The launch will depend on regulatory timelines implemented by Health Canada and provincial regulators.
Run through AB InBev subsidiary Labatt Breweries of Canada, the JV was announced in December 2018 to research both CBD and THC beverages.
CBD beverage launches
AB InBev and Tilray each invested $50m into the $100m cannabis beverage partnership, which is limited to the Canadian market. It has now announced its concrete plans for CBD-infused beverages.
“The plan to commercialize non-alcohol CBD-infused beverages across Canada is an exciting evolution of the partnership", say the two companies in a statement.
“Fluent intends to have CBD-infused beverages available for sale to adult consumers in Canada as early as December 2019, subject to regulatory timelines implemented by Health Canada and provincial regulators.
“Fluent will continue its ongoing research on non-alcohol beverages containing THC.”
AB InBev is not alone in gearing up for new cannabis or CBD beverages in the Canadian market.
Cannabis edibles are set to become legal in Canada next week: although licences will need to be approved by Health Canada meaning the earliest products can hit shelves will be in December.
Beer giant Molson Coors has created a joint venture called Truss with with Canadian cannabis producer HEXO to develop non-alcoholic, cannabis-infused beverages for the Canadian market.
Beer and wine company Constellation Brands, meanwhile, has made a $4bn investment in Canadian cannabis company Canopy Growth, seeing opportunities in both cannabis beverages and broader markets.
