on Frenchmen all at once.

When and how did you realize how much better an alternative cannabis was when compared to alcohol, especially given the many side effects of excessive alcohol consumption?

My realization came in 2023, when I was about six to eight months postpartum. I had three kids in eighteen months, a traumatic twin delivery, and I was spiraling into postpartum depression. The only solutions I was being offered were pharmaceuticals — more pills, more side effects. Deep down, I knew something had to change.

As uncomfortable as it was to admit it at the time, alcohol was the first variable I knew I needed to examine. Even though I had no intention of giving it up forever, I could feel how much it was amplifying the exhaustion, anxiety, and emotional instability that come with early motherhood.

Around that same time, hemp-derived beverages were just beginning to hit the market. I had never been a cannabis smoker — smoking overwhelms my system — but the beverages gave me a different entry point. They offered a gentler, controlled alternative that worked with my body rather than against it.

When I paired that with real internal work — therapy, addressing untreated ADHD, understanding my dopamine-driven patterns, and unpacking why I reached for alcohol in the first place — everything shifted. Learning which cannabinoids supported me, and why, gave me something alcohol never did: regulation, clarity, and an option that didn’t leave me depleted.

That’s when I realized cannabis beverages weren’t just a substitute for alcohol. They were a tool that helped me feel more like myself.

What inspired you to found the Cali Sober Market, and what was the original mission for the market? 

Cali Sober Market didn’t begin as a retail concept — it actually started as a podcast and a content platform. I wanted to share honest conversations about alcohol-free living, postpartum mental health, and cannabis alternatives with the women and mothers who were looking for answers the traditional system wasn’t giving them.

But I quickly realized that content wasn’t going to be a sustainable vehicle for the mission. To keep a podcast afloat, you eventually have to take sponsorships — and with my background in pattern recognition and understanding how industries operate behind the scenes, it became clear that I would have to choose between speaking the truth or protecting brand deals. That’s not a trade-off I was willing to make.

At the same time, a former CBD shop in my community closed after Louisiana’s 2024 hemp regulations wiped out a huge portion of small businesses. The space became available, and it clicked: The most effective way to serve my community wasn’t through sponsored content — it was through a physical space where people could get real education, real products, and real support without me having to answer to algorithms, sponsorship rules, or industry politics.

Cali Sober Market was founded as an independent, consumer-first alternative. A place where people could access hemp, non-alcoholic, and functional options in a thoughtful, educated environment — not through promo codes or filtered content.

The mission was simple from day one: give people better choices, tell the truth about the industry, and create a space where the community could explore cannabis and alcohol alternatives safely, openly, and without corporate influence.

Given the market’s location in the not-too-cannabis-friendly state of Louisiana, what pushback have you received from local or state law enforcement and regulators?

There’s a common misconception that Louisiana isn’t cannabis-friendly, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Louisiana’s medical program is thriving, hemp beverages are one of the fastest-growing product categories in the state, and consumers here are incredibly open to cannabis alternatives.

The friction doesn’t come from the public — it comes from how deeply regulated and politically influenced the space is. Louisiana’s cannabis and hemp laws are shaped heavily by lobbying forces and long-standing incumbents, and the level of “pushback” a business experiences often depends on whether you fit neatly into those existing channels.

For independent operators like me, the hurdles tend to show up in the form of delays, extra scrutiny, and a lot of procedural back-and-forth — even when you’re fully compliant. When I applied for my hemp license for Cali Sober Market, everything was in order, but the process still required multiple follow-ups, calls, and connections just to move it forward at a normal pace. Many other small operators in the state report similar experiences.

So the challenge isn’t that Louisiana is hostile toward cannabis — it’s that the regulatory environment can be difficult to navigate unless you’re aligned with the entrenched systems already in place. My goal has always been to operate transparently, compliantly, and independently, which naturally means the road is a little less straightforward.

From your own experience and from the experience of fellow mothers that you’ve met through Cali Sober Market and other events, how could cannabis help mothers in particular with the many physical and mental stresses that come with motherhood?

The number one thing I hear from mothers — and what I’ve experienced myself — is that cannabis gives them a viable alternative to alcohol. So many women are realizing how much alcohol was contributing to their exhaustion, anxiety, brain fog, inflammation, and emotional dysregulation. When they replace or reduce alcohol with cannabis beverages, they often feel more present, more patient, and more connected to their families.

I’m not speaking for anyone, but the consistent story I hear is that cannabis isn’t taking mothers out of their lives — it’s helping them stay in their lives. They feel more able to participate, to play, to engage, and to find their natural rhythm again. It complements their goals instead of derailing them the way alcohol often did.

For many moms, cannabis beverages offer a way to unwind at the end of the day, manage stress, or socialize without the physical and emotional fallout. And in a place like Louisiana — where community, gatherings, and togetherness are such core parts of daily life — having something in your hand matters. These alternatives let women stay part of the social culture without sacrificing their well-being.

At its best, cannabis is giving mothers a tool that supports their nervous system, their mental health, and their lifestyle — instead of working against it.

What all went into the process of creating and opening Mélange by Cali Sober, and what were the defining moments that led to its creation?

When people ask what went into creating Cali Sober Market, Cali Sober Distribution, and Mélange on Frenchmen, the honest answer is: what didn’t go into it? These weren’t businesses with a template or an existing model in Louisiana — they were built from the ground up in an entirely new category, in a state navigating some of the most complex hemp regulations in the country.

It started with convincing my husband and family that these concepts were even viable. No one had done it here before. From there, I had to handle everything: licensing, compliance, branding, accounting systems, retail operations, bar operations, distributor operations, sourcing dozens of niche SKUs, building relationships with emerging brands, establishing par levels and inventory plans for products traditional distributors don’t carry, and creating marketing strategies that welcomed people in without alienating anyone.

