President of Cutwater Spirits and Anheuser-Busch Veteran trades Beer for Cannabis

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Blaze Life Holdings (BLH) has tapped Anheuser-Busch veteran Shreyas Balakrishnan as CEO. Balakrishnan’s nearly 20-year career at Anheuser-Busch (AB) spanned leadership positions across Brewing and Distillery Operations, Distribution, Sales, and M&A. Since 2019, Balakrishnan has served as President of Cutwater Spirits, acquired by AB in 2019. Under his leadership, Cutwater Spirits has become the #1 RTD Cocktail Brand in the US – with distribution in all 50 states and internationally (UK, Canada, Australia). Prior to Cutwater, Balakrishnan served Elysian Brewing Co. as President and General Manager, where he took a regional brand based in Seattle and orchestrated its national expansion. Under his leadership, Space Dust IPA quickly ascended to become the fastest-growing IPA in the U.S.

“Shreyas’ proven track record driving long-term brand and category growth through operational leadership will accelerate our momentum and grow the cannabis beverage category overall,” said Paul Burgis BLH Co-founder, “Having managed AB distribution operations in the two largest US metropolitan markets, New York City and Los Angeles, his expertise in navigating the route to market in complex environments is the sophistication we need as we enter our next growth phase.”

BLH’s renewed focus on distribution comes at a critical inflection point in the California cannabis market, with brands and suppliers fleeing the state and dominant Distributors folding almost overnight. BLH is modeling its route to market operations more off the regulated alcohol industry and three-tier system than the fragmented supply chain of the current cannabis industry.

In his role as CEO, Balakrishnan will lead BLH as it accelerates its efforts in beverage manufacturing, distribution, and brand development. “I am grateful for the invaluable experiences and skills gained over the last two decades at Anheuser-Busch,” said Shreyas Balakrishnan. “The deeply ingrained culture of ownership and not taking shortcuts carry over to my journey into the dynamic cannabis industry and my role in scaling the companies of Blaze Life Holdings. I’m extremely excited to be helping lead and shape the future of cannabis beverages alongside the incredible team at BLH.”

BLH’s Delta Bev co-packing facility is scheduled to begin production in Q4 2023. The Canoga Park Los Angeles facility will be the world’s largest cannabis beverage manufacturing plant – with 14 times the capacity of the current California market. As part of its efforts to optimize the supply chain, BLH’s distribution arm, SuLo Distro, will operate out of the Canoga Park facility – solving for first-mile movement and the significant warehousing costs currently burdening the market.

About Blaze Life Holdings

Blaze Life Holdings was founded in 2017 by two cannabis visionaries: Los Angeles real estate investor Scott Kim and Paul Burgis, former COO and CFO of Los Angeles-based Golden Road Brewing, which was acquired by Anheuser-Busch InBev in 2015. They saw the opportunity for a sophisticated, vertically integrated cannabis business that operationally parallels the craft brewing industry, adapted to drive efficiency and growth in a rapidly growing cannabis beverage industry. The BLH group comprises ILLA Canna (cultivation facility, branded products, and retail), SuLo Distro (full-service cannabis distributor with beverage capabilities), and Delta Bev (cannabis manufacturing), focused on providing clear and simple co-packing solutions for cannabis brands with a focus on beverages. BLH is helmed by professionals with a combined 80 years of experience in beer and beverage production, distribution, and brand building, aligned to bring end-to-end solutions to brands and retailers to increase share and drive category growth.