Bayou City Hemp buys 8th Wonder
Brewery known for its craft beverages and a distillery merges with cannabis firm after years of collaboration
The 8th Wonder Brewery, Distillery and Cannabis, the EaDo business known for its craft beverages and Astrodome-inspired decor, is being acquired by Bayou City Hemp, the privately held companies announced Wednesday.
The two have been collaborating since 2021, when 8th Wonder released Wonder Water, a nonalcoholic seltzer infused with Bayou City Hemp’s CBD and THC. The acquisition will fully combine Bayou City, one of Texas’ first and largest hemp processors, with 8th Wonder’s brewing and distilling capabilities, along with its distribution network.
8th Wonder started as a craft brewery in 2011, and in 2018 it added a distillery across the street serving in-house vodka, rum and other spirits. In 2022, the company launched 8th Wonder Cannabis, a dispensary selling hemp-derived gummies, vapes and more out of the corner of the distillery.
As part of the acquisition, 8th Wonder co-founders Aaron Corsi and Ryan Soroka will join Bayou City Hemp as chief operating officer and chief brand and marketing officer, respectively. Together the company will have 50 employees.
“From day one at 8th Wonder, our goal was to build a hundred-year company,” Soroka said in a statement. “This transaction will provide the leadership and resources needed to achieve that dream. We look forward to a refreshed and revitalized 8th Wonder as we move forward with Bayou City Hemp into the exciting future of the beverage and cannabis industries.”
Founded in 2019 after Texas legalized hemp — legally defined as a cannabis product with 0.3 percent THC or less — Bayou City Hemp processes hemp and produces finished CBD and THC products from beverages to shampoo. The company has long touted nonalcoholic cannabis beverages as a way to expand cannabis use through an accessible and familiar format. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the major psychoactive component in cannabis and CBD, or cannabidiol, is also found in cannabis but contains no THC. CBD is often used as an alternative treatment for pain, anxiety, insomnia and other maladies.
Bayou City Hemp plans to devote significant capital and resources in promoting the 8th Wonder brand and gain shelf placements across Texas, CEO Benjamin Meggs told the Houston Chronicle. 8th Wonder is sold at H-E-B, Kroger and other retailers in the Houston area, and last month the two companies announced a deal with Austin-based Flood Independent Distribution to get their beverages into retailers, grocers and restaurants statewide.
The companies also plan to upgrade 8th Wonder’s brewery, taproom, distillery and beer garden, while keeping the spirit of the iconic EaDo business, according to Meggs.
“This is not merely an acquisition; it is a bold declaration of our intent to lead and innovate in the heart of Texas,” Meggs said in a statement.