A Perfectly Dosed Solution for Increasing Revenue in the Craft Beer Industry

Published: December 11, 2024
Team members at the Perfectly Dosed office

You can point to several things within the craft beer industry that could be considered the most essential element of the business. Obviously, making a great beverage is vital, but you can’t ignore consumer trends. According to a recent Harris Poll, the number of people drinking craft beer has declined. Breweries need to adjust to the reality that younger consumers either drink less or not at all. Instead, Gen X drinkers are reaching for functional beverages such as hemp-derived THC drinks, which, according to data from the Brightfield Group, rose 143 percent in sales in 2023. Chicago-based company Perfectly Dosed has the perfect solution for breweries looking to expand their portfolios in a time of flux (like the impending Dry January).

An industry has emerged offering opportunities to consumers who are “sober curious,” limiting or avoiding alcohol. These hemp-based emulsions with THC and other cannabinoids are popping up in beverages. According to Euromonitor International, the estimated market for hemp-derived intoxicating beverages came close to $239 million in 2023, with expectations to continue growing. In 2024, the Minnesota market alone was estimated to be nearly $200 million. Hemp-infused beverages are the future, and breweries should be paying attention.

An ingredient innovation company, Perfectly Dosed, uses cutting-edge technologies to create quality ingredients for hemp-infused products. The company manufactures all-natural hemp-based emulsions for several products, including beverages. The company launched in 2022 and has put a strong emphasis on entering the craft beer market.

“The company was founded out of the necessity for us as beverage founders,” says Todd Harris, a Perfectly Dosed Co-Founder who also owns an independent hemp beverage brand, Plift. “We saw a necessity to have premium ingredient inputs at a price point that is affordable.”

Harris says that, as they dove into this venture, they found that the market priced everything at a premium, making it less approachable for people from all walks of life. He says Perfectly Dosed provides all types of small business makers with access to hemp-based products at an affordable price.

“We created the business out of necessity for ourselves, for a reputable supply chain partner,” Harris says. “And that quickly morphed into becoming a reputable supply chain partner for other makers who want to make really high-quality cannabis-related and hemp-related products at a price point that makes it easier or more compelling for them to do so.”

So, what exactly is Perfectly Dosed? How was it created, and what about it differs from other similar hemp-based innovations? And why might it be the next big solution for your brewery?

We chatted with Harris, Perfectly Dosed Co-Founder and CEO Alexander Choi, Account Representative Ricky Wojcik, and Operations Director Samuel Webb, as well as successful adopters of the product from Hopewell Brewing, Co-Founder Samantha Lee and Brand Director Jake Guidry, to get you all the answers.

(Above photography provided by Perfectly Dosed)

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What Is Perfectly Dosed?

Team members at the Perfectly Dosed office

Photography provided by Perfectly Dosed

According to Choi, the conceptualization of Perfectly Dosed surfaced four years ago. The company started at the University of Chicago as part of a venture program run by the Booth School of Business – and was the first hemp company ever backed by a major academic institution.

“We identified that there was a gap in the market, that there were a few issues we saw just with the accessibility of legacy marijuana products on the dispensary side of the cannabis industry,” says Choi.

Mainly, new consumers were generally gravitating away from smokables to gummies. If they weren’t smoking something, people wanted to feel the effects relatively quickly, which is where most gummies fell short. Choi says they found that dispensaries were not the most successful retail channel for the primary consumers looking for low-dose THC products.

“Our team identified that the marijuana market is probably not going to be able to access the everyday consumer who’s looking for an alternative to alcohol,” says Choi, “or to supplement their non-alcoholic consumption.”

In its initial stages, Perfectly Dosed developed an ingredient that people could use in their products that created a very similar effect to drinking alcohol but that was powered by THC instead of ethanol.

Perfectly Dosed targeted market opportunities to create an environment where these THC beverages—low-dose using THC from hemp—could be accessed through traditional retail locations for alcoholic products like liquor shops, grocery stores, event venues, concert halls, etc.

