Eric Rogers, Co-Founder of LEVIA – Interview Series

As the American cannabis industry expands into a multi-billion-dollar juggernaut, acquisitions of many popular brands by multi-state operators, especially in the rapidly evolving beverage market, are becoming very commonplace. However, the original business owners then re-acquiring the business they created from the MSO isn’t as common.

For a deeper look into that experience and also effective marketing strategies for cannabis brands based upon strategies that have worked for retail giants, mycannabis.com had the pleasure of speaking with Eric Rogers, Co-Founder of LEVIA.

What were the most valuable lessons in marketing and advertising you learned while attending Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst? 

The Isenberg School of Management at Umass Amherst gave me a powerful foundation in understanding consumer behavior and the evolving dynamics of advertising. One of the most formative experiences was studying marketing during the burst of the dot-com bubble. As I was preparing to enter the workforce, the digital media industry was navigating recovery and reinvention. That moment underscored how quickly channels and technologies can change, but consumer psychology remains constant.

The most valuable lesson I learned is that all effective marketing begins with a deep understanding of the consumer. Trends, platforms, and tactics will evolve, but if you truly understand your customer; their motivations, behaviors, and unmet needs, you can craft and deliver the right message to the right person at the right time. That principle has stayed with me throughout my career and continues to guide how I approach brand building and growth.

While working with Digitas, what were some of the regular marketing duties required with such popular businesses as Home Depot and Goodyear? What were some of the most successful and lucrative strategies you took to best market those companies’ many services and products? 

In my role at Digitas, I was a Media Director responsible for driving the media strategy and buying for these brands across multiple objectives and consumer sets. We had to ensure that all plan recommendations were measurable and rooted in data to drive deeper connection with existing customers while also attracting new audiences. We secured strategic media placements and worked closely with creative teams to activate campaigns effectively and measure performance against clearly defined success metrics.

One of my favorite projects to work on was repositioning The Home Depot (HD ) from a service-oriented message (“You Can Do It, We Can Help”) to a more price focused message (“More Saving, More Doing”). The task was to implement this change without alienating current consumers and expanding to net new customers that were shopping with competitors. 

What were some unique ways that successful marketing strategies were different for automotive and hardware businesses than for other industries? What were some ways you appealed to customers differently in automotive and hardware than with other businesses?      

Goodyear was an interesting brand to work with because tires are a product almost every consumers relies on. Despite that, our research showed that consumers would rather go to the dentist than deal with buying tires. We used this insight to develop a targeted strategy around “moments of receptivity.” This meant that we were using external triggers like weather, as a trigger to deliver messages to consumers. Looking up the weather or driving directions when inclement weather is incoming? Goodyear would deliver ads reinforcing that they are the trusted brand to get you to your destination safely. We also worked to reduce friction in the online shopping process by introducing tools that helped educate and recommend products to try and increase customer satisfaction. 

What were the defining moments that led to the creation of LEVIA? After working for/providing marketing services for a large number of well-known businesses, why did you decide to enter the cannabis industry?

I was fortunate to work in the digital media industry after the initial bubble burst.  The industry was back to growth mode and was experiencing sustained double-digit growth each year; cable television being the last industry to do so. As the legal cannabis industry started to become a reality, the industry was experiencing similar double-digit growth. As a market what was interesting was that the initial consumer brands that were created were focused on the dispensary brand vs. product brands since vertical integration was an early requirement. This presented an exciting opportunity to build a consumer brand in the emerging cannabis space using my experience in advertising. 

In terms of shaping the idea of LEVIA, it all started when my wife and I had our first daughter and we wanted to find alternative ways to consumer cannabis. My original entry point with cannabis came as a medical patient, so I was trying to find an alternative to smoking cannabis. I quickly learned that I had a very slow metabolism and that any edibles that I made at home would often take 2-3 hours for the effects to kick in. My first ADHD rabbit hole was understanding what molecules cannabis would easily bond to for absorption that led to creating ethanol-based tinctures. These tasted terrible so I started making mocktails to mask the flavor. Quickly the idea evolved into creating a ready-to-drink beverage that was rooted in simple, all natural ingredients and tasted great. Our family consumes cases upon cases of seltzer every month, so it was a natural area of focus for our first drinks.

How did you use your marketing experience with many large clients to promote LEVIA and their many products? Given how small the Massachusetts industry was at the time and how limited the marketing opportunities were, how did you successfully market the brand? 

