How Aaron Owens Is Taking Hemp-Fused Tejas Tonic To The Next Level
By Zeina Kronfol
Meet Aaron Owens, the rancher-turned-beverage founder of Tejas Tonic, an all-natural, zero-calorie, and sugar-free beer alternative. Made with just the right amount of hemp to consume regularly and unwind while reaping its health benefits, Aaron shares how it all started and what makes hemp so powerful.
AFM: What sparked the idea for Tejas Tonic?
Aaron Owens: Being a cannabis lover, I wanted to find a way to start a legal cannabis business, and in Texas, that meant hemp. There’s always been a strong cannabis culture here, and when people started putting CBD in water, that really intrigued me.
We created the beverage because we were looking for an alcohol alternative. It started with me making a tincture and figuring out how to use it since it didn’t get you high. I gave it to my 72-year-old saddlemaker who had Parkinson’s, and within two weeks his shaking stopped. He was able to keep tooling leather and keep his business open. That’s when I knew we were onto something, and voila — then came Tejas Tonic.
Photo Credit: Tejas Tonic
Photo Credit: Tejas Tonic
AFM: Why was controlling the process from seed-to-can important to you?
Aaron Owens: Think old school Austin, what do you pride yourself on? Local, right? You support local, you source local. As a West Texas man, coming to Austin opened my mind. I saw how people here cared about where their food came from and who made it, so I started paying attention to supply chains and supporting local businesses.
When it came to creating our own product, we knew how to grow hemp, we understood agriculture, and we were good at formulation, so why not grow the plant, extract the oils, and make everything ourselves? That’s what we set out to do from day one. If you control the process, you know it’s done right. I consume everything I make, so if I’m not willing to drink it, I’m not going to sell it.
Photo Credit: Tejas Tonic
Photo Credit: Tejas Tonic
Photo Credit: Aaron Owens
AFM: What are the health benefits of hemp?
Aaron Owens: Hemp and cannabis are the same plant, and the most valuable part of the plant is the essential oils. Those aromas, whether they smell like skunk or pineapple, come from terpenes, the naturally occurring compounds that interact with cannabinoids. When introduced to your central nervous system, they have a therapeutic effect, helping you to relax and reduce inflammation. It’s like going to the spa: you walk in and it smells like lavender, which is no accident, because the essential oils in lavender have a calming effect on your nervous system.
To make the best hemp beverage, I had to learn how to extract both the essential oils and the cannabinoid oil separately, then bring them back together. During that process, terp boosting is when we amplify those essential oils so the drink delivers real function when introduced to your central nervous system. Drinks are a great way for people to “dip a toe” in because absorption happens quickly, and you can control the experience.
AFM: What’s something you wish people understood about the cannabis space in general?
Aaron Owens: I wish people knew more about synthetics and terpenes. There are a lot of synthetic products on the market, and I want people to be able to identify what’s natural versus what’s not. Health-conscious consumers care about where things come from, and if a product isn’t grown, produced and sold by the same people, it’s hard to know how clean it really is. That’s why we own the entire process.
Once you understand the basics of cannabis, the value of preserving the terpenes becomes very apparent. They add medicinal benefits, and the good thing is that people are starting to learn that quickly. We’ve seen that firsthand with people who have neurological conditions like Parkinson’s. When you preserve and amplify those essential oils, they make a tangible difference.
AFM: What direction do you hope to take the brand in the future?
Aaron Owens: When we started farming, I asked myself: what’s the most scalable delivery mechanism? We began with single cans strong enough that you’d feel the effects after one, so consumers knew they were getting the real thing. Now that the category’s grown, we’ve started making smaller cans with lower doses, something you can drink like a Topo Chico or a Bud Light. We joke that our 12-ounce cans are the “Coors Light” to our “banquet beer.”
The cool thing about hemp is that you can do anything with it, but I’m trying to stay in my lane. Creating recreational beverages that are non-alcoholic and healthy to consume regularly is what we do, so I’ll continue expanding the product line. As for legislation, we’re proud to have helped shape policy to keep hemp farming alive in Texas. It’s been a long, hard fight, but regulation means stability, and that’s good for consumers, businesses, and the industry as a whole.
You can purchase online at tejastonic.com (including limited edition flavors), at your local retailer, bar, or restaurant. Follow @drinktejastonic to stay in the know of local activations and new drops/partnerships. Please remember to consume responsibly.