Uncle Arnie's is a California THC beverage company that trades as SS Beverages 1 Inc. and put its first drinks out in May 2020. The line runs teas and lemonades in 12-ounce bottles, 2-ounce Power Shots, carbonated SodaPops and 750-milliliter Social Spirits, sold through licensed dispensaries and, separately, through a hemp-derived online store.
It sells at volume. Headset tracked the brand in 968 licensed dispensaries across eight states in August 2026, 497 of them in California, and ranked it No. 1 in Illinois beverage and No. 2 in California beverage, ahead of CANN.
Two founders and a fictional uncle
Ave Miller and Theo Terris co-founded the company, and Forbes put both on its 2024 Cannabis 42.0 list, with the brand in more than 1,000 dispensaries, bars, restaurants and liquor stores across California. Terris is chief executive. Brian Miesieski came on as chief marketing officer by August 2025.
Uncle Arnie himself is a device, not a family member. The brand claims roots in "rec-legacy culture, not corporate boardrooms" and prices below the top shelf. The company writes that Arnie is "all of us, none of us… it's an idea, see, about being free to tune in to the frequency of your own station."
Classic drinks, Power Shots and Social Spirits
The catalog is organized by format. Classic Drinks cover Iced Tea Lemonade, Cherry Limeade, Watermelon Wave, Zen Magic Tea, Strawberry Lemonade, Raspberry Lemonade, Blueberry Nightcap, Strawberry Kiwi, Sunrise Orange, Magic Mango, Tahitian Trip and Lemon Mint.
Power Shots carry the same names in 2-ounce bottles. SodaPops come in Grape, Orange and Strawberry. Social Spirits, the 750-milliliter multi-serve bottles, launched as Tropical Haze and Lemon Lime. Bundles round it out: The Classics Bundle, the Zero Sugar High Bundle, The Morning Routine Bundle and the Uncle Arnie's Lemonade Stand.
Headset's August 2026 sellers were all shots: Strawberry Kiwi, Magic Mango Rosin and Sunrise Orange With Caffeine. Beverages made up 99.2% of the brand's tracked sales, across 123 SKUs at an average price of $7.61, down 6.25% year over year.
Dispensary shelves and a hemp storefront
Two channels run in parallel, and they are legally distinct. State-regulated drinks move through licensed cannabis retail, and the August 2025 raise put that lineup in liquor stores and grocery stores as well as dispensaries. Unclearnies.com sells hemp-derived cannabinoid drinks under the federal 0.3% delta-9 limit, restricts checkout to buyers 21 and over, and ships free over $50.
The dispensary side got early lift from big accounts. Honeysuckle reported in January 2023 that STIIIZY stores were a major retail partner and that Oregon chain Nectar, then more than 35 stores, signed on in October 2022. The same report cited Headset data ranking Uncle Arnie's the No. 1 cannabis beverage brand in California to close 2022.
Mindset, Delta Emerald and a Boston Beer founder
On August 13, 2025 the company closed a $7.5 million Series A co-led by Mindset Capital and Delta Emerald Ventures. Harry Rubin, a founding partner of Boston Beer Company, invested and joined the board. Uncle Arnie's said it was in 16 markets with three more states planned, employed 40 people and expected 75 within a year.
BevNET reported on August 5, 2026 that existing investors put in another $2 million, backing what it called a two-track approach: state-licensed cannabis on one side, hemp-derived THC on the other. Forbes had pegged total funding at $8 million as of April 2024.
New York makes six recreational markets
On September 16, 2026 the brand launched in New York with four 12-ounce non-carbonated drinks: Iced Tea Lemonade, Watermelon Wave and LIGHT versions of Strawberry Lemonade and Raspberry Lemonade. All four are vegan, gluten-free and alcohol-free. Forbes singled out the tie-dye packaging that carries the whole line.
Farmer Group handles cultivation and statewide distribution, putting the drinks into liquor stores, grocery stores and licensed dispensaries. Terris called New York "yet another key and exciting milestone" and tied it to the company's commitment to the recreational side of the business. Ross Gartenlaub, Farmer Group's vice president of sales, said the brand's "strong identity and unique approach make them a great addition to our growing portfolio."
Eight tracked states inside a 24-state footprint
New York is the sixth recreational cannabis market for Uncle Arnie's, which operates across 24 states once the hemp side is counted. Headset's dispensary tracking covers eight of them, with California still carrying half the doors.
The trajectory shows in the numbers rather than the marketing. Tracked sales rose 13% year over year in August 2026, with the beverage category up 12.4% and the small edible line up 233.3%. Support runs through support@unclearnies.com, and the company still describes itself as California-born and as one of the best-selling cannabis beverage brands in the country, six years after the first lemonade.
For adults 21 and over.