In a lot of instances, the ingredient we provide them has allowed them to create products that have saved their businesses,
Todd Harris - Perfectly Dosed / Plift

As a company, they choose a two-pronged approach. First, to provide access for the consumer. Second, to work with state legislatures nationwide to explicitly and legally allow these products to be stocked on shelves.

“We need to kind of change the perception at a state level to allow these to go through the same channel as alcohol in order to reach those consumers,” Choi says.

To that end, Harris notes that Perfectly Dosed has worked with hundreds of breweries across the country—in states that allow for the manufacturing and sale of THC-infused beverages outside of dispensaries.

Products with Perfectly Dosed’s ingredients have made inroads in the industry – to the tune of hundreds of millions of servings in 2024 alone.

“In a lot of instances, the ingredient we provide them has allowed them to create products that have saved their businesses,” Harris says.

Webb was brought to Perfectly Dosed from a similar role at Omega Yeast Labs to bridge the gap between the hemp-based and craft beer industries. He says that the company allows small-, medium-, and enterprise-scale beverage manufacturers to enter the hemp and THC market by making these emulsions that can be put into beverages.

Using high-pressure homogenization to create an oil-water emulsion ingredient, Perfectly Dosed’s products have been used in different industries such as nutraceuticals, food, and beverages.

Webb says they’re opening doors.

“THC, CBD, other minor cannabinoids are allowing beverage makers to use that as a tool to kind of break into a different market,” Webb says. “Especially if they were previously just brewing alcoholic beverages.”

For the craft beer industry, Perfectly Dosed ingredients, which are flavorless and add no aroma to end beverage products, are perfect for non-alcoholic beverages like mocktail spritzers, seltzers, hop waters, and more.

The option of a hemp-based beverage at a taproom ensures a brewery owner can continue to attract consumers who are drinking less or looking for a non-alcoholic alternative.

“People are still drinking beer Thursday through Saturday,” Wojcik says. “But there’s a big opportunity with the other nights of the week. This allows [craft breweries] to diversify.”

Wojcik adds that Perfectly Dosed gives beverage makers flexibility. “If that means additional revenue so they can continue to brew great beer because that’s their passion, that’s wonderful. Or if this is a cool side project where they can come up with something totally new that the market’s never seen, that’s awesome, too,” he says. “We’re here for either one.”

Hopewell had their eyes on the product since the late spring or early summer of 2023. Lee says they discovered the product while visiting Minnesota—a state that has seen a boom in hemp-based beverage offerings thanks to the explicit legalization of hemp-THC products. They have been “hemming and hawing” over incorporating it into their business model.

Lee and Guidry say they ran numbers to see if it would make financial sense to self-distribute, spoke with lawyers, and had several conversations with Perfectly Dosed to understand all the regulations within Illinois. They crossed every T and dotted every I.

“That’s why we liked working with them,” Guidry says. “We shared a bigger-picture vision of the future. There was synergy.”

In early 2024, Hopewell eventually gave in to the urge, building a recipe around a cocktail, Choom.

“Our current formula and flavors are cocktail adjacent, meant to be poured over ice,” Guidry says. “It integrates into the social setting better.”

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How Does Perfectly Dosed Differ From Other Hemp-Based Emulsions?

A person in inside of a craft brewery

Photography provided by Perfectly Dosed

Lee admits that they’ve received samples of other products but haven’t made anything full-scale outside of Perfectly Dosed. One thing that sticks out is its obscurity in the drink.

“The flavor neutrality is nice,” Lee says. “It’s what we’re going for with our recipes.”

Lee adds, “For our formulation, it emulsifies nicely. We don’t get chunks. We are very happy with it.”

Hopewell also raves about the company being local. Lee says they can place an order, and the team can take a short bike ride to pick up the product that day.

Harris says there isn’t much they keep proprietary about their product. Other companies are out there, and their process is sometimes similar. What sets Perfectly Dosed apart is the scale.

“We are exactly the same as the other leading competitors, but we’re twenty to forty percent less expensive,” Harris says. “We want people to create products. If you can’t afford it, you can’t get started.”

Harris adds, “If Anheuser-Busch called us and said, ‘Hey, we want to make a hemp beverage,’ we have the supply chain and the capacity to service them today. Our competitors don’t.”

