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This story was republished with permission from Crain’s Chicago and written by John Pletz.
CBD drinks are coming to the ballpark.
The Chicago Cubs teamed up with Mynd Drinks to advertise and sell its carbonated beverages at Wrigley Field.
Starting today, the Chicago-based company’s logo will be visible in the foul territory grass between home and first base, as well as between home and third. It also will be on a sign on the left field wall. Mynd’s drinks will be available at concession stands to fans 21 and older.
The Cubs are the first club to sign up a CBD sponsor after Major League Baseball added the category last year. “It’s fairly rare for a new category to open up like this,” says Alex Seyferth, vice president of corporate partnerships for the Cubs. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
CBD is a compound in cannabis plants that many people use as an anti-inflammatory and sleep aid. It differs from THC, the compound associated with the high from marijuana. CBD drinks and products became widely available after the 2018 Farm Bill distinguished between hemp and marijuana.
Mynd launched in 2019 and began selling its fruit-flavored drinks in the U.S. last year.
“We’re not marketing to be a CBD company,” CEO Simon Allen said. “We’re a wellness and recovery company that has hemp-based product.”
Allen, who lives on the North Side, says his company contacted the Cubs after MLB opened the CBD category. Mynd had an advantage: It had received certification required for sports supplements and nutritional products required by the MLB.
“Working with the Cubs, they’re about the neighbors and community,” Allen says. “Their core values matched mine.”
