Trailblazers: Seltzer Lineup and Cross-Industry Collabs in the Mix for Freedom Flower

Collaboration is key in the cannabis industry, and Christopher Chabot, founder of Freedom Flower, has embraced this as an essential cornerstone of his brand.

“I don’t think I’ve talked to one business owner who hasn’t had some sort of collaboration going with another business. So I think that’s a really unique angle in our industry,” Chabot said.

Leading with a star lineup of cannabis seltzers this fall, Freedom Flower has built relationships with local growers and manufacturers across Vermont. They plan to also offer processing and distribution services for other licensed businesses.

“So many people are doing the flower so well. So we’re going to help some of those guys get their product to market better by doing our own take on it.”

Chabot holds the belief that their cannabis should be easily accessible and consumable for its users, and beverages are an ideal medium.

“So many people are doing the flower so well. So we’re going to help some of those guys get their product to market better by doing our own take on it,” Chabot said.

Freedom Flower seltzers will be hitting dispensary shelves this fall in four different flavors: Mango, blood orange, cardamom, and ginger and key lime.

Chabot describes the industry in Vermont as “less competitive and more collaborative.” This has been a recurring theme in much of his work, and in that spirit, the company will also be serving as a medium for services like product transportation, trimming, and marketing.

The team plans to handle their own distribution, with weekly deliveries reaching all over the Green Mountains.

“All around Vermont from Bennington to Brattleboro to Burlington to St. Albans to St. Johnsbury in every corner of the state. So I figured, while we’re at it, we might as well help some folks get their flower from A to B,” said Chabot.

When it comes to manufacturing, Freedom Flower holds their product to a high standard of consistency and quality. They maintain those standards by using distillate from an extraction lab to ensure their consumers get the same dosage in each seltzer.

“We’re based on an approach that relishes the scientific method. We like to make sure that our products are scientifically sound, that they are delivering the best quality cannabis, and they are delivering in a way that is gonna be the most absorbable to your body,” Chabot said.

“Freedom Flower is about having something that is effective and affordable, because I think cannabis can be really freeing and liberating.”

Coming in at six dollars a pop, Chabot compared it to the price of a kombucha. He described it as a really good seltzer that also gets you high. Each beverage will contain 8mg of THC, making it easily consumable for all types of cannabis users.

“Freedom Flower is about having something that is effective and affordable, because I think cannabis can be really freeing and liberating,” said Chabot. He hinted at a second product in the works, but they’re keeping it behind closed doors for the time being.

Looking ahead, Chabot expressed hopes that accessibility will improve for the state’s cannabis consumers. “I hope that home delivery gets passed, so that folks who don’t have as accessible of a means of getting to the dispensaries, they have means to access cannabis as well,” he said.

Should everything go according to plan, Freedom Flower Seltzers will be hitting dispensary shelves on October 1. As Vermont’s rec launch draws closer, Chabot is excited to bring what he’s been working on to the people of Vermont.

“This is the most recent iteration of my journey into cannabis and my long time love affair with the plant and the industry, this just feels like the next and natural step,” Chabot said.

This article is part of a regular series, Trailblazers, highlighting entrepreneurs entering the legal cannabis space.

Learn more about Freedom Flower and give them a follow on Instagram.