Corey Coleman, Co-Founder of Sky High Beverages – Interview Series

What industries and roles did you work in prior to entering the cannabis industry? What were the most valuable lessons in business management and ownership that you learned during this time?

Before cannabis, I built and sold businesses across several service-based industries, including real estate, landscaping, and snow removal. Those ventures taught me how to grow companies from the ground up, how to build teams, and how to survive market cycles.

Later, I founded Hemp’dIn, a wholesale distributor focused on customer loyalty and supporting independent farmers who shared my vision for strengthening the hemp supply chain. Each chapter reinforced the same lesson: sustainable businesses are built on trust, systems, and long-term thinking. You can’t chase trends—you have to build something that can adapt, endure, and remain accountable to the people it serves.

Those early experiences taught me how to build systems that work even when things get unpredictable, how to manage risk without losing sight of your values, and how to lead teams through growth and challenge. Most importantly, I learned that credibility, accountability, and consistency aren’t just good business principles — they become your competitive advantage.

When were you first introduced to the possibilities of hemp/cannabis-based medicines and when did you first personally witness those possibilities?

My connection to cannabis began long before it became a business. For nearly three decades, I’ve studied cannabinoid science, originally driven by my own experience using cannabis to help manage the effects of Crohn’s Disease. It showed me firsthand that this plant could offer real relief and a better quality of life when traditional options fell short.

Later, that understanding deepened through personal loss. After losing our daughter, Evie, Taylor and I were forced to confront the limits of conventional medicine in ways no parent should have to. In that space, cannabis became not just something I believed in, but something that anchored our purpose. It transformed how I saw this plant—not as a product, but as a tool for compassion, dignity, and hope. That’s what continues to drive everything we build.

What exactly influenced you to co-found Sky High? What were the initial objectives of the company and how did you plan on making a successful hemp beverage company?

Sky High came from a mix of personal conviction and regulatory insight. In 2020, as we dug into the laws governing hemp, we saw a legal opening to produce compliant THC products with adult-use appeal — something that, up to that point, the market hadn’t really done thoughtfully. We didn’t just want to launch products; we wanted to set a new standard.

So we spent nearly a year on legal research, formulation, and design before launching anything. The goal was straightforward: make products I’d feel comfortable serving to friends and family — clean, predictable, naturally flavored, and legally compliant. From there, we built with purpose and patience, not rush.

How does Sky High emphasize quality and cleanliness throughout their production processes?

We take quality and cleanliness seriously because that’s what earns trust. For every SKU that leaves our facility, we can trace the entire chain of custody — from seed to bottle. We choose ingredients intentionally, test consistently, and design packaging for safety and clarity.

“For every SKU that leaves our facility, we can trace the entire chain of custody — from seed to bottle. We choose ingredients intentionally, test consistently, and design packaging for safety and clarity.”

For example, our individually dosed serving formats make it easier for consumers and hospitality partners to understand exactly what they’re offering or consuming. That kind of detail — from sourcing to serving — matters in an industry that’s still defining best practices.

What are some charitable causes that Sky High donates to? How do you hope the brand itself can serve as an advocate for cannabis/hemp reform and expansion?

A portion of Sky High’s proceeds supports the Evie Everlasting Foundation, which helps families facing pediatric cancer — a mission that’s deeply personal to me. Beyond philanthropy, I want Sky High to model what responsible industry participation looks like. That’s one reason I co-founded the Iowa Hemp Coalition: to give cultivators, manufacturers, and distributors a unified voice on policy, standards, and education.

If we want reform and broader access, we have to meet regulators and lawmakers where they are with clarity, empathy, and a roadmap for safe implementation — not just slogans.

What are some prestigious awards that Sky High’s beverages have received?

Our beverages have been recognized at the 2025 America’s Best Beverage Awards, one of the industry’s leading national competitions. We earned accolades for six of our products across state, regional, and national categories — including national Gold and regional Double Gold honors for our Sky Cooler Ruby Crush and multiple medals for both Sky Coolers and Sky Waters. These awards reflect taste, consistency, innovation, and consumer appeal among a growing field of competitors.

What advantages does the hemp/cannabis beverage market have over the flower or concentrate markets? And how are beverages a good introduction to curious consumers who are new to cannabis/hemp?

Beverages are an entry point that feels familiar and approachable. They fit into routines people already have around socializing, relaxing after work, or unwinding on the weekend. With clear dosing and predictable effects, they remove a lot of the guesswork and intimidation that can come with flower or concentrates. That’s why the beverage segment is one of the fastest-growing parts of the cannabinoid market — people are more willing to try something that feels like a smart, controlled alternative rather than a leap into the unknown.

Since Iowa has a considerable agricultural industry, how popular of a crop has hemp become among farmers? Do you think the crop has the potential to become a powerhouse crop or are there issues that prevent such success?

Hemp should be a natural fit for Iowa. We have the land, the talent, and a farming culture built on innovation. What’s held hemp back here isn’t the crop—it’s policy. Iowa’s 2024 legislation didn’t just regulate the industry; it effectively dismantled it. In a single year, 590 hemp registrations failed to renew. That represents hundreds of small businesses, farmers, manufacturers, and retailers forced to close or scale back. Entire livelihoods disappeared.

The state imposed some of the most restrictive limits in the country. We narrowly avoided a zero-THC ban, but what remained was legally permitted and commercially unworkable for many operators. It was a hollow victory. The industry that survived was too constrained to sustain itself at scale.

The human impact has been real. Families, employees, and local economies felt it. Even collective advocacy collapsed, because when you push people to the brink, they lose the capacity to advocate.

Do you envision the cannabis laws in Iowa ever getting any kind of reform? What are the current roadblocks in the way to recreational legalization and how can cannabis advocates in the state continue to fight for change?

Hemp absolutely has the potential to become a powerhouse crop in Iowa. But policy has to be designed to manage a legitimate industry—not quietly erase it. Iowa has shown how “regulation” can function as prohibition by another name. It’s a warning for other states and for federal policymakers: overly restrictive frameworks don’t create safer markets—they create smaller, weaker, less transparent ones. When compliance becomes impossible, the only survivors are those willing to cut corners—or leave.