We started by figuring out who our target consumers were and used that to inform us of the structure of the brand. LEVIA is an effects first brand, meant to simplify the landscape for consumers to provide clear, predictable, and consistent effects in our products. Achieve is our sativa blend, meant to help you get stuff done and focus. Celebrate is for your backyard barbecue, leaving you social and upbeat. Dream is meant for rest & recharge, perfect for a date night or a treat to end your day. Establishing a strong brand helped us to stand out in a new market upon launch. I was incredibly fortunate to work with Cyr Creative, a creative services agency started by one of my former colleagues at Digitas whom I had collaborated on with clients like AT&T, The Home Depot, and Goodyear. 

How would you describe the process of the LEVIA brand being acquired by Ayr Wellness, and what all went into the acquisition? Why do you feel that the brand was so special that they were interested in acquiring it? 

We take a lot of pride in the fact that LEVIA was the first true brand acquisition in the cannabis industry. We weren’t acquired for the license as many cannabis transactions are, but it the brand we had created and launched in MA. We were the first cannabis-infused beverage on the East Coast to launch in a new market. We were able to quickly establish a foothold in the market through solid execution. The clear brand structure created a model that could be easily replicated in new markets, especially using our Drink Drop product at the tip of the spear given it has a smaller equipment footprint. The opportunity to partner with a partner who already had licenses and real estate in additional markets was appealing to throw gasoline on the fire we had started in MA. 

Flash forward several years, what all went into the process of you and Kristin re-acquiring the brand? While acquisitions are becoming more commonplace in the industry, re-acquisitions back to the original brand owners are incredibly rare. 

We are incredibly grateful for this opportunity. As we all know, the cannabis industry is incredibly volatile and as market conditions evolved and we experienced the emergence of hemp products, there was an incredible opportunity for LEVIA to grow nationally. At the time, MSO’s were navigating the hemp landscape in their own right, trying to protect the regulated retail footprints they had built. This intersection created the opportunity for us to find a structure that would work for both parties, while enabling LEVIA to return to its root and refocus on growth. 

What advantages do you think the hemp/cannabis market holds over other product markets in the cannabis industry (flower, concentrate, etc.)? How do you think beverages could serve as a good introduction to cannabis for newcomers? 

As adults, consuming an intoxicating beverage is a familiar experience. Whether that is coffee in the morning or alcohol in the evening, adults are used to consuming one or more to achieve an effect. This concept translates very well to cannabis-infused beverages.  Beverages are social and approachable for existing and new consumers alike. They don’t require consumers to go outside or separate themselves to enjoy themselves. Additionally, when you eat an edible, you are signed up for the dose. Our beverages use an emulsifier to ensure consistent dosing and the product is consumed over time. Before a consumer has finished the drink, they have started to feel the effects. If you are halfway through and feel great, you can stop drinking the drink – the same way you can crack a second if you are looking to further elevate. This control helps build consumer confidence in their experience. 

What are some exciting future plans you have for the LEVIA brand? With a multi-state expansion, where does LEVIA plan to expand in the future? 

We have some exciting new products that we are working on to engage some new audiences. We recently launched our 1,000mg Drink Drop product in Massachusetts that has been well received by the market. We also have a new beverage line we are developing that further lean into the wellness segment of the industry. New Jersey is our next regulated state we plan to expand to with an anticipated Spring launch. We also plan to expand into the DTC Hemp space with some distribution throughout Maine this summer. Our new website will be live in March to support these expansions. 

How do you envision a federal rescheduling of cannabis changing the beverage market in particular? With such sweeping reforms, do you think the beverage market will gain an added advantage? 

Federal rescheduling of cannabis would be a major catalyst for the beverage category, and I believe beverages will be one of the biggest beneficiaries.

First, it would remove many of the financial constraints created by 280E, allowing companies like Levia to reinvest more into brand building, innovation, and distribution. That’s critical, because beverages are fundamentally a CPG business, and success comes from scale and consumer trust.

Second, rescheduling would accelerate normalization. Beverages are the most approachable format for new consumers-they fit naturally into social settings and don’t carry the same stigma as smoking. As cannabis becomes more accepted, beverages will continue to serve as the entry point for many.

Just as importantly, rescheduling will unlock significantly more research. Today, meaningful clinical research on cannabinoids, especially in beverage formats, is limited. With fewer federal restrictions, we’ll see more studies on onset time, bioavailability, dose consistency, and wellness applications. That will help companies like Levia further refine fast-acting formulations and give consumers and regulators greater confidence in the predictability and safety of cannabis beverages.

Finally, it lays the groundwork for future national expansion. Beverages align closely with traditional beverage manufacturing and distribution, so as federal frameworks evolve, this category will be especially well positioned to scale.

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