Each business required different systems, different legal considerations, and different customer journeys — but they all shared one mission: giving people access to alternatives without the noise, agenda, or influence of legacy alcohol channels.

Bootstrapping all three ventures was its own defining moment. I didn’t take on investment because investment money changes your voice, your autonomy, and what you’re allowed to say publicly. These businesses were built to protect the mission, not dilute it. Independence allows me to speak openly about the issues shaping this industry without worrying about protecting investor interests.

So truly, the creation of these businesses demanded every skill set I’ve touched in my career — operations, sales, marketing, logistics, compliance, storytelling — while requiring me to learn entirely new ones in real time. They exist today because the mission mattered enough to build them from scratch.

In a city as fueled by alcohol consumption as New Orleans, why is it special that Mélange stands for cannabis and non-alcoholic alternatives?

In a city as rooted in alcohol culture as New Orleans, the reason Mélange matters is simple: the consumer has already changed. Alcohol sales are declining, people are rethinking their relationship with drinking, and the demand for non-alcoholic, functional, and cannabis options is undeniable. The only sector slow to acknowledge this shift has been the hospitality industry, where many long-time operators still believe alcohol is recession-proof and that offering alternatives will cannibalize their core business.

But that belief doesn’t match what consumers are showing us every day. When people reduce or eliminate alcohol, they don’t stop wanting to socialize. They don’t stop wanting community, connection, or a place to belong. They just want different options — and more than one.

Mélange was built to honor that reality. Being a bar inside a bar allows people to meet their friends exactly where they are on their alcohol journey. Someone can order a cocktail downstairs, someone else can choose an alcohol-free, functional, or THC beverage upstairs, and everyone stays part of the same experience. It’s the third space people have been waiting for.

And the response proves it. In our first full weekend open, Mélange grew the bar’s non-alcoholic, functional, and THC category sales by 548%. People aren’t just interested in these options — they are hungry for them.

This isn’t just about one bar, either. In a hospitality-driven city like New Orleans, if we want our restaurants, bars, and service industry workers to thrive long-term, we need to evolve with consumer behavior. Offering alcohol alternatives isn’t a threat to our culture — it’s how we preserve it.

By giving people choices that match where they are today, we protect what makes New Orleans special while ensuring the industry can grow with the next generation of consumers, not against them.

Why is the location above Bamboula’s on Frenchman Street historic, and why is it important that Melange is located there? 

Frenchmen Street is one of the most iconic cultural corridors in New Orleans. Tourists may visit Bourbon Street, but Frenchmen is where both visitors and locals go when they want the real New Orleans: live music spilling into the street, artists lining the sidewalks, incredible food, and that unmistakable creative energy you can’t manufacture anywhere else.

Bamboula’s, in particular, has been a cornerstone of that ecosystem for years. It’s one of the few venues with live music, incredible architecture, and no cover charge — which has made it a true community hub. People wander in and out all night simply because it feels like the heartbeat of the street.

Having Mélange upstairs, with a balcony overlooking Frenchmen, matters for two reasons:

1. It allows people to stay in the cultural fabric of New Orleans without needing alcohol to participate.
   Frenchmen can get chaotic once the drinks start flowing, but the upstairs space offers a reprieve — a way to be part of the music, the energy, and the nightlife without having to drink to belong. It shows that alcohol-free, functional, and THC beverage culture can live alongside traditional nightlife, not in isolation from it.
2. It symbolizes that this new wave of hospitality belongs in the center of the action — not tucked away or treated as an alternative subculture.
   By placing Mélange inside one of Frenchmen’s most beloved bars, we’re proving that the shift in consumer behavior isn’t niche. It’s happening in real time, in the places where culture actually lives. We didn’t want to create a standalone, “sober-only” space on a quiet corner of the city. We wanted these options to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with music, art, food, and nightlife — because that’s where people belong.

Mélange being born on Frenchmen Street, inside Bamboula’s, shows that non-alcoholic and cannabis-forward hospitality isn’t separate from New Orleans culture. It’s becoming part of it.

Where do you hope the lounge will be in a few years? With the recent ruling on hemp-based THC products, how does Melange plan on either fighting or adapting to those changes?

In a few years, I hope Mélange is exactly what it’s already becoming: a true third space for New Orleanians and visitors — a place where people can experience our culture, music, and community without needing alcohol to participate. I want it to remain rooted on Frenchmen Street, collaborating with local creators, musicians, and small businesses, and serving as a launchpad for others in our community to be seen, heard, and supported.

Our mission has always been bigger than beverages. It’s about access, inclusion, and creating a space where people can show up exactly as they are. I hope Mélange continues to be that — a cultural connector, not just a bar concept.

As for the future of hemp-based THC products, we fully expect the landscape to evolve. What’s happening federally looks a lot like what Louisiana went through in 2024. My expectation is that we’ll see a beverage carve-out: likely a 5 mg-per-serving cap, clearer compliance structures, and some form of distribution oversight or alignment with a three-tier-style system.

For us, that isn’t a threat — it’s something we’ve already been navigating on a state level. We’ll adapt just as we did before. And even if the regulations shift, hemp beverages are only one part of what Mélange offers. The demand for non-alcoholic, functional, and alcohol-removed options isn’t going anywhere.

Ultimately, the only real resistance in this space tends to come from entrenched political and industry forces — not from consumers. The people have already made their choice. They want alternatives. They want options. And Mélange will continue to grow with them, no matter how the regulatory structure evolves.

Thank you for joining us, Monica! For more information on Melange, please visit its website.