We are exactly the same as the other leading competitors, but we’re twenty to forty percent less expensive,
Todd Harris - Perfectly Dosed / Plift

Another thing Perfectly Dosed has that others don’t is a robust team. That helps as the fledgling industry evolves.

“Because the industry hasn’t been around long, it’s like playing whack-a-mole,” Choi says.“We have built a strong foundation, so when new things happen we can turn around, reference our databases, and start providing immediate guidance.”

According to Choi, Perfectly Dosed was the first company to focus solely on hemp-based emulsion ingredients, which is the ultimate differentiator.

“We see ourselves as different because we had that early focus on being solely in the hemp market,” Choi says. “It meant that we could invest in research and development, [with] all of our infrastructure in a single high-capacity facility based in Chicago.”

That allows Perfectly Dosed to distribute nationally.

“Instead of having small benchtop scale units traveling around the country trying to service markets as they pop up,” Choi adds. “We’ve now created the most efficient and highest-capacity production facility in the world [for this industry].”

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How Perfectly Dosed Increases Brewer’s Revenue by Twenty Percent and Other Benefits

Cans of Plift, a beverage brewed with Perfectly Dosed

Photography provided by Perfectly Dosed

The market hasn’t existed for that long, but having been on the ground floor, working with leading scientists and engineers, plays into the company’s early success.

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Alexander Choi - Perfectly Dosed

“The capacity is one thing that differentiates us, but because of that, there’s all kinds of benefits our customers get,” Choi says. “Easier access to the materials [means] there’s faster turnaround times; it’s cheaper, more cost-effective, and we have pricing that scales down the more you grow as a company.”

Choi adds, “If we can summarize it into one phrase, our company is built to help our customers scale.”

He says no other company in the market can make that claim to the same extent.

Hopewell sees numerous benefits from using Perfectly Dosed, from the brewing process to increased business.

“There’s no fermentation needed, which is a huge time saver,” Lee says. “We save weeks of time, and it frees up the tank.”

Hopewell also bought a canning line recently. By sending Choom through the line, Lee says they’re getting an ROI by removing the canning line’s downtime.

“Any time it’s not being used, we’re not spending well,” Lee says. “This can justify staffing up appropriately and supports the entire business investing in the packaging side.”

Perhaps most importantly, Perfectly Dosed increases the bottom line, with trickle-down effects on the beer side as well.

“Since we launched [Choom] in February, it represents ten percent of our business revenue,” Lee says. “We’ve been in the beer business for nine years now, and our beer sales [show] a fifteen percent year-over-year growth.”

Guidry adds, “The taproom is up twenty percent, and fifty percent of that is due to Choom.”

Guidry and Lee see multiple reasons why breweries should follow their lead.

“It allows you to further utilize your equipment,” Guidry says. “If it can be used more often, that’s business to be gained. And not a lot of labor and time.”

He adds, “Plus, for sales, margins are better.”

Lee says breweries have to meet the customers where they are, and incorporating hemp-based beverages is the positive path to reach them.

“People are drinking less. They are doing other things outside the bar. Why not make it part of the picture and [an] experience they are obviously looking for?” Lee says. “You aren’t trading beer for THC. People will come back to beer. Add it to your portfolio.”

Lee adds, “It’s not a cash grab; it’s responding to how people are drinking.”

Looking to learn more about Perfectly Dosed? Feel free to reach out to [email protected] or submit a request to meet here.

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About The Author

Giovanni Albanese

Giovanni is a content writer for Next Glass, contributing to the Ollie blog. He is a writer by day and a brewer/business owner by night, owning and operating Settle Down Brewery & Taproom in Gilroy, California.

Giovanni is passionate about a number of things, including history, documentaries and sports, but none more than reporting/writing and brewing beer. After receiving a radio broadcasting degree then a journalism degree from Salem State College in his home state of Massachusetts, he relocated to California in 2008.

Then, his writing career kicked off – covering sports, business, politics and more along the way – while concurrently dabbling in home brewing. The home brewing turned pro in 2021 when he launched SDB Brewing Company. Settle Down Beer officially opened in February.

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