Cornbread Hemp Adds Lagunitas Brewing Veterans To Advise Expansion of Beverage Operations

Kentucky-based operator Cornbread Hemp announced on Tuesday that it has added Lagunitas Brewing veterans Ron Lindenbusch and Greg Merideth to its advisory board as the company seeks to expand its hemp beverage operations. Known as key architects of Lagunitas’ phenomenal growth, Lindenbusch and Merideth bring valuable insights as Cornbread pursues expansion of its beverage distribution footprint.

“Beverage distributors around the country know Ron and Greg as key members of the team that transformed a rowdy startup into an industry leader,” Higdon tells IgniteIt in a written interview. “That reputation aligns perfectly with Cornbread’s business plans.”

Lindenbusch and Merideth helped guide Lagunitas Brewing’s growth from 3,000 barrels in 1995 to nearly one million barrels before its $1 billion acquisition by Heineken. Their addition to the advisory board positions Cornbread Hemp as a major national player in the rapidly expanding hemp THC beverage category.

“I’m fired up to join the fun with the Cornbread team as we charge to the top of the explosive wellness beverage movement,” Lindenbusch said in a statement from Cornbread Hemp. “The drinks are delicious, and the quality is best in class. The Cornbread brand has momentum, and it’s gonna be a blast helping with the next stage of growth.”

Cornbread launched its 5mg THC seltzers in 2025, distributing the infused beverages throughout 12 states from Wisconsin to Florida, while dominating the market in its home state of Kentucky. As the state’s leading hemp-derived CBD and THC brand, Cornbread Hemp produces a full line of hemp-derived products, including full-spectrum CBD oils, gummies, topicals and THC beverages, all made with Kentucky-grown hemp.

Expansion Planned as Federal Hemp Ban Looms

Despite a looming ban on hemp THC products Congress approved last year as part of a shutdown-ending appropriations bill, Higdon says the “Cornbread is full speed ahead on hemp beverage distribution at 5mg and 10mg, and we are also diversifying our beverage line to include a range of non-alcoholic alternatives.”

The hemp industry is hoping Congress will repeal its ban on products containing more than 0.4 milligrams of THC, which advocates say encompasses thousands of products without intoxicating effects. Late last month, a bipartisan duo of congressmen introduced the Hemp Enforcement, Modernization, and Protection (HEMP) Act, which would regulate hemp-derived products nationwide. 

“Cornbread is actively engaged in the policy battle to prevent the full effect of the looming hemp ban from taking effect,” says Higdon. “Cornbread is on the executive committee of the US Hemp Roundtable, which is leading the charge at the federal level to get this policy right, as we navigate the interests of existing industries from spirits manufacturers to regulated marijuana.”