At a glance
Lemonnade is the sativa-forward, flavor-led sister brand in the Cookies portfolio. Cookies founder Berner and breeder Brett Wilson, known as Growing Passion, developed the label around new sativa-leaning genetics and later extended it into branded dispensaries, vapes, infused pre-rolls, gummies and beverages. The brand’s public timeline separates a 2015 origin from its 2018 market launch and 2020 retail debut.
Founders and Cookies relationship
A 2020 Cookies release identifies Berner and Wilson as Lemonnade’s founders and says the brand was founded in 2015. The current official page lives inside cookies.co and lists Lemonnade alongside other Cookies brands. It retains its own name, flavor-first positioning and retail identity while operating within the larger Cookies ecosystem.
From development to market
The founding year does not mean stores opened in 2015. A 2018 launch announcement introduced Lemonnade in Seattle and described the brand as a Berner–Wilson collaboration. Cookies later said the team spent four years in research and development before opening the first Lemonnade-branded dispensary in Sacramento on July 19, 2020, with 15 house sativa strains.
Sativa focus, with nuance
Lemonnade was designed to give sativa consumers a deeper flavor menu, and that remains its defining lane. Berner nevertheless said in the 2020 announcement that stores would also carry hybrids and indicas. Calling it sativa-first is accurate; calling every Lemonnade product a sativa is not.
Current product architecture
The Cookies catalog has carried Lemonnade all-in-one and 510 vapes, rosin AIOs, dual-chamber devices, infused single pre-rolls and multipacks, gummies, lemonade products and a 10-milligram canned still beverage. Product pages and state menus control over this overview because formats, doses and flavor drops change. The brand page currently promotes a California limited-edition vape and a product locator.
Flavor and genetics vocabulary
Lemonchello 10, Tahitian Lime, Lemon Beltz, Purple Passionfruit, Pink Pineapple, Watermelon Mojito and Sour Mango are among names tied to the brand’s catalog history. They express the central strategy: sell recognizable flavor and cultivar identity rather than a generic potency ladder. Individual lineage and effects still require product-specific documentation.
Retail expansion
The first Sacramento store was followed by a Portland launch at the former Magic Castle location in September 2020. Cookies’ current network has included Lemonnade-branded stores in California, Oregon and Colorado, while the official locator remains the correct source for active doors and hours. Historical store counts are not treated as permanent because franchise and licensing footprints can change.
Ownership and licensing model
Lemonnade is a brand and retail concept deployed through market-specific partners, not proof that a single founder-owned company directly cultivates every item or owns every storefront. The 2018 Seattle release named Mesh Ventures and Hash Agency partners, while the Sacramento release identified 3HHG Group as the local retail partner. Packages should identify the actual licensed producer in each market.
Awards and press context
Company releases have repeated “#1 sativa menu” language without naming a year, organizer or judged category. That is not a verifiable award and is excluded. More meaningful milestones are the documented 2018 Washington introduction and 2020 first branded U.S. store, both attributable to dated launch releases.
Source and provenance notes. This profile uses Lemonnade’s official Cookies page and product catalog, the Cookies store locator, two dated launch releases and an independent LA Weekly profile. Founder and launch facts are attributed to company disclosures; current inventory and storefront availability remain dynamic. It does not use parked former domains or unverified social handles as evidence.